Dear Evan Hansen @ the Hancher

I feel lucky to have been able to attend a performance of Dear Evan Hansen recently at the reborn Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City, Iowa. I’ll begin this review where I began my experience, walking up to the awe inspiring sight of the new Hancher.

The original auditorium was destroyed by flooding in 2008. The community and the University of Iowa worked together with the architect Cesar Pelli to build a stunning new facility, which opened in 2016. I was so impressed by the building, it’s structure and beauty, that I feel it is deserving of it’s own review or essay. So I won’t go into detail here, suffice it to say that it is truly breathtaking.

The set for the production is quite simple, a few groupings of furniture, a bed and side table, a dining room table and chairs, and the like. These are on platforms which are wheeled in and out as needed. The most impactful portion of the stage design were many screens of various sizes and proportions, some of which were movable. Simulated screen content, texts, social media posts, and emails, were projected on to these screens in an artful manner, which I felt greatly reinforced the delivery of the play itself.

The play is very well written, the characters are complex and the plot weaves them together masterfully. I instantly felt a connection with many of the characters, and realized later that my inability to empathize with some of the other characters was intentional, they played distant and isolated roles, and I felt that, even if I was not conscious of the fact.

The action of the play moves along at a brisk pace, I felt involved for every single minute, riveted even. The simple and mobile nature of the set allowed for the stage to be cleared for the performers to move freely about. I quite enjoyed that elements of dance were introduced as the characters interacted with one another on this open stage during many of the powerful vocal performances.

The performers themselves were wonderful, no matter what part they played they projected their emotions directly to every member of the audience, singing or speaking, their voices individually or in chorus. I will not go in to great detail about every member of this excellent cast, but I must make special mention of the lead, playing the titular role, Michael Fabisch, whose skill and emotive power shone brightly. Also Bre Cade who played his mother, her role was a difficult one, as motherhood is, and she projected that beautifully. The last member of the cast I will mention in detail is Gabriel Vernon Nunag, who played Evan’s “family friend” Jared. He brought comic relief as well as delivering many integral parts of the story. His character was one of those that is simultaneously simple and complex, and he pulled off every nuance with mastery. The entire cast excelled, and all are deserving of notice and praise.

So to are the crew and staff who make the production possible, every aspect of this intricate, traveling musical must, I am sure, take an enormous amount of energy and dedication from each and every one of these individuals. I thank you for your behind the scenes, but nonetheless crucial, efforts.

I had a wonderful, involving, and memorable time at this performance of Dear Evan Hansen, and I shan’t forget it any time soon.

~Ricki 12/08/24