Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Coachella Valley Rep

Coachella Valley Rep opens its season with Dear Even Hansen, winner of six Tony awards in 2017. A strategic move; this title carries an intrigue due to its familiarity; the promotional imagery of the boy’s arm in a cast, awash with moody blues suggests this show may be of the “coming of age” variety. But while it is a testament to Executive Artistic Director Adam Karstan’s formulas and artistic purpose that such a successful production has been mounted—the script, in 2025, is a bit cheugy.

Dear Even Hansen is a modern musical that follows the story of the awkward and troubled teenager Even Hansen (Pierce Wheeler) and the fabricated friendship he masterminds with fellow student, tech-savvy Jared (Mikey Hassel), after the hardened bully Connor (Issac Keuber) tragically takes his own life.

The production opens with solid performances all around, with Isaac Kueber standing out as Connor Murphy. From the first glimpse of his face, the audience is excited to know him, as he feels rooted in something painful and true, yet Kueber maintains the awareness that he is on stage, feeding off the energy of the crowd’s curiosity and finding little moments for levity.

I was sideswiped to find that this is the character who takes his own life, as I found him written to be a stronger tragic hero than the character of Even Hansen, who was meticulously performed by Pierce Wheeler, a cast member from the National Tour.

The production is led heavily by Wheeler, for whom the score is written to drain what must be every last drop of his vocal energy by the end of the night as each of his many songs were filled with impressive range. The character experiences tremendous highs and lows, from processing his own suicidal thoughts to the thrill of getting noticed by the cool girl of his dreams, Zoe, played earnestly by Gianna Branca.

Back in 2017, those with the means to have access to New York City theatre likely saw Dear Even Hansen as something to embrace; with it’s on-the-nose topical themes associated with the culture of Gen Z—disliking this production would have been potentially, a very bold and unwelcome opinion for the American theatre-goer. Modern audiences of the time needed to feel seen and heard; their strong values not existing just as easter eggs in the retelling of classics, but rather bold swipes of the obvious in regards to desirable American values, such as gaining comfortability with mental health, the vast cost of what social media is capable of, and a significant rise in depression and suicide following the election results in 2016. I, myself, lost my Best Friend to suicide the following year. Her name was Stacy Fulford. She was a terrific actress and unforgettable person. Do google her, please.

But with the production’s reliance on screens and themes surrounding the danger of being drowned in technology and social media—its a little bizarre to sit in the theatre, attending a musical, only to be steeped in the very screens we turn off in order to tune in. I left the theatre wanting very much to listen to Oklahoma—for the pleasant escape we seek from by attending the theatre.

In conclusion, we are fortunate that Coachella Valley Rep was granted the rights to premiere this production, who’s legacy in theatre history is still developing. There is no doubt in my mind that this production has an audience, and will be a vital lifeline for those who “Will be Found” by its message.

In my day time hours, I direct plays for school aged actors. I have often found that characters from eras too far from modern reality can feel too distant for young performers to connect with. In that sense, I imagine Dear Even Hansen will have a renaissance as a musical for high schools to produce. I feel the younger the actors are, the more authentic and discussion-worthy this piece of theatre will be. Thus, it will reach the target vulnerable young audiences for whom it will be most effective.

Palm Springs Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. NEXT TO NORMAL (CV REP)

22.7% of votes

2. HAIRSPRAY (Desert Theatricals)

21.6% of votes

3. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (Palm Canyon Theatre)

20.6% of votes

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