Dear Evan Hansen tour announces complete casting

Full casting for Dear Evan Hansen has been revealed.

Co-produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Nottingham Playhouse, the new production is directed by Nottingham Playhouse’s artistic director Adam Penford. The show will open at the venue on 9 September 2024, ahead of a UK tour. Tour stops are below.

Ryan Kopel (Newsies) will play the role of Evan Hansen, alongside Lauren Conroy (Into the Woods) as Zoe Murphy and Alice Fearn (Wicked, Come From Away) as Evan’s mum, Heidi.

They will be joined by Helen Anker (Mamma Mia!) as Cynthia Murphy, Richard Hurst (The Lion King) as Larry Murphy, Killian Thomas Lefevre (Bat Out Of Hell) as Connor Murphy, Tom Dickerson (Heathers) as Jared Kleinman, Vivian Panka (9 to 5 the Musical) as Alana Beck and Sonny Monaghan (discovered via TikTok) as alternate Evan.

This is the first production of Dear Evan Hansen in the UK to perform the show with an ensemble – made up of Lara Beth-Sas, Will Forgrave, Daniel Forrester, Jessica Lim, Sonny Monaghan, and Elise Zavou.

Morgan Large is the set and costume designer, with Carrie-Anne Ingrouille as choreographer, Matt Daw as lighting designer, Tom Marshall as sound designer, Ravi Deepres as video designer, Matt Smith as musical supervisor, and Natalie Gallacher for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting as casting director, Michelle Payne as associate director and Laura Llewellyn-Jones as orchestral manager.

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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.”

The production has also partnered with the Mix, the UK’s leading digital charity for under 25-year-olds. As part of the partnership, the Mix will provide training to the cast and creative team on how to appropriately respond to queries from the public, both online and offline.

Alongside the original score by Pasek and Paul, Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Steven Levenson. The piece follows a teenager who causes a calamity after pretending to be a deceased classmate’s friend. WhatsOnStage gave the original production a solid five-star review when it first opened in London.

Earlier this year, the show launched a casting search via social media platform TikTok, with auditionees able to submit performances via the app.

The tour will open at Nottingham Playhouse on 9 September, running until 28 September, with subsequent stops including Curve Leicester (from 1 October), Hall for Cornwall (from 8 October), Brighton Theatre Royal (from 15 October), Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham (from 22 October), New Victoria in Woking (from 29 October), Leeds Grand (from 5 November), Liverpool Empire (from 12 November), Sunderland Empire (from 19 November) and New Theatre Oxford (from 26 November).

Into the new year, the show will visit Northampton Derngate (from 14 January 2025), Mayflower Southampton (from 21 January 2025), Milton Keynes Theatre (from 28 January 2025), Marlowe Theatre Canterbury (from 4 February), Bristol Hippodrome (from 11 February 2025), Manchester Palace Theatre (from 18 February 2025), King’s Theatre Glasgow (from 25 February 2025), His Majesty’s Aberdeen (from 4 March 2025), Grand Opera House Belfast (from 11 March 2025), Storyhouse Chester (from 18 March 2025), New Wimbledon Theatre (from 25 March 2025), Wolverhampton Grand (from 1 April 2025), Sheffield Lyceum (from 8 April 2025), Theatre Royal Plymouth (from 15 April 2025), Hull New Theatre (from 22 April 2025), Wales Millenium Centre Cardiff (from 29 April 2025), Theatre Royal Norwich (from 13 May 2025), Blackpool Grand Theatre (from 20 May).

Tickets for select dates are on sale here.