Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN brings the tears, the laughter and the goosebumps

I can say one thing with complete confidence - we have an exceptional level of talent in South Africa. The entire team of DEAR EVAN HANSEN proves this once again. It is a beautiful piece of musical theatre that hits you right in the gut and gave me goosebumps again and again.

I cannot say enough about the performances I saw on that stage. The singing was world-class and every performer took you on an emotional journey. Stuart Brown as the title character was phenomenal, so endearing and warm and just wonderful to watch. Another highlight was Lucy Tops as Heidi Hansen, Evan's mother. Her rendition of So Big/So Small had me in tears. The rest of the company all brought their A Game to the show, as well. 

The one thing that I found detracted from the production was the amount of lighting used in the set. The overall concept of the set was great and I could see that designer Niall Griffin was clearly referencing messages flying back and fore, and the constant connection we have with technology with the way the lighting strips moved constantly across the set. It was very effective, but it became distracting at times and I found my eyes being pulled away from the action at important points.

I did, however, love the use of light on the "phones" that the characters were carrying. They were essentially mobile lights that actively lit up the faces of the actors. It was very effective and really hit the message home about how addicted we are to our phones and our connectivity - and what an impact this can have on feeling seen and heard in the real world.

The whole production was slick, driven by passion and love for the show, and has sat with me since watching. The song, You Will Be Found, has been playing on repeat in my head, giving me goosebumps all over again. The entire team, lead by director Greg Karvellas and the producers from How Now Brown Cow and Showtime Management, should be very proud of what they've accomplished.

DEAR EVAN HANSEN runs until 9 March at the Artscape before it heads to the Teatro at Montecasino 15 March to 13 April. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.

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