Following an exhaustive national search, Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group have announced the spectacular array of Australian theatre icons and dazzling newcomers who will star in the Australian premiere of Dear Evan Hansen premiering at STC’s Roslyn Packer Theatre from 12 October 2024. And, following incredible audience demand since the Sydney season was announced, the producers can now reveal the production will also tour nationally.
An instant hit on Broadway for its deeply personal and profoundly contemporary take on life and the way we live it, Dear Evan Hansen will celebrate its Australian premiere in Sydney on 12 October 2024, before playing seasons in Melbourne from December 2024, Canberra from February 2025 and Adelaide from April 2025.
Multiple award-winning performer Verity Hunt-Ballard, who first won Australia’s hearts as the world’s favourite nanny in the original Australian production of Mary Poppins, will play Evan’s mother, Heidi Hansen; music theatre icon Natalie O’Donnell, who starred as Donna in Mamma Mia! before joining the Australian company of Come From Away will star as Cynthia Murphy, legendary theatre star Martin Crewes plays her husband Larry Murphy.
They are joined by newcomer Georgia Laga’aia who steps into the role of Zoe Murphy, with Harry Targett as Connor Murphy. Carmel Rodrigues plays in the role of Alana Beck, and Jacob Rozario is Jared Kleinman. Rounding out the cast are Lawrence Hawkins, Jessica Kok and Ariyan Sharma.
The performer taking on the role of Evan Hansen will be announced in August.
“I’m thrilled with the cast we’ve assembled to bring a brand-new production of Dear Evan Hansen to life.” said Director Dean Bryant. “A combination of the country’s best singing actors will join the most electric new talent we’ve got, selected from the thousands of passionate young performers we saw during the casting process. An incredible mix of heartbreaking drama and pounding rock musical, I can’t wait for the public to experience the show across Australia over the next year.”
Dear Evan Hansen was called a “breathtaking knockout of a musical” by The New York Times and won six Tony Awards, including Best Book by writer Steven Levenson. It features music from the Grammy, Tony, Olivier, and Academy Award-winning geniuses Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a story that journeys to the heart of being a teenager with a tenderness and wit that will set your heart alight.
“It is a very unique honour to be granted the opportunity to take a beloved Broadway production and create something entirely new for an Australian audience and I know this cast will take Dean’s extraordinary vision and blow audiences away all over Australia,” said Producer Michael Cassel. “I am delighted that we are now able to share it with even more audiences as we take this life affirming story to Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra.”
Dear Evan Hansen is the raw, moving and inspiring story of a socially anxious highschooler who is suddenly thrust into the spotlight when he inadvertently invents an important role for himself at the centre of a tragedy.
In a brand-new production reimagined by Helpmann Award-winning director, Dean Bryant, Dear Evan Hansen is an empowering experience for anyone who’s ever considered themselves on the “outside, always looking in.”
Dear Evan Hansen marks the second time Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group have partnered to present world-class theatre. In 2022, the two companies presented the phenomenally successful Melbourne transfer of The Picture of Dorian Gray which went on to premiere in London’s West End in 2024 starring Succession‘s Sarah Snook.
“Sydney Theatre Company is delighted to partner with Michael Cassel Group as co-producer to bring this acclaimed musical to Australian stages for the first time,” said Anne Dunn, Executive Director and Co-CEO, Sydney Theatre Company.
“Having resonated so strongly with audiences on Broadway and in the West End, it’s a thrill for us to premiere this brand-new Australian production of Dear Evan Hansen here at STC before it tours Australia.”
Tickets for the Sydney season of Dear Evan Hansen are now on sale. The Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra seasons will go on sale later this year. A waitlist for the tour and tickets for the Sydney season are available at www.dearevanhansenmusical.com.au
Image: Dear Evan Hansen (supplied)