Click images to enlarge
The brand-new production of the Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen will be playing at New Theatre Oxford from 26 to 30 November.
The stage musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety who wants nothing more than to fit in.
The thing is, on his way to fitting in, he didn’t tell the whole truth. And now, he must give up on a life he never dreamt he’d have. As events spiral and the truth comes out, Evan faces a reckoning with himself and everyone around him.
Ryan Kopel (Newsies) will play the iconic 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. The ensemble is Lara Beth-Sas, Will Forgrave, Daniel Forrester, Jessica Lim, Sonny Monaghan and Elise Zavou.
The casting team collaborated with TikTok during the audition process, inviting TikTok users interested in being cast in the production to upload a video of themselves singing any number from the show. The team then reviewed all submissions and invited those they felt could be part of the cast to participate in the formal audition process.
Over 2,000 videos were submitted, and 36 TikTok users were invited to in-person auditions. As a result of the TikTok collaboration, Sonny Monaghan was cast in the ensemble, and as an alternate Evan, performing the role twice a week at every matinee performance.
Ryan Kopel and Sonny Monaghan may sport very different looks and have an age gap of six years, but they have one important thing in common, both are preparing to play the iconic title role.
The 21-year-old explains, “I saw a post asking people to submit a video of themselves singing a number from Dear Evan Hansen through TikTok. I sang Words Fail. Maybe three weeks later I got an email inviting me to an in person audition.”
Three rounds of auditions later, Monaghan was recording a song for his friend’s new musical when he got his good news and, as it was Dear Evan Hansen that first got him into musical theatre while at secondary school, he says receiving the news was ‘a dream come true.’
“When my agent called and said I’d been offered the alternate Evan, my friend and I had a bit of a celebration,” he admits.
The musical premiered in Washington, DC, in 2015 before transferring to Off-Broadway and then Broadway a year later. The London West End production followed in 2019, but it was on Broadway that Monaghan, a self-confessed fan of the show, first saw the musical during a family holiday to New York. He loved it so much that he then went to see the original West End production when it opened.
For 27-year-old Kopel, it was a very different story.
The actor from Kirriemuir in Scotland reveals, “I never saw the original production, but Dear Evan Hansen was such a huge cultural phenomenon when it first came out that I knew all about it without ever really knowing the story.”
His introduction to that came during the audition process, and with themes including bullying and mental health, he quickly discovered that Dear Evan Hansen deals with some important issues.
He recalls, “Reading the script during the audition process was very helpful because as much as Ben Platt, the original Evan, was iconic in the role, it was nice to be able to form my own take on Evan. The writing is so good that I really can just trust my instinct to bring what I feel to the character.
“Usually when you do a musical that has been done before, there’s a set way of doing everything; ‘This is how you say this line,’ and, ‘This is where you stand on the stage for this moment’. We’ve had none of that. We have complete freedom to take the script and create something new.”
If the rehearsal period has been invigorating for Kopel, for Monaghan, it has been nothing less than hectic. Explaining how having two Evans ‘in the room’ works, he reveals, “Mainly, it’s Ryan and the principal cast who are in the rehearsal room with director Adam Penford. They create the show. As the alternate Evan, I get brought in once it looks the way they want it to look. Then I work with our associate director to replicate that.”
Director Adam 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 also announced its partnership with The Mix, the UK’s leading digital charity for the under 25-year-olds. The show deals with sensitive topics very relevant to young people today, and this partnership will ensure that anyone affected by the issues explored in the show knows where to find support.
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, and equip them with the knowledge to direct individuals to the right support channels. The partnership also aims to create engaging and informative content to help elevate and empower young people at a time when they need it most. This will include resources and tips on essential life skills for transitioning into adulthood.
“The Mix is there for anyone who needs to reach out for support,” explains Kopel. “We had a long Zoom with them the very first week of rehearsals where they explained what they did and the way they work. It was an incredible insight into a world I had no idea about.”
“There’s just something about this show that allows people to connect deeply with the characters. We take that responsibility incredibly seriously and having that guidance from The Mix is vitally important,” said Kopel.
Despite its themes, Dear Evan Hansen is a beautifully crafted and uplifting piece of musical theatre, one that Monaghan believes will “be a blessing for many, by helping them realise they need to talk to someone.”
Kopel agrees, “Ultimately, Dear Evan Hansen is about hope. No matter what happens, what you are going through, its message is that there is always someone to talk to and reasons why you should go on. That’s what I’d like people to take away from the show.”
Packed with some of the biggest musical theatre songs of the last decade, Dear Evan Hansen has Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the Oscar-winning composers for The Greatest Showman, to thank for its haunting score, and both Evans have a favourite song when asked which they enjoy singing most.
The anthemic For Forever is Monaghan’s, while for Kopel, it is Words Fail – he adds with a cheeky smile, “I like it because it’s a bit of an emotional catharsis, it doesn’t matter if your voice cracks because you are crying and already an emotional mess.”
Dear Evan Hansen is presented by ATG Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions by arrangement with Music Theatre International.
Morgan Large is Set and Costume Designer (Newsies, Sister Act), with Carrie-Anne Ingrouille as Choreographer (Six, Zoo Nation), Matt Daw as Lighting Designer (Pet Shop Boys, Lorde), Tom Marshall as Sound Designer (West Side Story, Sister Act), Ravi Deepres as Video Designer (School for Scandal, Woolf Works), Matt Smith as Musical Supervisor (Dear Evan Hansen, My Neighbour Totoro) and Natalie Gallacher CDG for Pippa Ailion & Natalie Gallacher Casting as casting director (Mean Girls, MJ The Musical, Moulin Rouge), Michelle Payne as Associate Director and Laura Llewellyn-Jones as Orchestral Manager.
Cast Biographies:
Ryan Kopel’s theatre credits include Newsies at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, West End productions of The Book Of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre and The Inheritance at the Noël Coward Theatre, and West Side Story at the Edinburgh International Festival. He has also performed in The Addams Family concert at the London Palladium and the Billie the Kid concert at the Vaudeville Theatre. His television credits include the HBO series House of the Dragon and Wedding Season.
Lauren Conroy’s theatre credits include Babies at the Lyric Theatre and The Other Palace, Bear Snores On at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, The Sound of Music at the Chichester Festival Theatre and Into The Woods at Bath Theatre Royal. On television, Lauren has appeared in Apple TV’s The Buccaneers, ITV’s The Confessions of Frannie Langton and the BBC’s Shetland.
Alice Fearn’s theatre credits include West End productions of Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre, Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Savoy Theatre, Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre, Woman In White at the Palace Theatre and Shrek The Musical at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. She has also appeared in Into The Woods at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Annie Get Your Gun at the Young Vic, Then, Now & Next at the Southwark Playhouse and Oliver! at The Watermill Theatre. Her film credits include Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd, Alice In Wonderland, Clash Of The Titans, Mamma Mia! and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Helen Anker has performed in many West End and Broadway productions, including Promises Promises at the Broadway Theatre and Parade at the Donmar Warehouse, Oklahoma! At the National Theatre and Lyceum Theatre, Always at the Victoria Palace Theatre, Cats at the New London Theatre, Fame at the Cambridge Theatre and Crazy for You at the Prince Edward Theatre. Her other theatre credits include the UK and International Tour of Mamma Mia!, Candide and On the Town, both at the English National Opera. Her film credits include Ted 2, Cinderella and Oklahoma! – The Movie, and television credits include Law and Order, The Good Wife and White Collar.
Richard Hurst’s theatre credits include The Duchess of Malfi and The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich at the RSC, Jane Eyre at the National Theatre, My Night With Reg at the Apollo Theatre and Donmar Warehouse, A Chorus of Disapproval, Worst Wedding Ever and Dick Whittington and his Cat, all at the Salisbury Playhouse, and the UK & International Tour of The Lion King. His television credits include EastEnders, Doctors, Casualty, Look and The Sitcom Trials.
Killian Thomas Lefevre’s theatre credits include West End productions of The Strange Affair of Herschel Grynszpan at The Other Palace and Stick Man at Leicester Square Theatre, as well as Secret Cinema’s Stranger Things in London, the UK and International Tour of Bat Out of Hell, and The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man at Nottingham Playhouse.
Tom Dickerson’s theatre credits include the UK & Ireland Tour of Heathers, the International Tour of The Book of Mormon, Hansel & Gretel at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Alice at the Dubai QE2, But I’m A Cheerleader at MT Fest and The Other Palace, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, both at the Isle of Man Gaiety Theatre.
Vivian Panka’s theatre credits include Heathers the Musical at The Other Palace and the UK Tour of 9 to 5 The Musical. She also appeared in the film of Heathers: The Musical.
Sonny Monaghan’s theatre credits include Turn the Page at The Stables, Carmen at White Rock and TAG Live at COVE Resorts.
Lara Beth-Sas’s theatre credits include Jack and the Beanstalk at The Kenton Theatre, Treasure Island at the Hazlitt Theatre, the UK & Ireland Tour of Friends The Musical Parody, A Christmas Carol and Cinderella at the Groundlings Theatre, and Two and a Half Showbiz Girls at the Doncaster Little Theatre.
Will Forgrave’s theatre credits include the UK Tour of The Sound of Music, The Go-Between at the Apollo Theatre, The Braille Legacy at Charing Cross Theatre, Oliver at the Manchester Palace and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Liverpool Empire.
Daniel Forrester’s theatre credits include West End productions Opening Night at the Gielgud Theatre and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at the Prince Edward Theatre, as well as Summer! The Donna Summer Musical at Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Jessica Lim’s theatre credits include the UK Tour of Shrek The Musical, Dark Lord at MT Fest and The Other Palace, Claus The Musical at The Lowry, Zorro The Musical at Charing Cross Theatre, The Musical That Goes Right at The Cockpit and Mario: A Super Musical! at The Union Theatre.
Elise Zavou’s theatre credits include The Enormous Crocodile at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, UK Tours of Heathers The Musical and Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World, and Red Riding Hood at Stratford East Theatre Royal.
The post A fresh take on award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen arriving in Oxford soon appeared first on The Oxford Magazine.
from The Oxford Magazine https://ift.tt/kenu9zw
via IFTTT
Comments
Post a Comment