Rising star Beau Woodbridge has been announced as the lead in the upcoming Australian tour of Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group’s brand-new production of Dear Evan Hansen, premiering at the Roslyn Packer Theatre from 12 October 2024.
Woodbridge began his career at a young age, playing the role of Gustave in Love Never Dies before going on to play Michael Banks in Mary Poppins for the New Zealand tour, Jeremy in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Louis in The King And I.
In 2022 he performed in the Boublil & Schönberg concert Do You Hear the People Sing at Hamer Hall, Melbourne and the Sydney Opera House before moving to London to study Musical Theatre at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music where he has recently performed the role of Melchior in Spring Awakening.
“Evan has been a dream role of mine since I was lucky enough to see the original Broadway production when I was 14,” said Woodbridge. “I was just in awe of the show because you feel so connected to the characters in this story and I can’t wait to bring that experience to audiences in Australia with our company.”
An instant hit on Broadway for its deeply personal and profoundly contemporary take on life and the way we live it, Dear Evan Hansen will celebrate its Australian premiere in Sydney on 12 October 2024, before playing seasons in Melbourne from December 2024, Canberra from February 2025 and Adelaide from April 2025.
“The first time I saw Beau bring the Evan material to life, I felt this emotional swell overtake me,” said director Dean Bryant. “He connects so deeply to Evan’s desire to connect and make people feel better, wants so desperately to be seen, that you really feel for this young man. And then he sings, cracking you open and reminding you why this is one of the great modern musical scores.”
Woodbridge is joined by multiple award-winning performer Verity Hunt-Ballard as Evan’s mother, Heidi Hansen; music theatre icon Natalie O’Donnell as Cynthia Murphy and legendary theatre star Martin Crewes as her husband Larry Murphy.
They are joined by newcomer Georgia Laga’aia who steps into the role of Zoe Murphy, Harry Targett as Connor Murphy, Carmel Rodrigues as Alana Beck, and Jacob Rozario as Jared Kleinman. Rounding out the cast are Lawrence Hawkins, Jessica Kok, Ariyan Sharma, Tod Strike and Teresa Tate Britten.
“I am so pleased we have been able to find such a brilliant performer to tackle this challenging role,” said producer Michael Cassel. “Beau Woodbridge is going to break the nation’s heart as Evan. With the completion of our casting, I can’t think of a better group of people to deliver this heart-rending show to Australian audiences.”
Dear Evan Hansen was called a “breathtaking knockout of a musical” by The New York Times and won six Tony Awards, including Best Book by writer Steven Levenson. It features music from the Grammy, Tony, Olivier, and Academy Award-winning geniuses Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a story that journeys to the heart of being a teenager with a tenderness and wit that will set your heart alight.
Dear Evan Hansen is the raw, moving and inspiring story of a socially anxious high-schooler who is suddenly thrust into the spotlight when he inadvertently invents an important role for himself at the centre of a tragedy.
In a brand-new production reimagined by Helpmann Award-winning director, Dean Bryant, Dear Evan Hansen is an empowering experience for anyone who’s ever considered themselves on the “outside, always looking in.”
Dear Evan Hansen marks the second time Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group have partnered to present world-class theatre. In 2022, the two companies presented the phenomenally successful Melbourne transfer of The Picture of Dorian Gray which went on to premiere in London’s West End in 2024 starring Succession‘s Sarah Snook.
Tickets for the Sydney season are on sale now, and the Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide seasons will go on sale on Monday. A waitlist for the tour and tickets for the Sydney season are available at www.dearevanhansenmusical.com.au
Image: Beau Woodbridge (supplied)