Olivier and Grammy award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen is "reimagined through a contemporary lens" in new production touring to Sheffield

The story of anxious high school kid Evan who wants nothing more than to fit in has proved an international smash-hit winning hearts across the world and scooping Olivier, Tony and Grammy awards for Best Musical. The songs in Dear Evan Hansen were written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who composed the numbers for The Greatest Showman.

Dear Evan Hansen will be hosted at Sheffeld’s Lyceum Theatre from April 8 to 12, 2025 during school Easter holidays.

Evan’s journey to fitting in means that he didn’t tell the whole truth and must now give up on a life he never dreamed that he’d have. As events spiral and the truth comes out, Evan faces a reckoning with himself and everyone around him.

Ryan Kopel, whose stage credits include Newsies and Book of Mormon and has appeared in television’s House of the Dragons and Casualty, stars as Evan. Major roles are played by Lauren Conroy (Into The Woods) as Zoe Murphy and Alice Fearn (Wicked, Come From Away) as Evan’s

mum, Heidi.

This is the first production of Dear Evan Hansen in the UK to perform the show with an ensemble. The casting team invited TikTok users to upload a video of themselves singing any number from the show. The team then reviewed all submissions and invited those they felt could be a part of the cast to participate in the formal audition process. Over 2000 videos were submitted and of those, 36 TikTok users were invited to in-person auditions. Sonny Monaghan was cast in the ensemble, and as alternate Evan (performing the role twice a week, at every matinee performance), as a result of the TikTok collaboration.

Director Adam Penford said “I am beyond thrilled with the talented cast we have assembled. An exciting mix of musical theatre legends and rising stars. It’s been nine years since the original show premiered, and it’s an honour to be the first production to reimagine this powerful story through a contemporary lens.”

Tickets cost from £15 for Dear Evan Hansen at Sheffield Lyceum. To check availability, go to www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk