There are two things about the musical “Dear Evan Hansen” that Broadway fans love to argue about: Whether the title character Evan is too flawed to root for, and whether Evan is the hardest tenor singing role in contemporary theater.
San Diegans now get a chance to decide for themselves. On Saturday, Cygnet Theatre opened the first local professional staging of the Tony-winning 2015 musical at its The Joan theater complex at Arts District Liberty Station.
From my perspective, director Blake McCarty’s dazzling, high-tech production succeeds admirably in delivering a very sympathetic Evan in the hands of talented actor Aiden Meyndert. He embodies longing, anxiety and loneliness better than any actor I’ve seen in the part.
But the punishing multi-octave belting vocal role led some of Meyndert’s notes to land flat on opening night. Having seen Meyndert in three other musicals directed by McCarty in recent years, I know he’s a very capable singer, but Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s score is famously challenging to sing.
The cast of Cygnet Theatre’s “Dear Evan Hansen.” (Karli Cadel)
In the musical’s book, Evan Hansen is a lonely and awkward teenage boy with social anxiety issues, zero friends and parents whose attention is focused elsewhere. One day, cruel school bully Connor Murphy steals one of Evan’s self-affirmation letters and threatens to humiliate him by sharing it online.
But when the purloined “Dear Evan Hansen” letter is found among Connor’s things after he passes away a few days later, Connor’s parents believe their son wrote it as a confession to Evan. To soothe the Murphy family, Evan begins spinning an ever-widening web of lies about how he and Connor were best friends. As the stories spread on social media, Even becomes popular at school. But eventually the lies catch up with him.
In the past I’ve found Evan’s behavior unforgiveable and worthy of greater consequences. But Meyndert is so authentically crushed by his own actions, and his performances of the songs “Waving Through a Window” and “Words Fail” are so aching, that I found myself caring about his character’s future.
Aiden Meyndert as Evan, left, Danny Holmes as Jared and Tyler Martinez as Connor in Cygnet Theatre’s “Dear Evan Hansen.” (Karli Cadel)
The show’s supporting cast is excellent.
Nio Russell is an acting and vocal standout as Connor’s deeply wounded and angry sister, Zoe, particularly in the song “Requiem.” Bethany Slomka, who plays Evan’s loving but overwhelmed mother Heidi, gives a powerhouse vocal performance in the second-act solo “So Big/So Small.”
Actors Tyler Martinez as Connor and Danny Holmes as teen computer nerd Jared deliver much-needed comic relief to the story, especially in the song “Sincerely Me.”
David S. Humphrey and Sydney Joyner are touching as Connor’s devastated parents Larry and Cynthia, and Tash Gomez’s Alana comically represents a teen girl with a desperate desire for online fame.
The corrosive power of social media is a driving force in “Dear Evan Hansen,” so Nicholas Ponting’s mobile phone and computer screen-dominated scenic design, with projections by Sierra, is integral to the story and quite visually compelling.
Caroline Andrew designed lighting, Grace Wong designed costumes and Ginger Chody designed sound. Theresa Maigue Bendorf designed choreography. Patrick Marion is the show’s musical director and conductor.
In the years since “Dear Evan Hansen” premiered, American teen social media use has only grown, and the dangerous effects of cyberbullying, self-harm algorithms and viral trends have recently led many U.S. states to begin restricting usage for children under 16.
This makes “Dear Evan Hansen,” which ends with a note of hopefulness, especially timely in 2026.
‘Dear Evan Hansen’
When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through Oct. 4
Where: Cygnet Theatre’s Joseph Clayes III Stage at The Joan, 2880 Roosevelt Road, San Diego
Tickets: $24.50-$78
Phone: 619-337-1525
Online: cygnettheatre.org