Reviewed by Dr. Tiffany Knight Raymond, PhD, and Theron Raymond (7th grade)
Pittsburgh Musical Theater brings Dear Evan Hansen to the stage. It’s about teen suicide, specifically the suicide of a teenager named Connor Murphy (Joshua Clark). The dark subject matter is not characteristically musical-like, and since most of the songs are solos, Lucas Fedele’s choreography becomes more of an afterthought.
Connor snags a letter Evan (Anthony Marino Jr.) has written to himself out of the high school computer lab printer. It’s an assignment from Evan’s therapist. When Connor’s body is found, the note is on his person. Since it’s addressed to “Dear Evan Hansen” and signed “me,” Connor is presumed to be the author.
Tucker Topel’s set design is spare. A large frame at a canted angle arches over the stage, and other posts extend upward to anchor it. These towering elements are lit in varying colors to signify different characters and moods. They’re often overlaid with projections from visual media designer Scott Andrew. While striking, they don’t have as much visual impact as they could because of the frames’ narrowness.
Evan is a milquetoast and doesn’t speak the truth when he learns about Connor’s passing and the note from Connor’s parents. In his effort to provide comfort, Evan slides into assuming the role of Connor’s best friend, despite the fact that they barely knew each other. Evan’s long-term obsession with Connor’s younger sister, Zoe (Erin Cain), significantly complicates his motives to nurture his relationship with the Murphys.
Connor struggled with substance abuse and was both feared and disliked. Ironically, it is only through Evan that Connor comes to life – and becomes likable. But the same is true for Evan. Evan goes from weird outcast to popular by association. Connor’s death creates a viral moment that people want to associate with. The play explores the lengths one goes to in order to extend a moment and keep something significant when the world is constantly moving on. In a world of social media-driven attention spans, new tragedies and events continually draw us in other directions.
Director Tim Seib has Marino lean into a disarmingly quiet presence that brings both Connor and Evan to life through storytelling. Their fictional friendship reflects a heart-achingly real wish for connection. Evan’s only friends are his “family friend” Jared (Max Milligan) and another socially awkward classmate, Alana (Maya Fullard). Both Fullard and Milligan create memorable supporting characters without overplaying their roles. Fullard continually talks over Marino to corner her own piece of Connor’s memory, reminding his parents she was one of his “best acquaintances,” and you can see the wheels spinning as she wants to parlay the moment into a college application essay.
Evan loves trees; nature provides a companionship and comfort he can’t find with humans. It’s not accidental that the fictional friendship takes place at an abandoned apple orchard that Connor used to visit with his family. Apples are symbols of temptation, and Evan succumbs to the temptation to keep elaborating on this fictional friendship to draw closer to the Murphy family. They’re upper-middle-class and embrace Evan. This contrasts with Evan’s hard-working single mom, who’s rarely home as she struggles to make ends meet as a nurse’s aide while also completing her education. Her absence in Evan’s life is understandable, but it’s one more dimension of his loneliness that is countered by the affirmation and attention the Murphys give him.
You know this house of cards must eventually collapse, and that anticipation heightens as Evan is caught in a swirl of his own lies that is at odds with the genuine affection he has for the Murphys and his attraction to Zoe. While Steven Levenson’s book elides climactic confrontation, the staging dynamically compensates. The musical opens with the two moms in a duet, singing about “making this up as I go.” It’s not just a line about parenting but about life, and Dear Evan Hansen inspires deeper discussions about how we each make it up as we go. Those choices can never be perfect, but thanks to Dear Evan Hansen, they do inspire reflection.
-TRK, Ph.D. & TR
Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s production of Dear Evan Hansen runs through May 24, 2026, at the Gargaro Theatre, 327 S. Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15220. Purchase tickets online here.
Wonderful review! Thanks