REVIEW: DEAR EVAN HANSEN—La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts & McCoy Rigby Entertainment
Sometimes the Biggest High School Drama isn't Getting Invited to the Prom. It's Trying to Explain a Massive Lie that’s Taken on a Life of its Own.
OCTOBER 31—LA MIRADA THEATRE
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who have never told a little white lie, and those who are preparing to tell another one. Then there's Evan Hansen, whose seemingly innocent fib takes on a life so enormous that suddenly that little white lie has become like a viral, exponentially-spreading social media post.
Welcome to the emotionally complicated, socially connected, and hilariously uncomfortable world of DEAR EVAN HANSEN, the Tony Award-winning musical now making its Southern California regional premiere at La Mirada Theatre. Directed by the renowned Stephen C. Anthony, it's a show about loneliness, the desperate human need to belong, and the sometimes-catastrophic consequences of saying something you really, really wish you hadn't.
At the center of this emotional roller coaster is Evan Hansen, a painfully shy teenager who has mastered the art of being invisible. He's the sort of kid who probably rehearses ordering a hamburger before approaching the counter. Social interaction isn't exactly his Olympic sport, and his high school experience is less a coming-of-age adventure than a daily exercise in trying not to attract attention. Unfortunately, attention finds him anyway.
When a fellow student, Connor Murphy, dies, a letter written by Evan becomes the unfortunate catalyst for a misunderstanding. Rather than immediately setting the record straight, Evan finds himself caught up in a growing fabrication that begins as an attempt to comfort a grieving family and gradually becomes something much larger. Soon, the story has legs, wings, and apparently its own public-relations department.
What begins as a small deception becomes an elaborate emotional house of cards. And as anyone who has ever tried to explain an inconsistency in a story knows, the second lie is usually considerably more complicated than the first.
The brilliance of the musical, however, is that it doesn't simply ask us to wag a finger at Evan. It asks us to consider why someone would become so desperate for acceptance that even a manufactured connection seems preferable to having none at all. That's where the show gets under your skin.
Evan's predicament may be extreme, but the emotional territory is recognizable. In this age of social media acceptance, who hasn't wanted to be noticed, appreciated, or simply invited into the conversation? The difference is that most of us don't have to invent an entire friendship to accomplish it.
Leading the cast as the maladroit Evan Hansen is the incredible pop tenor Tyler Donovan McCall (“Beau: The Musical”/Off-Broadway; Ist Natl Tour: “Fiddler on the Roof”), with a spunky Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama (Natl Tour: “Hamilton;” La Jolla Playhouse: “The Family Album”) as Zoe Murphy.
A very well-cast Nic Hermick (ABC/Tubi/Off-Brdwy) takes on the role of BPD social outcast Connor Murphy, while Gabriel Vernon Nunag (from the National Tour) returns to play the crass, slightly inappropriate “Gen Z-er” Jared Kleinman, Evan's friend and occasional accomplice in navigating the social minefield of high school. Analisa Idalia appears as the melodramatic overachiever Alana Beck, who co-founds "The Connor Project" with Evan to help keep Connor's memory alive.
The adult characters provide the family foundation beneath the teenage turmoil. Gwen Hollander (La Mirada: “Fiddler on the Roof;” “Come From Away”) plays Evan's mother, Heidi Hansen, while Jill Van Velzer (Tours: “Girl From the North Country;” “Phantom of the Opera”) and Josh Adamson (Amazon Prime: “The Book of Job”) portray Cynthia and Larry Murphy, Connor's parents. Their characters represent two very different sides of grief, parental concern, and the sometimes- impossible task of understanding what is happening inside a teenager's head.
The production also includes Amanda Angeles, Trent Mills, Michael Raul Perez, and Toni Elizabeth White as members of the Virtual Community, a particularly important element in a story where the online world becomes almost another character in the drama.
But the musical's score, by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, provides the emotional horsepower of the show. The songwriting team, also responsible for the music of “The Greatest Showman” and “La La Land,” knows how to build a melody that sneaks up on an audience and refuses to leave. Songs such as "Waving Through a Window" (practically the unofficial anthem), Mr. McCall’s "For Forever" and "Words Fail," and the uplifting "You Will Be Found" (the show’s emotional centerpiece), give voice to feelings that the characters often cannot articulate in ordinary conversation.
Of course, the show isn't without its uncomfortable moments. Evan's deception becomes increasingly difficult to defend, and the audience is placed in the uncomfortable position of sympathizing with someone whose actions are causing real harm. That's an interesting theatrical tightrope. We want to hug the kid, shake him, and occasionally ask whether anyone in his household has considered hiring a competent publicist.
But that's precisely the point. Dear Evan Hansen doesn't offer easy answers, tidy moral lessons, or a conveniently packaged happy ending. It recognizes that good intentions don't automatically produce good decisions, and that the truth doesn't become less important simply because telling it is difficult.
And while the subject matter can be emotionally heavy, there is a great deal of recognizable teenage absurdity along the way. High school, after all, is a place where a misplaced glance can become a major scandal, a text message can be interpreted in seventeen different ways, and a rumor can travel faster than a fire alarm. Add a tragedy and a rapidly expanding online narrative, and you've got enough combustible material to keep a guidance counselor busy until retirement.
LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS: THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL THEATRE PREMIERE of THE TONY® AWARD WINNING BEST MUSICAL…DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Book by STEVEN LEVENSON; Music and Lyrics by BENJ PASEK and JUSTIN PAUL; Musical Direction by RYAN O’CONNELL; Direction by Broadway’s & the 1st National Tour’s “Evan Hansen,” STEPHEN C. ANTHONY; Lighting Design by BRIAN GALE; Sound Design by JOSH BESSOM; Projections Design by DAVID MURAKAMI; Costume Designer/Coordinator is ADAM RAMIREZ; Hair/Wig Design by MELISSA DUPONT; Properties Supervisor is KEVIN WILLIAMS; Fight and Intimacy Choreographer is MICHAEL POLAK; Production Stage Manager is COURTNEY WIGDERSON.
THE CAST: TYLER DONOVAN MCCALL (Evan Hansen); KENDYL SAYURI YOKOYAMA (Zoe Murphy); NIC HERMICK (Connor Murphy); GABRIEL VERNON NUNAG (Jared Kleinman); ANALISA IDALIA (Alana Beck); GWEN HOLLANDER (Heidi Hansen); JILL VAN VELZER (Cynthia Murphy); JOSH ADAMSON (Larry Murphy); AMANDA ANGELES (Ensemble); TRENT MILLS (Ensemble); MICHAEL RAUL PEREZ (Ensemble); TONI ELIZABETH WHITE (Ensemble).
True, DEAR EVAN HANSEN may not make you want to relive your high school years, but it might make you want to call somebody you haven't spoken to in a while. And perhaps that's the greatest compliment one can pay this show.
DEAR EVAN HANSEN plays through November 22, 2026, at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Boulevard, La Mirada. For tickets and performance information, visit LaMiradaTheatre.com.
CHRIS DANIELS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWER
THE SHOW REPORT
PHOTO CREDITS: JASON NIEDLE
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