Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN RETURNS REFRESHED, RENEWED AND BETTER THAN EVER! at Straz Center For Performing Arts

"Dear Evan Hansen:

Today is going to be a good day

and here's why. Because today,

no matter what else, today at

least... you're you. No hiding,

no lying. Just...you.

And that's... that's enough."

Almost exactly two years since Dear Evan Hansen first stepped onto the Straz Center stage and into our hearts, the show that has left a mark on everyone that has seen it, or heard the soundtrack is back under the lights of Carol Morsani Hall. It's hard to imagine two years, and yet here we are. It felt like just yesterday with bated breath we were sitting in our seats awaiting the dim of the lights and the story to unfold before our eyes.

At least for me as I stepped into Morsani Hall Tuesday night for Opening Night of the tour's stop in Tampa it was like being welcomed back into the arms of an old friend. For some, this story is new and unfamiliar, and for others, it fits more like your favorite sweater, but no matter which of the two you align yourself with, the show, the story, the message, the music, still strikes a chord as raw as ever. From the first note to the last. Each scene moves you to the depths of your journey as a human, and that is like capturing lightning in a bottle. No matter if you have seen the show one time or fifty there is something that strikes you differently each time you experience its magic. I think that has a lot to do with not only the story itself and the plight in which the central characters travel, but is also very much controlled by where we are at in our own personal journeys.

The cast here is top-notch! Sam Primack standing in as Alternate for Stephen Christopher Anthony on Tuesday night was exemplary. He had the right amount of emotion and nervous/anxious energy, but you still felt for him the entire time. Every moment from beginning to end was grounded and real, nothing forced, nothing fake, just sincere human emotion. His voice was outstanding and filled every depth and crevice contained within Morsani Hall. My heart broke right along with him in "For Forever," and "Word's Fail." My heart soared with hope and love during "You Will Be Found," and made me reflect on the past with "Waving Through a Window." If you get the chance to see Sam on stage, this is the role to see him in.

Alessandro Costantini as Jared Kleinman was the comic relief and could really deliver a zinger! His times during "Sincerely Me," and anytime in which he was helping Evan not only was hilarious but also showed how true a friend Jared really was to Evan.

Julian Diaz Granados standing in for Nikhil Saboo as Connor Murphy was dark and brooding in all the right ways. His vocals soared during "Sincerely Me," and "Disappear." In times he provided comic relief for the moment as well which was a great juxtaposition for the arch of his character.

Ciara Alyse Harris who was last on the tour when it came to the Straz in 2019 as the understudy for Alana and Zoe was the perfect Alana Beck here. Full of power and strength we believed her plight from the very beginning. You really feel for her in songs such as "Good for You."

John Hemphill's Larry Murphy was stoic and true, but also you could feel his pain when he was hurting. His father/son relationship with Evan was a great arc. Coming from a child of divorce I feel for Evan in this instance... and the song "To Break in a Glove" is a powerful moment between the two. For me, in this production, it was all of the incidental moments in which John truly made me feel for his Larry Murphy. His moments in "Requiem," and "Disappear," were truly heartbreaking and you could feel a dad at his breaking point.

Alaina Anderson as Zoe Murphy was stunning from start to finish. You really see the arc of her character from the time in the beginning during breakfast, through tragedy, and finding love, her Zoe has it all. Her vocals during "Requiem" are so powerful, and her duets "Only Us," and "If I Could Tell Her," with Evan were sweet moments of young love. The kiss at the end of "You Will Be Found," really makes you hopeful for their future together. Alaina and Sam were the perfect pair as Evan and Zoe.

As the two mothers, Claire Rankin as Cynthia Murphy and Coleen Sexton as Heidi Hansen each brought a different arch-type to the role of Mom. Heidi is a working mother who is always working or in class to make a better life for her and Evan. On the other hand, Cynthia as Zoe and Connor's Mother is the wife who gets to stay home while her husband works. In the middle, we have Evan who as a child of divorce gets to see both sides. Both Claire and Coleen deliver stellar performances here. Coleen as Heidi comes across as slightly brash but means well, it's like if you had a mix of Amy Poehler and Kristen Wig, but her "So Big/So Small," is a heartbreaking showstopper. You feel for her plight as a single mother trying to make ends meet, and the love she has for her son could move mountains.

Claire Rankin's Cynthia Murphy is powerful and beautiful but she means business. In the wake of unthinkable tragedy you feel for her heartbreak and the love she not only has to give but also the love she feels was taken too abruptly. It's the rug pulled out from under you type of moment that is delivered here and it is heartbreaking and moving in every possible way. If you are a parent...this show, these performers, in this time is what you need to witness, and experience bar none. They are at the top of their game here.

What is so cool about Dear Evan Hansen is not just the award-winning songs, and script, but also the powerful message that continues to resonate in all who get to experience it. In a pandemic-driven world where not even the slightest word can be uttered without fear of cancel culture and a moment in time where social media rules our everyday lives, when do we look back at it all and face what happened to humanity? The power of social media can go two different ways in our instance it can mean that the wrong statement can result in a few days of being unable to post... in Evan's instance and the world in which these characters reside it has the ability to change the world and start a movement. A movement in which bullying and suicide prevention become the forefront of the narrative. A moment where one post can change the narrative for what's to come.

I have said this from the very beginning, from the first time I have seen this incredibly moving show, to now 3 times later...EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE THIS, HEAR THIS, FEEL THIS. Teenagers, Parents, Teachers, etc... this should be required viewing. It's so emotionally moving, and raw that it will change the narrative for how we are as humans. Even two years later a Pandemic shutdown that completely shuttered the world this show feels just as fresh and new as ever! It's not only what we wanted but what we truly needed and it's Sobering in every moment from start to finish.

The other really cool thing about Dear Evan Hansen is the large family the show itself has created. Some of the cast that was on the tour during their last stop currently reside in the show on Broadway. Some who were on tour during the last stop have stepped from alternates/understudies to lead billing.

If you find yourself without a plan this week through Sunday, February 6th, 2022. "You Will Be Found" at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Dear Evan Hansen is the show of the season you need to see, so head on over to strazcenter.org for tickets! This is one show that will stick with you "For Forever." Brava to an exceptional run here at the Straz Center and we look forward to welcoming you back very soon!

"Out of the shadows,

The Morning is breaking

And all is new

All is new

It's filling up the empty

And suddenly I see

That all is new...

All is new..."

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

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