REVIEW: Dear Evan Hansen an emotional ride
By Marlene Ottens
ST. JACOBS – Drayton Entertainment begins the 2026 season at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse with a Tony Award-winning musical that’s a heart wrenching story about anxiety, loneliness, misunderstandings and reconciliation.
If this doesn’t sound like an encouraging night of entertainment, think again.
Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a lonely 17-year-old boy who, like most teens, just wants to have friends and has a crush on a cute girl.
***Spoiler alert: for those who don’t want to know anything about the plot; skip to the next set of asterisks.
Evan has a hard time fitting in and can’t even get anyone to sign the cast on his broken arm.
His therapist suggests that he write letters to himself, citing some good things about his days. One of these letters is snatched from his hand by another high school outlier, Connor Murphy, who also has mental health issues.
The next day at school everyone is shocked to learn Connor has committed suicide. When Connor’s mother finds a letter in his pocket addressed to “Dear Evan Hansen,” she misunderstands the meaning and assumes that Evan and Connor were close.
Evan tries to explain, but doesn’t want to take away the one solace the grief-stricken family has, especially Connor’s sister Zoe – Evan’s crush.
The alleged friendship and (false) emails between Evan and Connor get shared on social media, and the lie escalates.
Connor’s family finds comfort with the false narrative that he wasn’t the sad loner that they thought.
Evan is torn between being part of a loving family and becoming a growing presence at his school, and telling the truth that he knows will devastate everyone he knows and loves.
***Spoiler over.
This is not really a light-hearted musical with bouncy songs and shiny, happy people, although there are moments of fun and laughter. It is an important and profound story, touching on the complicated and challenging world of modern teens. The songs are both uplifting and heart-rending.
The role of Evan is shared alternately by Luciano Decicco and Misha Sharivker.
Decicco had the role when we saw the show, and he was the perfect combination of angst and idealism. Connor is played with sullen hostility by Nick Boegel, and Jessica Sherman is Evan’s well-meaning mother.
Real-life mother and daughter Jackie and Hadley Mustakas play Connor’s mother and sister, bringing a realism to the relationship as they grapple with mixed feelings about Connor. Adam Stevenson is Connor’s father, who becomes Evan’s father substitute.
Powell Norbert is Evan’s only actual friend, who aids him with his deceptions, and Ruth Acheampong plays the self-appointed school leader of the Connor sympathy club.
The cast is rounded out with two alternating youth choruses, who stand in as the tech-obsessed teens spreading the stories about Evan and Connor.
The stage is cleverly designed to become Evan’s bedroom or the Murphy’s living room or a high school corridor.
Large screens show emails and social media posts, and how rapidly the information changes and evolves as it spreads through the school and wider community.
Drayton Entertainment has been changing its traditional offerings over the past several years, getting away from British farces and cutesy musicals in favour of deeper and edgier plays and musicals.
The crowd on this night was mostly under 40, which bodes well for the future of live theatre.
Dear Evan Hansen runs until April 12 with various afternoon and evening shows, Wednesday to Sunday, at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.
For tickets and more information, call the box office at 1-855-drayton (372-9866) or visit draytonentertainment.com.
