As someone who spends lots of time on social media, I’d heard of the musical Dear Evan Hansen long before it came to London. It tells the story of Evan Hansen, a 17-year-old struggling with social anxiety, whose world is upended when the grieving parents of a fellow high school student who has recently taken his own life come to believe he was their son’s only friend.
Between Broadway and the West End, the show has won numerous awards – among them Tonys for best musical, best book of a musical, best original score; a Grammy for best musical theatre album; and an Olivier for best new musical.
Settling down in my seat at the Noël Coward Theatre, in the West End, I’m excited to finally get to understand why it has earned so many accolades, as well as a dedicated fan base.
‘It’s addictive’
The buzz in the air is different from any show I’ve seen in a while. People are posing for photos in front of the stage and avidly reading the programme from cover to cover. There are groups of teenagers, hordes of twenty and thirtysomethings, parents with children, and solo spectators. Many are humming the show’s songs as they wait for the stage to spring to life, making it clear they’ve been a few times before – or at least streamed the soundtrack to death. “This isn’t a show you see just once,” says Ella, 19. “It’s addictive.”
Ella has been before with her family and again with her boyfriend. Today she is with her friend, Laura, 18. It’s her first time, but she already loves all the songs and is excited to finally see them performed live.
‘There is a character and a topic for everyone’
Jack, 30, is another returning audience member, seeing the show for the second time – on this occasion with his boyfriend Adam, 23, and friend, Chloe, 23, as well as his dad and stepmum. “There is a character and a topic for everyone,” he says. “It’s strange that a show about a teenage boy can speak to so many different people.”
Adam agrees: “Not everyone has been through the same thing, but everyone can pick out something whether it’s the family dynamics or the feeling of being alone.”
As the audience piles in, notifications ping non-stop from an array of digital screens on the stage, which display a stream of social media posts. Although they flash by too quickly to read, I make out posts from celebrities ranging from Kim Kardashian to Neil deGrasse Tyson. The show makes great use of these screens throughout, particularly in act one’s closing number, You Will Be Found. The high-tech set design is a hit with the audience, and establishes Dear Evan Hansen as a thoroughly modern musical.
Amy, 16, who came with friends to watch the show for the second time, explains its relatability: “Our lives are dominated by social media,” she says. “The use of the screens on stage throughout the show really showed how social media is a constant presence in our lives.”
Dear Evan Hansen has a lot to say about the pitfalls of social media, but Charlotte, 17, who was with Amy, thinks it also highlights its value. “The show does a really good job of showing the best and worst of it,” she says. “Through using social media, Evan creates a space for people to share, to help them if they are feeling alone. That’s how social media has helped me and it’s so amazing to see that on stage.”
That balance of positive and negative, light and dark, is explored all the way through the production. The show isn’t afraid to cover serious topics, such as mental health, death and marital breakdown, but offers light relief with a throughline of humour and a message of hope, something Jack appreciates. “Comedic breaks are definitely needed,” he says. “To be able to balance them with such a raw story is an incredible achievement.”
‘As a mum, I feel the pain of the parents’
Sue, 56, is seeing the show with her daughter, Cara. She wasn’t really sure what to expect, assuming it was just “about the internet” when she agreed to go. Speaking after the show, her preconceptions have been disproved. “You think one character is one thing, but then they show another side to them. All of the characters are so complicated,” she says. “As a mum watching, I can feel the pain of the parents, but you can really see how all the characters come together to support each other.”
Mum and daughter both agree that it is not a traditional musical. “It’s unique,” says Cara.
It’s clear from everyone I speak to that the songs and the acting stand out. Third time viewer Grace, 26, who is watching with her brother Lou, 29, finds Sam Tutty “mesmerising” as Evan, but is just as impressed with the rest of the cast. “The ensemble singing hits you hard,” says Lou. “It’s amazing how all the voices work so well together to tell the story.”
The pair struggle to pick just one favourite song, going back and forth between Disappear and Words Fail. Both songs seem to get the biggest applause, yet every number is well received.
Dear Evan Hansen is a show that refuses to be pigeonholed, but if there’s one lesson to be learned, Laura believes it is that “you are not alone, no matter how alone you feel, or how different you are” – an inarguably uplifting message.
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org
