Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Intiman

Dear Evan Hansen returns to Intiman after last spring's great success. Martin Stokke Mathiesen once again plays the lonely, anxious teenage boy Evan Hansen who is assigned to write a letter to himself. A letter that begins with Dear Evan Hansen and ends up in the hands of another lonely boy, Connor (Simon Oskarsson) who is feeling so bad that he commits suicide. When he is found, Evan's letter is found in his pocket and it is wrongly concluded that it is his suicide note written to his friend Evan - a misunderstanding that Evan is unable to correct but is drawn into the family and the lies.

Dear Evan Hansen is a warm and touching musical about young people's exclusion and feeling invisible, but also about parents who are not there for their teenagers. Teenagers who can do almost anything to avoid loneliness. A lie that is repeated often enough can become a truth even for yourself, especially when it is spread on social media and you are suddenly noticed - your voice matters. The lies which was a way of giving comfort, spirals into something else which is hard for Evan to correct.  

Martin Stokke Mathiesen is absolutely brilliant in the role of Evan Hansen. A presence in the role down to the smallest detail and body movement – ​​a tremor, a timid and scared look, the uncertainty and anxiety vibrate in the air and are constantly present. A sensitivity in the voice that is impossible to defend against.

Simon Oskarsson has returned home from London after playing in Hadestown and takes over the role of Connor. With an excellent stage presence and  a confident tone in his voice, he is a perfect match for Martin Stokke Mathiesen. The characters Evan and Connor are polar opposites, Evan shy and timid while Connor is the messy and difficult type – both suffer from their loneliness but express it in different ways.

The ensemble is well-coordinated and the different characters are highlighted skillfully and believably.

Some of the music highlights are You Will be found which ends the first act in a magnificent way and leaves no eye dry. The second act ends very emotional as well with the Final.

This is a musical that leaves you touched but also with a sense of hope – and completely knocked out by Martin Stokke Mathiesen.

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