Dear Evan Hansen sets Australian premiere cast – led by Royal Academy of Music graduate

The cast has now been found for the upcoming Australian tour of Dear Evan Hansen.

The brand-new production, presented by Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group is set to premiere at the Roslyn Packer Theatre on 12 October.

Beau Woodbridge, who previously moved to London to study musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music, will lead the company in the titular role. As a child performer, he appeared in the likes of Love Never Dies, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The King and I. During his training, he also starred as Melchior in Spring Awakening.

Woodbridge commented: “Evan has been a dream role of mine since I was lucky enough to see the original Broadway production when I was 14. I was just in awe of the show because you feel so connected to the characters in this story and I can’t wait to bring that experience to audiences in Australia with our company.”

Helpmann Award-winning director Dean Bryant added: “The first time I saw Beau bring the Evan material to life, I felt this emotional swell overtake me. He connects so deeply to Evan’s desire to connect and make people feel better, wants so desperately to be seen, that you really feel for this young man. And then he sings, cracking you open and reminding you why this is one of the great modern musical scores.”

Woodbridge will be joined on stage by Verity Hunt-Ballard as Heidi Hansen, Natalie O’Donnell as Cynthia Murphy, Martin Crewes as Larry Murphy, Georgia Laga’aia as Zoe Murphy, Harry Targett as Connor Murphy, Carmel Rodrigues as Alana Beck, and Jacob Rozario as Jared Kleinman. Completing the cast are Lawrence Hawkins, Jessica Kok, Ariyan Sharma, Tod Strike and Teresa Tate Britten.

Following its Sydney run, the Australian production will also visit Melbourne (from December 2024), Canberra (from February 2025) and Adelaide (from April 2025).

Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Steven Levenson and a score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, telling the story of a socially anxious high school student who is suddenly thrust into the limelight after telling a lie that spins out of control.

A UK tour of the show is also set to begin performances in Nottingham next month, with select venues on sale below.