What a contrast. Barely had The Love-Hungry Farmer packed away his lonely Irish farmhouse before Captivate Theatre arrived in the same Assembly Rooms Ballroom and filled it with the sound, energy and emotional punch of Dear Evan Hansen.
This was my first time seeing the musical. I knew several of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s songs independently but seeing them finally placed within Steven Levenson’s story was something of a revelation.
At its centre is Evan Hansen, played here by Shlok Ramakrishnan, an isolated, socially anxious teenager whose therapeutic exercise of writing letters to himself becomes disastrously entangled with the death of fellow student Connor Murphy. A misunderstanding becomes a lie, the lie gives a grieving family something desperately needed to believe in, and before Evan can stop it, his invented friendship with Connor has escaped into the world.
It is powerful stuff.
Captivate are by now remarkably reliable Fringe operators. Their productions arrive polished, confidently staged and, crucially for musical theatre, sounding excellent. This is no exception. The storytelling remains clear despite the emotional and musical complexity of the material, and the company handles its darker subject matter without allowing the production to become oppressively sombre.
The casting is particularly strong. Ramakrishnan is excellent as Evan, finding both the awkwardness and vulnerability of a young man who increasingly loses control of the story he has created. The two mothers are superb. Hazel Beattie as Evan’s mother, Heidi Hansen, and Rebecca Holmes as Connor and Zoe’s mother, Cynthia Murphy, give the musical much of its emotional weight from opposite sides of an increasingly complicated situation.
But Sophie Gee as Zoe Murphy is the standout. Her voice cuts through the production with extraordinary clarity and power, yet there is real acting behind the singing too. This isn’t simply about hitting the big notes.
One of my favourite songs from the show has always been If I Could Tell Her. Here, Ramakrishnan’s rendition didn’t quite land with the emotional force I had expected. Curiously, though, several songs I knew less well proved revelations when heard in their dramatic context.
The staging is assured, the ensemble works tight and the sound gives the musical the scale it needs. Most importantly, the polish doesn’t overwhelm the people at the centre of the story.
Dear Evan Hansen asks uncomfortable questions about loneliness, grief, dishonesty and our desperate need to belong. It also demonstrates how quickly one person’s private invention can become everybody else’s public truth.
Captivate have done it again. They don’t disappoint, and this production certainly didn’t disappoint me. I walked into the Ballroom knowing some of the songs. I walked out finally understanding why Dear Evan Hansen became such a phenomenon.
Remarkably, there are still tickets available at time of writing, but with the run ending in three days time, the clock is ticking!
Playing until 17th August, https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/2026DEAREVA
Reviewer: Greg Holstead
Reviewed: 13th August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating:
Running time – 1hr 45mins