Dear Evan Hansen opened Friday, May 8, at Roxy’s Downtown, and it couldn’t have been a better opening night. The house was full and the cast and crew delivered a rich, hypnotic tapestry of music and emotion. This show is nutritionally dense. If you like your musicals packed with realism, intense emotion and dark humor, coupled with a plot that unfolds slowly and keeps you guessing, this is the musical for you.
With music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and book by Steven Levenson, Dear Evan Hansen is a contemporary musical that dives headlong into sensitive themes of mental health, teenage suicide, social media, and family dysfunction. The show opened on Broadway on December 4th, 2016, and won 6 Tony Awards, a Grammy, and an Olivier Award. It follows a year in the life of Evan Hansen, a lonely high school student with social anxiety who finds himself entangled in a lie after a classmate, Connor Murphy, dies by suicide. The lie snowballs, giving Evan the popularity he never had, and eventually forces him to confront the truth of his actions.
Directed by Rick Bumgardner, with simple staging and choreography by Jenny Mitchell and Rick, the work is very detailed and meticulous, focusing on a more selective realism, characterizations and mannerisms, with very little commercial flash. The result is some exceptional character and ensemble work. Outstanding musical and vocal direction was provided by Simon Hill. The lush strings intertwined with the rich and fluid vocals was outstanding.
Scenic Designer J Branson, a WSU Grad based out of Chicago with National experience, produced a simple set with four flats at the rear for projections. There is a center turntable that rotates between Evan’s bedroom and a public space, a couch at house left that is Heidi and Evan’s home, with a dining table house right to depict the Murphy’s home.
Projections are used across the front of the house at the opening, and during the play, not only onstage, but throughout the house, to provide atmosphere and mood. The gorgeous, colorful lighting is used to set the many moods, with great juxtapositions, creating a vibrant atmosphere. The very visually appealing lighting and projection design is provided by Jason Huffman, Technical Director at Cowley College. Brad Thomison, Sound Designer, kept the vocals and orchestra well balanced. Costume Designer Kalon Kirk, a BA Theatre student at Friends University, provides well thought out clothing to accentuate each character’s personality.
Xavier Huffman, a recent graduate of Cowley College, plays the titular role with a lot of heart, depth, and some great gesture work. He’s got multiple tics, crazy hair, and profound awkwardness, yet it’s very real and never over the top. Jenny Mitchell portrays Evan’s mom, Heidi, a hard working woman torn between being there for her son, working a demanding day job as a nurse in a local hospital, and attending classes for becoming a paralegal. In her final solo, after Evan’s world comes crashing down, Jenny sings So Big/So Small “…I knew I’d come up short a million different ways…” Jenny rips a huge hole in your heart as she exits the stage in darkness, still sobbing deeply. It was one of the most intense and moving parts of the show, and gives insight to the world of working single moms everywhere.
Kirsten Witsman, who has worked nationally at places like the Goodspeed and Fulton Opera Houses, and the Lincoln Center, plays Cynthia Murphy, and Nick Albrecht, the Director of Theatre at Cowley College, plays her husband Larry Murphy. They’re the parents of Connor Murphy, played by local actor Hunter Bartholomew, and WSU Student Hayley Loya, who plays Connor’s sister Zoe Murphy. The Murphy family contributes a layer of dysfunction that fuels the plot of the play.
Witsman’s Cynthia is the perfect picture of the entitled mom and wife, totally supported by her husband Larry, but locked in a fierce battle with him on how to deal with their son Connor. Albrecht’s Larry is clearly grieving from the regret of not being able to connect with Connor in any meaningful way. Albrecht’s deep, rich, resonant voice reveals Larry’s pain in Requiem.
Bartholomew’s Connor is a cold psychopath who is physically abusive to Evan, and a pure monster to his sister. Loya has a smooth, contemporary pop sound which imbues Zoe with a warm, soulful vibe, letting the thoughtfulness of the character shine through.
Rounding out the cast is local actor Lorenz Looney as the mean friend Jared Kleinman, who is constantly insulting Evan. Looney’s Jared can dole out the insults, but eventually gets as good as he gives. The extremely cute and endearing but driven Alana Beck, the overachiever and social media maven is brilliantly played by Olivia Hill, a Friends University Theatre Major.
Roxy’s has partnered with local organizations for mental health resources, and compiled a helpful list which can be accessed by a QR code in the program. It’s quite a compendium of therapists, safe spaces, family counseling, and community centers that are easily accessible to the general public. Even if you don’t think you might need any help, it’s good to know it’s there if you do!
Food is served at this performance, and is not included in the ticket price. I also have it on great authority that the Apple Pie is AMAZING!
Dear Evan Hansen runs until June 13, 2026. Shows on Thursday and Friday begin at 7:30pm. Matinees are every Saturday at 2pm, with two Saturday evening shows on May 16 & 30 at 7:30pm. You can buy tickets online at https://tickets.roxysdowntown.com/event/parade-1e96bv or by calling the box office at 316-265-4400. Roxy’s Downtown is located at 412 1/2 E Douglas Ave #1, Wichita, KS 67202
What’s next for Roxy’s Downtown? Christi Moore will be returning to perform in Disenchanted, which opens on July 17 and runs to August 15, 2026. The 26/27 includes Come From Away 8/28 to 9/26; The Woman in Black 10/9 to 11/7; Avenue Q 11/20 to 12/19/26; Golden Girls 1/8 to 2/13/27; Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party 2/25 to 3/20; Moon Over Buffalo 4/2 to 5/1; In the Heights 5/14 to 6/11.
Photo: Kevin Connelly
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