The Muny premiere of Dear Evan Hansen has it all. The show, the staging, and the cast are all superb.

The title character in Steven Levenson’s book is a bullied high school senior who is in therapy for depression and social anxiety. His treatment includes writing encouraging letters to himself. One of the letters is taken from him by Connor Murphy, a surly, disturbed classmate, who later commits suicide.

Connor’s parents, Larry and Cynthia, find the letter in their dead son’s pocket. Because the letter’s opening words are “Dear Evan Hansen,” the Murphys assume that Connor wrote the letter and that Evan can help them understand their alienated, drug-abusing son, whose death has left them devastated.

Evan tries to correct the misapprehension, but the Murphys resist the truth. Evan’s inclination to be truthful melts away when he sees how much the Murphys appreciate anything he can tell them about Connor. Little lies turn into big ones as Evan deepens his relationship with the Murphys—not only Larry and Cynthia, but also their daughter Zoe, on whom Evan has long had a crush.

Evan’s new life reaches its zenith after the kick-off of The Connor Project, an effort to keep Connor’s memory alive. Evan’s speech about loneliness and the hope of finding a connection is posted online and goes viral. Later, success built on deceit becomes increasingly difficult to maintain.

The wonderful staging of this show could not have been mounted without the major renovations at The Muny as a part of its Second Century Capital Campaign. Director Rob Ruggiero takes full advantage the rebuilt stage’s lifts to bring speed and clarity to action that shifts among a variety of interior settings. Themes and characters develop with organic coherence under Ruggiero’s direction.

The Muny’s post-renovation video screens play an essential role in showing how social media works for Evan’s generation. The three permanent screens are supplemented by two more for this show. Kevan Loney’s video design include striking demonstrations of the spread of viral video.

The Muny cast is extraordinary. Michael Fabisch has the full measure of Evan’s struggle deal with his mental health and the consequences of his decisions. Fittingly for the intense Evan, Fabish talks at an amazingly fast clip but not too fast to make himself understood.

Rob McClure and Maggie Lakis are a married couple in real life as well as in the show. They have become St. Louis favorites in mainly comic roles, but they are utterly convincing and profoundly moving as the grieving Murphys.

Joshua Bess shrewdly distinguishes between the sullen Connor who bullies Evan at the start and the probing Connor who returns to the stage for conversations that take place in the troubled Evan’s imagination. Afra Sophia Tully creates a totally believable arc for the development of Zoe Murphy’s complicated feelings toward Evan.

Savy Jackson as Alana Beck and Bryan Munar as Jared Kleinman are excellent as classmates who get caught up in Evan’s deception.

Jackie Burns’ portrayal of Heidi Hansen, Evan’s mother, evinces the strain of juggling motherhood, work, and school but leaves no doubt about how much she loves her son. Burns is brilliant both vocally and interpretively in “So Big/So Small,” the second-to-last song.

The musical numbers by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul sparkle thanks to the combined excellence of the entire ensemble, the choreography by Beth Crandall, and the Muny orchestra under music director Roberto Sinha.

Michael Schweikardt’s scenic design has the flexibility required for the fast-moving show. Joseph Shrope’s costume designs establish the show’s contemporary milieu. The show’s ambience is enhanced by J. Jared Janas’s wigs, Rob Denton’s lighting, and John Shivers and David Patridge’s sound.

Dear Evan Hansen continues through August 3 at The Muny in Forest Park.

—Gerry Kowarsky

Photo © Phillip Hamer Photography
A video goes viral in Dear Evan Hansen at The Muny.