Dear Evan Hansen

The West End transfer of the Tony Award-winning new musical Dear Evan Hansen in London

A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he's always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, this new musical is about life and the way we live it.

Musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and book by Steven Levenson.

The cast features Sam Tutty as 'Evan Hansen', Marcus Harman as 'Alternate Evan Hansen', Lucy Anderson as 'Zoe Murphy', Rebecca McKinnis as 'Heidi Hansen', Doug Colling as 'Connor Murphy', Rupert Young 'Larry Murphy', Lauren Ward as 'Cynthia Murphy', Jack Loxton as 'Jared Kleinman', Nicole Raquel Dennis as 'Alana Beck' (up to 14 March 2020), and Iona Fraser as 'Alana Beck' (from 26 October 2021). All casting subject to change without notice.

Directed by Michael Greif, with choreography by Danny Mefford, sets by David Korins, costumes by Emily Rebholz, projections by Peter Nigrini, lighting by Japhy Weideman, and sound by Nevin Steinberg.

Note: This production was booking up to Saturday 30 May 2020, but closed on Saturday 14 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 situation. It reopened from 26 October 2021.

Rebecca McKinnis' London theatre credits include playing the roles of 'Margaret New' in Jonathan Butterell's production of the Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom MacRae musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre in 2018; and the ensemble in Paul Garrington's production of Jennifer Saunders' Spice Girls musical Viva Forever! at the Piccadilly Theatre in 2012.

Lauren Ward's London theatre credits include playing the roles of 'Rose Stopnick Gellman' in Michael Longhurst's revival of the Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori musical Caroline, or Change Hampstead Theatre, and transfer to the West End's Playhouse Theatre in 2018; Lauren Ward as 'Miss Honey' in the original cast of Matthew Warchus' production of Tim Minchin and Dennis Wise's musical of Roald Dahl's Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre in 2011; 'Elsa Schraeder' in the original cast of Jeremy Sams' revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music at the London Palladium in 2006; 'Liz Imbrie' in Jerry Zaks' revival of Phillip Barry's The Philadelphia Story at the Old Vic Theatre in 2005; and 'Thaisa' in Adrian Noble's revival of William Shakespeare's Pericles at the Roundhouse in 2002.

Rupert Young's London theatre credits include being in the ensemble in Timothy Sheader's revival of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in 2005; and the ensemble of Ian Talbot's revival of Herbert Appleman's adaptation of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta HMS Pinafore at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in 2005.

Jack Loxton's London theatre credits include playing the role of the 'Alternate Christopher Boone' in Marianne Elliott's production of Simon Stephens' adaptation of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Apollo Theatre in 2013.

When this production opened here at the Noel Coward Theatre in London's West End in November 2019, Nick Curtis in the London Evening Standard explained how "this multi-Tony award-winning Broadway musical carves out bold new territory for the form, taking on depression, herd behaviour on social media, and the public nature of modern grieving... There is a slightly icky undertone to the whole endeavour that may prove a challenge to London audiences, though... Steven Levenson's book relies on a large amount of coincidence and is curiously old fashioned about modern life: everyone's on Facebook, no one has a phone. The sympathy it demands for Evan also feels a stretch." Marianka Swain in the i newspaper highlighted that "Michael Greif's slick production features sharp satire and winning three-dimensional characterisation... It also handles social media brilliantly, demonstrating how quickly grief becomes performative, monetised, then subject to vitriolic backlash - private pain made public property... This is a thoughtful examination of mental illness, family and class differences, and of the way the internet age shapes us." Clive Davis in the Times said that "if the prospect of spending an evening contemplating the perils of peer pressure, family breakdown and rampant social media seems less than inviting, be reassured that Dear Evan Hansen is worth it. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have fashioned a set of sophisticated and cathartic numbers. And although the ending feels slightly sentimental, Steven Levenson's book is still a courageous and often witty attempt to make sense of adolescent trauma." Patrick Marmion in the Daily Mail wrote that, dealing with suicide, "it's obviously tricky territory, which Benj Pasek and Justin Paul navigate with bold, rocky tunes and thoughtful lyrics... Unfortunately, I didn't find the Dear Evan Hansen music especially memorable - except, perhaps, the big emotional anthem For Forever... Michael Greif's production runs like a slick PowerPoint presentation, with David Korin's staging like a cross between an airport and a computer screen." Michael Billington in the Guardian described how "it captures the agonies of youth, allows the songs to grow out of the action and boasts a great role for its lead actor. I admired the show without lapsing into unqualified rapture... Michael Greif's direction, deploying a kaleidoscopically digital design by David Korins, is swift and sensitive. Everything, in fact, is expertly done but, if I didn't totally surrender to the show, it is because it lacks the courage to admit that high anxiety is not so easily cured." Dominic Cavendish in the Daily Telegraph thought that "the evening does feel - much like its protagonist - supremely calculated; and for all its cleverness, there is an air of chilliness about it. Original though the scenario undoubtedly is, it unfolds fairly schematically; too few of the characters feel fully fleshed out. Directed by Michael Greif, the evening has no weak links, casting-wise." Neil Norman in the Daily Express commented how "it makes an unlikely subject for a musical. But it succeeds thanks to a confident story and songs... The lyrics are smart and sometimes very funny and many of the tunes are memorable, if not catchy. A handful of them are heart-stoppingly moving... Hats off to the largely youthful cast and director Michael Greif who negotiates the script's complexities with ease"

Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway in New York at the Music Box Theatre on 4 December 2016, where it continues to play. The acclaimed production won a total of six Tony Awards, including for 'Best Musical', 'Best Book of a Musical', 'Best Original Score', 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical' for Ben Platt in the title role, 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical' for Rachel Bay Jones as 'Heidi Hansen', and 'Best Orchestrations' for Alex Lacamoire. A film version, featuring Ben Platt in the title role, was released in October 2021.

Dear Evan Hansen in London at the Noel Coward Theatre previewed from 29 October 2019, opened on 19 November 2019, closed on 14 March 2020, and reopened from 26 October 2021