(Cover Photo: The CAST of the musical "DEAR EVAN HANSEN" playing at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. from January 10, 2025 through January 12, 2025. Photo Credit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

By Kevin T. Baldwin

METRMAG Reviewer

# 774-242-6724

“Today is going to be a good day and here's why - because today at least you're you and that's enough."

                   - ("Evan Hansen") / Steven Levenson, Justin Paul and Benj Pasek  

The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts

Presents the 

Smash Broadway Musical 

"DEAR EVAN HANSEN"

Music and Lyrics by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek 

Book by Steven Levenson

Original Director Michael Greif 

Original Choreographer Danny Mefford 

Music Director Michael Hopewell 

Music Supervisor/Orchestrator Alex Lacamoire   

Cast Includes: Michael Fabisch as “Evan Hansen,” Hatty Ryan King as “Zoe Murphy,” Bre Cade as “Heidi Hansen,” Caitlin Sams as “Cynthia Murphy,” Alex Pharo as “Connor Murphy,” Jeff Brooks as “Larry Murphy,” Gabriel Vernon Nunag as “Jared Kleinman,” Makena Jackson as “Alana Beck,” Michael Perez as “Evan Alternate, U/S Connor Murphy,” Monica Blume as “U/S Heidi Hansen, Cynthia Murphy, Alana Beck,” Julianna Braga as “U/S Alana Beck, Zoe Murphy,” Blake Ehrlichman as “U/S Evan Hansen, Connor Murphy, Jared Kleinman,” Jenna Kantor as “U/S Heidi Hansen, Cynthia Murphy,” Jared Svoboda as “U/S Larry Murphy.”

Additional Creative Team:

Direction Restager - Danny Sharron; Associate Music Supervisor - Ben Cohn; Direction / Choreography Restager Mark Myars; Scenic Design - David Korins; Projection Design - Peter Nigrini; Costume Design - Emily Rebholz; Lighting Design - Japhy Weideman; Sound Design - Nevin Steinberg; Casting - Murnane Casting; Music Coordinator - Talitha Fehr; Keyboard Programmer - Randy Cohen; Production Stage Manager - Anna Klevit; Assistant Stage Manager - Katy Gentry; Company Manager - Aaron Martin; Assistant Company Manager - Lindsay Kaplan; Production Manager - Gregg Damanti; General Manager - Andrew Terlizzi; Tour Direction - The Booking Group; Tour Marketing & Publicity - Bond Theatrical; Physical Therapy - Neuro Tour; Executive Producer - Jayna Neagle; Producer & Tour Management - Crossroads Live.

Performances:

January 10, 2025 through January 12, 2025 

(Contact Box Office for Exact Times) 

Presented at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester.

TICKETS:

For More Information:  877-571-SHOW (7469) info@thehanovertheatre.org

BUY TICKETS

COVID 19 PROTOCOLS

Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.

(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)

The Hanover Theatre presents the national tour of the blockbuster musical "DEAR EVAN HANSEN" which shows a harsh reality that comes with severe interpersonal and social disconnect in an overtly connected social cyberworld. 

"DEAR EVAN HANSEN" has a Tony Award-winning score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and features a Tony Award-winning book written by Steven Levenson. 

This latest tour from Crossroads Live brings with it a phenomenally talented cast who bring these eight distinctive characters to the forefront to share their emotional story of heartbreaking loss and what can be found in the wake of such loss. 

Each character selfishly contends with an agonizing event - a teen suicide. 

The actions of the victim, high school student, drug user and social outcast Connor (Alex Pharo), become much like a bomb going off with those affected reacting as if victims impacted by the blast. 

However, amid various respective self-reflection, these victims collectively compound the tragic event, with each survivor becoming even more self-absorbed about the consequences of Connor's ultimate action. 

Those affected make the event more about themselves than the victim, especially another young social outcast named EVAN HANSEN." 

(Photo: Michael Fabisch as “Evan Hansen” with Bre Cade as “Heidi Hansen” in a scene from the musical "DEAR EVAN HANSEN" playing at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. from January 10, 2025 through January 12, 2025. Photo Credit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

Originally directed by Michael Greif and choreographed by Danny Mefford, "DEAR EVAN HANSEN" opened on Broadway in 2016 running until 2022, with 21 preview performances and a disputed figure of either 1,672 or 1,678 regular performances. 

The musical was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning six, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor (for Ben Platt), and Best Featured Actress (for Rachel Bay Jones). 

A 2021 film adaptation had Ben Platt reprising his role (and it was "meh" at best). 

The show continues to be performed worldwide with the latest touring production playing at Worcester’s Hanover Theatre through January 12^th. 

The "DEAR EVAN HANSEN" songs, by Pasek and Paul, reveal pressures and emotional battles that result from Connor’s death and EVAN's involvement with Connor's family.   

Pasek and Paul’s ballads stand out, but the story has also successfully brought to the front and opened dialogue on themes of mental illness and youth suicide. 

The musical follows high school senior with social anxiety EVAN HANSEN (Michael Fabisch) who inserts himself into the family tragedy by fabricating his relationship to the victim. 

EVAN is a bullied 17-year-old suffering from social anxiety, depression, and a recently broken arm.   

Michael Fabisch has marvelous presence on stage as troubled EVAN, making it hard to determine if the young man is energetically anxious or anxiously energetic - either way, it is a simply fantastic performance.

(Photo: Michael Fabisch as “Evan Hansen” in a scene from the musical "DEAR EVAN HANSEN" playing at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. from January 10, 2025 through January 12, 2025. Photo Credit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

The “Murphy family” is rocked by Connor's suicide and, for parents Cynthia (Caitlin Sams) and Larry (Jeff Brooks), the heartbreaking situation torments each of their characters but in unique ways. 

Finding the letter, they assume EVAN and Connor were close and EVAN does not dispute the misconception which takes him (and everyone) down a misguided but well-intentioned rabbit hole of deceit.   

Sams as Cynthia and Brooks as Larry are both outstanding, showing a respective emotional disconnect each parent has from their children, which includes daughter Zoe (Hatty Ryan King). 

The mother and father profess their misery as parents dealing with grief and loss, yet they are not quite sure where things went wrong nor who (of them) is actually (more) to blame for Connor's death. 

The emergence of EVAN into their lives alleviates some of that misery, but they are unaware of EVAN's deception but, like all the house of cards, the one EVAN has built is highly unstable and is unlikely to last. 

Zoe perhaps is suffering the most since she struggles to grieve given the estranged relationship she had with brother Connor while living together under the same roof for their entire lives. 

As Zoe, Hatty Ryan King is quite possibly the highlight of the show but that may be because she also has been given one of the most layered characters in the entire story.  

Rounding out the cast is Bre Cade who is commendable as Heidi Hansen, EVAN's hard-working single mother.

Cade elicits an exceptional portrayal of a mother who wants nothing but the best life for her child, yet she watches him struggle socially and feels powerless trying to help.

(Photo: The CAST of the musical "DEAR EVAN HANSEN" playing at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. from January 10, 2025 through January 12, 2025. Photo Credit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

A clear intent of the show, told from multiple perspectives, is to enlighten us as to a new "generation gap" which is that disconnect being felt within today's remnant of the "nuclear family." 

The parents and teens showcased in "DEAR EVAN HANSEN" appear in to be proficient at stumbling over themselves to try and bridge that gap. 

Parents watch helplessly as teens are so interconnected online yet so equally and utterly incapable of talking to one another in person.

In other words, to quote 10cc, "communication is the problem to the answer."

Because both groups are diametrically opposed, socially, this makes their ongoing attempts to understand one another problematic at best, yielding some of the show's most intensely emotional moments. 

But this is also a musical (although it feels more like a play with music) and there are many fabulous songs in the show, including popular favorites "Waving Through a Window," "You Will Be Found," "Sincerely, Me," "Words Fail" and "For Forever" which are all exemplary performed on this latest tour. 

"HANSEN" has a tremendous score and technically, the show is also staged as a cleverly structured visceral delight. 

Blueprint precision is both required for and executed in the production, and all scene changes flow seamlessly from beginning to end. 

There were a couple of sound feedback moments at the January 10th performance, but this did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the musical. 

While perhaps familiar with the Original Broadway Cast Recording of the musical, audience members may come away with very unique revelations after having seen "DEAR EVAN HANSEN"  for the very first time. 

Let us hope such revelations also spark conversations within families that might see themselves on a similar path as the Murphys and prevent similar tragedies.   

(Note: Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people between 10 and 24. Sometimes it feels as though your struggle is being underestimated because of your age. Help is available. Anyone struggling should dial # 988.) 

"DEAR EVAN HANSEN" continues at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester through January 12th, 2025. 

Coming up next in the Hanover Broadway Series will be the Tony Award-winning musical "THE CHER SHOW" featuring the songs of the legendary musical superstar with the musical's book written by Rick Elise.

For tickets and more information, contact Hanover Theatre at # 877-571-SHOW (7469) or via email at info@thehanovertheatre.org

BUY TICKETS

Approximately two hours, 30 minutes with one intermission

Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) 

@MetrmagReviews

@Theatre_Critics

ABOUT THE SHOW

"DEAR EVAN HANSEN" tells the story of a young man with social anxiety disorder who so yearns to make a connection with his peers that he fabricates a relationship with a deceased student to become closer to the boy’s family. 

When a classmate commits suicide, shy EVAN HANSEN finds himself at the center of the tragedy and turmoil. In a misguided attempt to comfort the boy’s grieving family, EVAN pretends that he was actually good friends with their son. EVAN invents a fabricated email account to “prove” their friendship, and when a fake suicide note makes its way online, EVAN finds himself the unintended face of a viral video about loneliness and friendship.

As his social currency skyrockets, EVAN HANSEN is drawn deeper and deeper into the lie. 

His relationship with his actual mother wanes in comparison to that of his “shiny new family.” 

He finally lands the girl of his dreams, and most importantly - he’s no longer invisible.

Eventually, EVAN HANSEN is forced to make a decision: 

Will he give himself over to the fantasy he’s created, or will he bite the bullet and risk losing everything he’s ever wanted? 

With a fast-paced score from songwriting duo Pasek and Paul, (not to mention a few Tony Awards), "DEAR EVAN HANSEN" became an instant hit among theatergoers everywhere. (STAGEAGENT)

For More Information:  877-571-SHOW (7469) info@thehanovertheatre.org

BUY TICKETS

Please contact the box office at 877-571-SHOW (7469) for more information.

ABOUT HANOVER THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Worcester Center for Performing Arts is a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which owns and operates The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

HANOVER THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

2 Southbridge Street

Worcester, MA. 01608

# 877-571-SHOW (7469) 

info@thehanovertheatre.org