Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group, producers of the upcoming Australian tour of Dear Evan Hansen, have today confirmed that actor Beau Woodbridge will be joining the show’s cast in the lead, titular character role.
Woodbridge, who began his career playing Gustave in Love Never Dies, has performed in various roles including Michael Banks in Mary Poppins (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 in Melbourne and Sydney before studying Musical Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he recently played Melchior in Spring Awakening.
The cast also includes Verity Hunt-Ballard as Heidi Hansen, Natalie O’Donnell as Cynthia Murphy, Martin Crewes as Larry Murphy, Georgia Laga’aia as Zoe Murphy, Harry Targett as Connor Murphy, Carmel Rodrigues as Alana Beck, and Jacob Rozario as Jared Kleinman. The ensemble features Lawrence Hawkins, Jessica Kok, Ariyan Sharma, Tod Strike, and Teresa Tate Britten.
Commenting on this news, Woodbridge shared:
Evan has been a dream role of mine since I was lucky enough to see the original Broadway production when I was 14. 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
Additionally, director Dean Bryant also enthusiastically shared his comments on the casting:
The first time I saw Beau bring the Evan material to life, I felt this emotional swell overtake me. 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.
while producer Michael Cassel also shared the enthusiasm:
I am so pleased we have been able to find such a brilliant performer to tackle this challenging role. 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.
The production will premiere at the Roslyn Packer Theatre on 12 October. Subsequent legs of the tour have been confirmed for Melbourne starting December 2024 (Playhouse Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne), Canberra starting February 2025 (Canberra Theatre Centre) and Adelaide starting April 2025 (Her Majesty’s Theatre). Tickets for the Sydney season are now on-sale, with waitlisting for the other seasons now available via the Dear Evan Hansen Australia website.
