Dear Evan Hansen is a heart-wrenching hit in Sunderland on North East debut...but I didn't cry

It's a musical that has captured the hearts and the tears of a generation and this week sees the North East debut of smash hit Dear Evan Hansen, with the emotional reaction of the audience on opening night in Sunderland testament to the impact it can deliver.

Dealing with the very sensitive topics of mental health struggles and teenage suicide, Dear Evan Hansen, which has packed out theatres on both side of the Atlantic to great acclaim, is not a production that shies away from the often harsh reality of life and the troubles that come with it. And, while its soaring and ear-wormingly infectious music can sweep you away, you never forget the very immensely raw and powerful themes at the show's core.

Taking on the titular role in a musical that has such a staunch following across the globe is not an easy task, but its one that lead Ryan Kopel excels in. As well as having a presence and likeability that really commands your attention and a superb singing voice, Ryan,. particularly in the second half, has a real sensitivity to his acting, that is pinnacle to the success and the emotional gravitas of the whole thing, as his character's well meaning intentions lead to his whole world unravelling around him.

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For years, having agonisingly missed her run in Wicked, I've longed to see modern musical icon Alice Fearn tread the boards and, my word, was it worth waiting for. An actress who can deliver star turns of the highest order, the conviction Alice brings to the role of Evan's mum Heidi is one of those performances that should be held up as a shining example of how to do theatre. A mother in turmoil about not getting to spend enough time with her son, while trying to provide a future for him, Alice, even in her more understated scenes, was nothing short of incredible and, while it could be argued that You Will Be Found, is Dear Evan Hansen's emotional trump card, for me, it was actually her So Big/So Small that gave me the biggest chill.

But seeing as we're on the topic of You Will Be Found, having never seen the show before and deliberately avoided the movie until I had, it was the only song in the score that I knew you well and, on being told by several friends I'd be 'in bits' by the end of it, I was fully expecting that outcome. Given that I cried at Home Alone a few weeks ago (the bit where Kevin is reunited with his mum gets me every time!) and certain songs have the ability to trigger my waterworks, all bets were off that I'd be crying into my programme by the interval. However, while I found the act one closer very, very moving, I didn't get quite get the emotional sucker punch I was expecting from it.

The added ensemble for the UK tour helped swell the numbers on stage for the number, but, as well as finding some of the choreo distracting and slightly jarring, having gone in expecting to be red eyed at the break, it wasn't the tear stained crescendo to the first half I banked on; well, not for me anyway, although plenty of others in the opening night audience at Sunderland Empire certainly made up for it with their responses.

The Dear Evan Hansen cast are all brilliant. Playing Zoe, the sister of Connor Murphy, the fellow student who kills himself after seeing one of Evan's letters to himself, Lauren Conroy is exceptional from start to finish, as is Killian Thomas Lefevere in the role of Connor who, even after death has a huge baring on Evan's actions, as the teen becomes more and more embroiled in a fake narrative about their friendship.

As the parents who end up treating Evan like their own son, having lost their own, Helen Anker and Richard Hurst make their characters impossible not to route for, while Tom Dickerson and Vivian Panka are also fantastic as two protagonists who help to shape the plot thanks to their interactions with Ryan's Evan.

It didn't surprise me to learn that the music for Dear Evan Hansen is from the same duo who gave us The Greatest Showman soundtrack., Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; as like the Hugh Jackman film, the score for the show hooks you in from the get-go. You Will Be Found might be the best known, but Dear Evan Hansen has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to memorable music, with Waving Through A window, For Forever, Requiem and Only Us all promnotly added to my 2024 Spotify playlist as soon as I left the theatre, to snow falling outside.

While the Wearside weather was cold, Dear Evan Hansen left me anything but. However, while there is no doubt that the show takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, I wasn't the broken man I thought I would be when I left the theatre and my packet of tissues, rather shockingly, remained unopened.

*Awaits accusations of being a heartless ice queen*