Casting announced for brand-new UK tour of Dear Evan Hansen with a little help from TikTok

The full cast is announced for the brand-new production of the Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen.

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 are Lara Beth-Sas, Will Forgrave, Daniel Forrester, Jessica Lim, Sonny Monaghan and Shakira Simpson.

The casting team collaborated with TikTok during the audition process, inviting TikTok users who were 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 a part of the cast to participate in the formal audition process. Over 2000 videos were submitted and of those, 36 TikTok users were invited to in-person auditions. Sonny Monaghan was cast in the ensemble, and as alternate Evan (performing the role twice a week, at every matinee performance), as a result of the TikTok collaboration.

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 is also delighted to announce its partnership with The Mix, the UK’s leading digital charity for 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.

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.

Packed with some of the biggest musical theatre songs of the last decade, Dear Evan Hansen has a score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Oscar-winning composers for The Greatest Showman and La La Land) and a book by Steven Levenson. Its many awards include the Tony® Award for Best Musical, Olivier Award for Best New Musical and the Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.

Today is going to be a good day. And here’s why…

Meet Evan: an anxious high school kid 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 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.

Dear Evan Hansen is presented by ATG Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions by arrangement with Music Theatre International.

The tour begins in Nottingham this September and tours the UK and Ireland until May 2025. For all venues and tickets visit https://www.evanontour.com/