Dear Evan Hansen is a hit musical that could not be more relevant. Previously having been performed on Broadway, the West End, toured and turned into a movie, it is now headed to Basingstoke!
Running from the 4th to the 6th of June, at Basingstoke’s Central Studios in Queen Mary’s College, StudioCoop, an amateur dramatic theatre company, is taking on this hugely popular musical to bring it to local audiences.
I was lucky to get to sit in on a rehearsal and get a sneak peek at what the company has been working on and what people can expect. There is still work to be done, as can be expected from a rehearsal, but it certainly seems like when the doors are open for the finished show, audiences will be in for a real treat.
James Young has performed in various amateur dramatic shows over the years and is now turning to directing with Dear Evan Hansen. The love and care being put into this show from both a creative and performing point of view is heartwarming to witness. Dear Evan Hansen is an emotional show that features some heavy themes, but the entire company clearly understands the power behind the show they’re putting on, and everyone is handling the show with such sensitivity.
Jack Evans-Wadeson takes on the titular role of Evan Hansen, and he does so in a stellar manner. Evan is a complicated and intense character, yet Evans-Wadeson has taken the role and made it his own, portraying Evan beautifully. Evans-Wadeson’s Evan was easy to love and feel for; his rendition of ‘For Forever’ felt deeply personal, less like someone portraying a role but truly becoming the character.
Connor Murphy is portrayed by Lewis Hoskins, and he does a remarkable job at bringing so much heart to the character, despite Connor being someone obviously deeply troubled. Something I quite enjoyed, was watching Hoskins as Connor react to what was the main focus of a scene; his nonverbal acting choices felt deeply moving to me and his being able to portray so much emotion when he’s not even speaking is something that felt really special to see.
The rest of the Murphy family are made up of Lucy Egan, Robin Walton and Rhianon Dodridge as Cynthia, Larry and Zoe Murphy, respectively. The turmoil of a grieving family is felt in every aspect of their performances, particularly from Egan and Walton, whose heartbreak was astoundingly acted. The emotions from the trio feel raw and, at times, were difficult to watch in the best way. ‘Requiem’ was such a poignant moment in the show where their stellar acting and vocals came together and really shone.
Evan’s mother, Heidi Hansen, is brought to life by Sabrina Hinchliffe, and my heart went out to her. Hinchliffe seamlessly balances the turbulent life Heidi has and did a fantastic job at portraying the multitude of emotions she is experiencing. ‘So Big, So Small’ is not often a number that springs to a lot of people’s minds within this show, but Hinchliffe’s storytelling within this song was mesmerising.
Dale Barrell and Sapphire Heath play Jared Kleinman and Alana Beck, Evan’s schoolmates, and they both have brilliant chemistry with Evans-Wadeson. Barrell’s ability to lighten the mood of a scene with natural banter, whilst also showing the second layer of putting on a front that Jared has, is done skillfully. Similarly, Heath effectively demonstrates both Alana’s confidence and insecurity. Both Barrell’s and Heath’s acting choices bring the characters to life in such a way that they become quick to love with the stage time they have.
The remaining company members are made up of Laura Burrell, Elicea Devonshire, Jade Williams and Mikie Cloete. As a whole, every member of the company is doing a brilliant job bringing this show to life. Seeing the whole company come together in ‘You Will Be Found’ felt every part as impactful as that song deserves. I ended up in tears just at the run-through rehearsal, so who knows what state I’ll be in when I see the finished show!
Having Dear Evan Hansen be performed at Central Studios in Queen Mary’s College feels very fitting; not only a very apt location, being a college, but the small space adds a further layer of intimacy to the musical. Combined with everyone using every inch of the space they have, this makes the impact of the show on audiences that much greater.
It is obvious from the rehearsal that StudoCoop’s production of Dear Evan Hansen is going to be something really special. The blocking is complete, the choreography is sharp, the vocals are excellent, and the show is not far off from being ready to go. With just 2 weeks to go until the theatre doors open, all that seems to be left are minor adjustments. Everyone is putting their all into making this show great, and is showing a good understanding of the gravity of the show they’re working on.
Running for just three days, Dear Evan Hansen is a show that guarantees thorough direction from James Young, beautiful harmonies from Tori Eglin’s musical direction, and a passionate company diligently telling a hugely emotional story that could not be more fitting for today.
Dear Evan Hansen will run at Basingstoke’s Central Studios at Queen Mary’s College from the 4th to the 6th of June. You can buy tickets here: https://www.ticketsource.com/studiocoop/dear-evan-hansen/e-xpbeee
You can find out more about StudioCoop here: https://www.studiocoop.co.uk/
One Show at a Time 