Dear Evan Hansen - CYGAMS, Chelmsford

An ambitious and challenging choice for a youth company, but one which CYGAMS tackles with considerable success.

Dear Evan Hansen is not an easy musical for a youth group to take on. With relatively little traditional ensemble or chorus involvement, the responsibility falls heavily on the principal cast to carry the story, maintain its emotional intensity and keep the audience engaged. It is a demanding piece, both vocally and dramatically, but CYGAMS rose to the challenge with a strong principal line-up. We attended the opening night performance featuring Team Found.

Two performers are appearing throughout the run with both teams: Gene Ivor as Larry Murphy and Olivia Surgett as Heidi Hansen. Gene was particularly impressive, bringing a maturity and authority to the role of Connor and Zoe’s father. He commanded the stage with confidence, delivered a convincing characterisation and sang with real assurance. A particularly strong performance and certainly one to watch.

Olivia gave a lovely portrayal of Evan’s mother, bringing warmth and emotion to the role, supported by some equally strong vocals.

As Cynthia, Connor and Zoe’s mother, Renee Brown delivered a performance that I found particularly affecting. She captured the grief and heartache of a mother struggling with the loss of her child, creating a character it was easy to empathise with. I warmed to her performance enormously.

Phoebe Hooper was a strong and charismatic Zoe. Having seen Phoebe in a number of productions, I felt this role suited her particularly well. Her vocal style worked beautifully with the material, and she sang exceptionally well throughout. A thoroughly enjoyable performance.

Taking on the demanding title role, Milo George brought plenty of emotional depth to Evan Hansen. His characterisation gave us a real insight into Evan's insecurities, vulnerability and complexities, helping the audience understand the person behind the story. He carried the production extremely well, holding together the many emotional threads of this challenging role.

Finn Adams brought an appealing ease to his portrayal of Connor, making the character particularly enjoyable to watch. He was especially engaging in ‘Sincerely, Me’, where his performance had just the right balance of energy and humour.

Pratap Srivastava brought plenty of energy and enthusiasm to Jared, although at times his diction was compromised by rather rushed dialogue. Taking a little more time with the delivery would allow the audience to appreciate more of the humour and detail in his lines. Abigail Taylor gave a convincing performance as Alana Beck, making a positive contribution to the company.

The ensemble work was clean and slick, and although the show offers relatively few opportunities for traditional chorus involvement, the company made the most of those moments. Vocally, the production was particularly strong, with some excellent singing throughout.

There were, inevitably, a few opening-night technical issues. Some performers were not quite positioned within the full lighting, leaving them partially in shadow and making them difficult to see.

More importantly, I felt some of the show's most emotionally charged moments were played with the principals upstaging themselves. This was a real shame, as I would have liked to see more of their faces and the emotion they were working so hard to convey. In a show so dependent on its characters and their relationships, those facial expressions and moments of connection are crucial. Turning these performers downstage facing more towards the audience would allow us to appreciate the full extent of the performers' acting abilities.

Visually, the use of the rear-screen projections and side screens worked well, adding atmosphere and helping to establish the world of the production without becoming distracting. The musicians also deserve credit for providing a strong musical accompaniment while allowing the vocals to remain firmly at the forefront.

Overall, this was one of the better CYGAMS productions I have seen. Dear Evan Hansen is a brave and ambitious choice for a youth company, requiring considerable emotional maturity, strong vocal ability and a real commitment from its principal performers. There was much to admire here, and the company should be congratulated for taking on such a demanding piece and delivering it with such confidence.

The standing ovation at the end of the evening was thoroughly deserved.