Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN at The Hippodrome

For a good portion of Baltimore's theatre going public, the yearly lineup at The Hippodrome is a much anticipated, eagerly awaited announcement heralding the opportunity right here at home to see touring companies of the Big Shows, comparable to the Broadway originals. And few are as looked forward to as Dear Even Hansen. Praise the L-ord and pass the Xanax, because this disturbing, delightful, head-invading, tune-filled angst-fest is here. And it was well worth the wait. And yes, there is a Hollywood-y movie made of it, starring the original Evan Hansen, Ben Platt. I resisted seeing it when I knew I was going to see it live here. I heard it was very good and I'll see it soon now. But having seen this company, any other version has a lot of living up to do for me.

The plot is a little difficult to summarize but I'll give it a shot. Evan Hansen is a 17-year-old troubled high school with what is most likely a personality disorder that leads to acute anxiety about just about everything. He lives with his mother, Heidi, while she goes to night school and works all day, but loves him fiercely in the time she has for him. Friendless and in therapy, his doctor suggests Evan write letters to himself, beginning each one with, 'Dear Evan Hansen', then go on to describe his day in terms of encouragement. When he prints one of the letters on a school printer, it gets grabbed by local bad boy/pot head, Connor Murphy. While in possession of the letter (which means nothing to him) Connor kills himself. When his parents find the letter in their deceased son's pocket, they assume that Connor wrote to Evan. As neither kid had a friend in the world, the family seeks Evan out, who begins a charade that Connor was his best friend, a fraud that snowballs with some unintended, serious consequences.

With these quasi tragicomedic musicals, such as Next to Normal and this one, the issues of mental health and suicide are thrust into the spotlight. It takes a particular skill set to put music to these heady (literally) themes, add enough comedy to keep the audience entertained as well as invested in the story, and maybe leave the theatre humming a song or two. With a book by Emmy nominated writer Steven Levenson, and music and lyrics by Tony, Grammy, Oscar, and Olivier award winning writers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, those skills are front and center.

It's no surprise that director Michael Greif was also at the helm of Next To Normal, a brilliantly complex study of mental illness. He has assembled an outstanding team of professionals and steers the production with intelligence and terrific timing. The pace is not so relentless that it leaves one breathless, but does give the audience time to catch its breath between high intensity scenes. The outstanding set design of flying partitions and abbreviated furnishings suggesting living rooms, bedrooms, a garage, and the finale (which I won't reveal), are beautifully coordinated. Peter Nigrini's projection designs are amazing and suit the subject matter in surprising and innovative ways. Japhy Weideman's lights, Nevin Steinberg's sound design, and Emily Rebholz's costumes (that striped shirt and the cast are going to be as recognizable as Dorothy's Ruby Slippers) round out the production team and each is as tight and outstanding as the next.

For some reason, I was expecting a large cast of singing, dancing chorus members, filling the stage with movement and sound. What we got was a small cast of singing stars (no real dancing but some excellent staging by choreographer Danny Mefford) who filled the stage with sound and movement even when there was only one of them there standing still. There is not a false note nor a missed step the entire night.

I could write paragraphs about each of the cast members but that's not practical, so let's go with some highlights. Ciara Alyse Harris as Alana Beck has a beautiful voice and can be quite funny. Alessandro Costantini as Jared has the best comedic timing I've seen for a while, and a voice that fits his character to a tee. Claire Rankin and John Hemphill are well cast as the Murphys, parents of the young man who commits suicide. Hemphill in particular has a poignancy that he keeps well hidden through much of the drama but when he allows it to peek through, it's impressive.

Zoe Murphy as played by Stephanie La Rochelle is a typical teenager, whatever that is. It's a rather stereotypical part but Ms. La Rochelle invests it with an honesty that is nicely supplemented by her terrific vocals.

Jessica E. Sherman as Heidi Hansen had more range on display than any other character. This lady is a consummate professional with the ability to go from scary to nurturing and everywhere in between that a mother goes on a regular basis. She commands the stage and her voice is exactly pitched for this material. When she tells Evan, 'I love you. No matter what', she had me in tears. I loved everything about this performance.

Speaking of vocals and great acting (hey, it's a review, right?), Nikhill Saboo as Connor was as rough and tumble and full of pain beneath a tough exterior as any Shark from West Side Story. Yes, I know this character would have been a Jet, but he has that glorious mane of dark hair and that swagger and sweltering dark looks, and well, you know. But the voice is as good as it gets, upper register with no apparent limit, surprisingly well matched with the leads. Finding a voice like that in a production is a treasure. The guy has serious singing and acting chops and I'm going to look for him on lots more stages whenever I'm anywhere he might be.

Stephen Christopher Anthony as Evan Hansen is a stumbling, stuttering, hyper ball of teenaged anxiety, trying desperately to both disappear and be seen at the same time. This actor had me from the opening scene and even when his life is crashing down around his ears, you just want to hug him and tell him it's ok. Mr. Anthony's Evan is so in need of his mother's, his absent father's, his fake dead best friend's - anybody's - love, the actor keeps us all right in that pocket of need. And his vocal acrobatics, soaring falsettos, such heart-shattering full voiced displays of sheer musical theatre talent, are a wonder to hear.

Dear Evan Hansen has won multiple awards because it's a beautifully constructed piece of theatre. And while it is definitely not the feel good musical of the year, it will make you think twice the next time you wonder what is going on in the twisted labyrinth of the teenaged mind. Or maybe it will just remind you of your own youth and make you glad you survived it. Whatever the reason, go see this musical. Because good theatre not only makes you feel the feels. And these days, we can all use a little escape from our own heads by taking a deep dive into the lives of some other people up on the stage.

Dear Evan Hansen runs through March 20th, 2022 at The Hippodrome, 12 North Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD. Click here for information and tickets.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

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