Dear Evan Hansen at Royal & Derngate Northampton Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Amanda Dando

The Royal and Derngate Theatre is in the centre of Northampton. There is ample parking in the surrounding areas and the theatre is also very accessible on foot. We arrived on a cold wet Tuesday evening unsure what to expect, the staff as ever were welcoming and informative on where our seats were. I had no prior knowledge of what the show was about, Dear Evan Hansen the stage show is based on a book written by Steven Levenson.

The set is minimal but we will come to how effectively it is used later. It’s a small cast, but my goodness they are a talented bunch. I have rarely been to such a great performance of musical theatre. I lost count of the times the hairs went up on the back of my neck or I felt a shiver go through me. I won’t spoil the story line but it will touch the hearts of worlds of so many of us live in day to day. It is an intelligent take on the harsh difficult world we all live in today.

Evan Hansen played by Ryan Kopel was beyond magnificent, he seemed so fragile at times I wanted to leap from my seat and wrap my arms around him, what an outstanding performance from an actor. His voice for someone that looked soo young, was brilliant throughout. This show is all about feelings, feelings of one’s own worth and how others feel about us. In a world where all we ask is to be kind, this particular storyline resonates hugely. Evan Hansen has been tasked by his therapist to write a letter to himself about how his week or day is going, and events spiral from there. As a young teen in today’s world, you can totally relate to the story played out on stage and how life affects that age group, and I really think all high school age children should be taken to the theatre to watch this show.

The performance of ‘You Will be Found’ just before the interval blew me away, it bought me to tears, it was one of the most emotional numbers I have witnessed on stage, it was soo powerful. The use of screens you didn’t even know were there to portray online content, chat and reposting of events on social media was striking and phenomenal.

A massive well done to the whole cast, faultless all of you. Special shoutout to mum, Heidi Hansen played by Alice Fearn, this lady has a huge voice, very talented. They all were, Lauren Conroy who played Zoe Murphy, Helen Anker as Cynthia Murphy, Richard Hurst as Larry Murphy. I loved the stage presence of Tom Dickerson who played Jared, especially when on stage with Evan and Connor Murphy played by Killian Thomas Lefevre.

This show is one not to be missed. Dear Evan Hansen, my week was amazing because I heard your story, I felt your story, I will share your story.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £25  (booking fees may apply).

Dear Evan Hansen is at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton from 14-18 January 2025, for more information or to book tickets visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk or call the box office on 01604 624811.

Royal & Derngate, 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, NN1 1DP | 01604 624811