first night: dear evan hansen @ rivertown theatres

Dear Evan Hansen
Rivertown Theatres
Review by Beth D'Addono

If an anxiety-riddled teenager falls out of a tree, does anybody care? This is just one of the driving issues in the show Dear Evan Hansen, which won six Tony awards in 2017 including best musical. Eight years later, the story still resonates, a heartbreakingly raw tale of teen suicide, loneliness, social media fake news and ultimately, flawed redemption.

Dear Evan Hansen is a genre-bending musical, with Grammy-winning music and lyrics by Benj
Pasek and Justin Paul (the writing duo behind the songs in the films La La Land and The
Greatest Showman) and book by playwright Steven Levenson.

Set against the backdrop of the social media age, with ever-changing screens depicting the
relentless power of online “community,” Dear Evan Hansen manages to be both high tech and
low touch at the same time. The show tells the tale of an awkward and lonely teenager who feels
unseen and unimportant. When his classmate Connor Murphy dies by suicide, a misunderstanding about their relationship leads Connor’s parents to Evan, who perpetuates what starts as a little white lie, but blows up into a complex web of deceit.

Actor/singer Jacob Morris rises to the challenge as the show’s angst-ridden main character.
Morris has a strong, expressive voice, owning the show’s heart-tugging anthems while perfectly
embodying the nervous tics of a broken, isolated teen.

The stakes are high. While Evan manages to eventually do the right thing, it’s hard to cheer him on as he perpetuates the lie. He’s clearly embracing the charades limelight, but then again, this is a kid who nobody ever noticed. Morris mines Evan’s sensitive core, keeping it real through a roller coaster of emotions.

Morris is matched by a consistently strong ensemble, with shout outs to stirring performances by
Lewis as Connor and Ruby Rae Levin, as his tough yet vulnerable sister Zoe. Ryan Reilly is wonderful as the jammed up, grief-stricken dad Larry Murphy. When he sings To Break in a Glove to Evan, both characters are shattered by loss and wishing for what will never be. Ashley Lemmler delivers a strong performance as Evan’s mother Heidi, an over worked single mom who sings a showstopping version of the poignant ballad, So Big/So Small.

There were lots of sniffling and passed tissues on opening night. Dear Evan Hansen is a long and intense performance that rings true in an age where everybody else seems to be living their best
life on Instagram and TikTok, leaving so many of people of all ages “On the outside, always
looking in,” just one of the powerful lines in the first act anthem, “Waving Through a Window.” It's is a profound musical that rings true for anyone who's ever felt unseen in a crowded room.
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That it’s onstage at Rivertown is a big deal. The licensing company reached out to the Kenner
theater, asking director Kelly Fouchi to present the first non-replica production in the U.S. Instead of this being a bus-and-truck traveling version of the original, Fouchi and her team were able to flex their own creative muscles. The company offered fresh aspects to the production, including stunning digital screens recreating school and home settings as the story unfolds. Scenic designer Ben Needham and lighting designer Gabby Brown created an eye-popping, high-tech context for a story that literally unspools screen by screen.

Bryce Slocumb co-directs with Fouchi, who also choreographs. Musical director Elise Spurlock
and the band of musicians did a bang-up job with this gorgeous score, with Mathieu Silverman.
conducting and on keyboard. Never mind if there were times when the balance of sound seemed off - hanging on every word goes with the territory for this gorgeous heartbreaker of a musical.

Dear Evan Hansen plays through Sept 28th at Rivertown Theatres. Click here for more information and ticketing. 

Beth D'Addono is a culture and food writer - her newest book, 'City Eats: New Orleans' - is out now. (Read our review)
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