Dear Evan Hansen

As a NODA Regional Representative, I’ve had the pleasure of reporting on two previous productions by Curtain Call Studios at Theatre Severn’s Walker Theatre, and just when you think this Shrewsbury‑based company couldn’t possibly excel any further, they did. Their latest production of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ was, in a word, monumental, a staging of such emotional force, technical assurance and artistic maturity that it was clearly another defining moment in the company’s rapidly ongoing success.

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is a contemporary stage musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a book by Steven Levenson. The story follows the life of a shy young man with social anxiety disorder whose overwhelming yearning for connection drives him to fabricate a friendship with a deceased classmate. Before he fully realises what he has set in motion, Evan is thrust into the centre of the tragedy, offering misguided comfort to the grieving family by claiming that he and their son were close friends and even creating a fake email account to substantiate their bond. When a fictitious suicide note spreads online, Evan becomes the unintended face of a viral movement about loneliness and friendship, a role that finally brings him the acceptance he has always craved, even as the lie grows dangerously beyond his control.

As we settled into the splendour and comfort of Theatre Severn’s 650‑seat main auditorium, the open stage set was there to admire. Relatively simple in construction yet strikingly effective, it presented an elevated bedroom space on the left, complete with steps descending to the main stage and another flight rising to a full‑width upper walkway at the rear. Three large video monitors - one vertically mounted on the right with another above it and the other on the left at the same level – were complimented by two imposing black frames edged with blue and green LED strip lighting in-between. At ground level, a fully fitted kitchen and a bank of school lockers cleverly linked the domestic and educational worlds of the story, with exit doors on either side completing the versatile playing space.

As the show progressed, the video monitors cleverly enhanced the on‑stage action with crisp, high‑quality bursts of social media feeds, text messages and web pages ensuring the very latest technology was seamlessly woven into the fabric of the production.

In the title role, Alastor Clark delivered a truly magnificent performance of a quality you would be hard pressed to see in a professional theatre. Perfectly capturing Evan’s low self‑esteem and raw emotional fragility, he still maintained a gentle charm that made him instantly compelling, holding the audience completely transfixed from the very first moment he walked onto the stage and settled into his bedroom, quietly tapping away on his laptop. What followed was a portrayal of remarkable confidence and promise, enhanced by a stage presence that never wavered as the story’s moral dilemmas unfolded. Alastor’s vocal ability was also quite outstanding, with ‘Waving Through a Window’ and ‘Words Fail’ emerging as clear highlights of the evening.

As Evan’s mum, Heidi, Natalie Wright, delivered a compelling and deeply compassionate performance, portraying the typical single parent striving to make ends meet while still endeavouring to give her son every ounce of care, help and support she possibly could. The hurt she showed on discovering Evan’s deception about his growing closeness to the Murphy family was sensitively drawn, culminating in a beautifully judged and heartfelt rendition of ‘So Big, So Small’, where her disappointment, love and vulnerability were laid bare with striking honesty.

Heidi’s duet with Connor’s mum Cynthia - ‘Anybody Have a Map?’ - cleverly highlighted the problems of their children living in a world of confusion and uncertainty from the perspective of the two mothers involved in this story.

Ismay Dudzinski Grubb delivered another fine and sensitive performance as Zoe Murphy, Connor’s sister, skilfully capturing the complex mix of guilt and hurt that comes from being unable to grieve for a brother in the way she felt she should. Initially a little stand‑offish with Evan, she gradually softened throughout the production, allowing a believable and touching closeness to form between them. Her emotional contribution to ‘Requiem’ was beautifully sung with her mum and dad and her two duets with Evan, ‘If I Could Tell Her’ and ‘Only Us’, were also superbly performed.

The grieving parents of Connor Murphy were portrayed with huge skill and feeling by Natalie Smith (Cynthia) and Dan Wrench (Larry), both still utterly at a loss to understand what had gone so tragically wrong and how they could have failed their son to such a degree that he had felt driven to take his own life. Their discovery that Evan had been Connor’s ‘friend’ sparked a growing warmth and genuine affection towards him, culminating at one point in their heartfelt offer to support his higher education fees. When Evan’s spiral of lies finally unravelled, the damage and hurt that followed was unsurprisingly devastating.

As a family unit, their performance of ‘Requiem’ was a true tear‑jerker, sung with great emotion and remarkable sincerity and highlighting not only their vocal strength but the depth of their inner turmoil. It stood out as another clear highlight of the evening.

Connor, superbly portrayed by Kyran Candlin, was a troubled loner with a mean streak, lashing out at family and classmates as he battled the serious drug problem that ultimately claimed his life. Despite his tragic demise, Connor remained a significant presence throughout the production, cleverly reappearing as a ghostly ‘vision’ whose sharp, often darkly comic interjections helped clarify events and offer guidance, particularly to Evan and Jared Kleinman during the chaotic creation of the letter in ‘Sincerely Me’.

Jarad was the closest thing Evan had to a friend and was played with great comedic flair by Charlie Watt whose dry delivery and perfectly judged awkwardness consistently hit the mark. His insistence that he only spoke to Evan so that his parents would continue paying for his car insurance was delivered with such deadpan brilliance that it became one of the evening’s most memorable running jokes.

Sienna-Lily O’Brien, another school friend, also brought a good helping of fun and humour to the plot as the vibrant and animated Alana Beck.

There was not as many dance routines as you would usually see in a stage musical, but those included were choreographed and performed to an extremely high and exciting standard by an exceptional ensemble who I must name individually – Neave Beddow, Adina Coulman Smith, Stan Dudzinski Grubb, Nat Hodgkiss, Archie Pitt, Georgia Hall Slater and Amy Spendlove. They were all terrific and their harmonic vocal work was simply outstanding.

The show was masterfully lit from start to finish, taking full advantage of Theatre Severn’s impressive bank of LED and intelligent lamps which had all been carefully programmed to enhance the mood and excitement of the various scenes by Benjamin Connor. The follow spots were absolutely ‘spot on’ thanks to the diligence and skills of Charlotte Collier and Natalie Weller. The sound too was of exceptional quality, perfectly in sync with the superbly orchestrated backing tracks and flawlessly operated by Cassie Pearce and Alfie Wyatt. The video displays were equally well operated by Lucy Wrench.

Props were well organised by Laura Rollason and Olivia Stone did a terrific job as Stage Manager.

But my final comments - and arguably the most important - must go to Director, Benjamin Connor, Choreographer, Neave Beddow and Musical Director, Michael Jenkins, whose outstanding talent and sheer professionalism lifted this production to the absolute peak of theatrical standards. Their combined vision, discipline and artistry resulted in a performance that was, quite simply, faultless!

Thank you for inviting me to your latest production and for your warm welcome and hospitality. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of spending the evening with you and look forward to seeing you all again later in the year.

Chris C Bell
Regional Representative
NODA West Midlands District 2

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