Splinters Theatre Group’s Dear Evan Hansen – 21 October 2026, Montgomery Theatre
Review by Ellie Needham.
I had the pleasure of seeing the opening night of Dear Evan Hansen on 20th October 2026 at the Montgomery Theatre in Sheffield, performed by Splinters Theatre Group, and what a fantastic production it was.
Having seen Dear Evan Hansen in the West End before, I went into this knowing the standard that can be set by the show — and Josh Fishburn as Evan Hansen genuinely delivered a West End-worthy performance. Josh captured Evan’s awkwardness, vulnerability and inner turmoil brilliantly, while also bringing his own interpretation to the role. Josh’s comic timing was performed to perfection. There were moments where his performance reminded me of Sam Tutty’s portrayal, which is a huge compliment, but Josh absolutely made Evan his own. His vocals were fantastic, his acting felt natural and believable, and he carried some of the biggest emotional moments of the show incredibly well.
The direction was absolutely fantastic, with a really good understanding of when to let the story and performances shine. The musical direction was seamless, and the vocals and harmonies across the cast were consistently strong. Nothing felt overdone or forced. Congratulations Kate Parkin as Director and Adam Russel Walker as Musical Director! I believe this was Adam’s first musical as an MD and what a fantastic job he did.
The projections were a great touch, bringing the social media element of the story to life. The set itself was minimalist but incredibly effective, proving that you don’t need a huge set to tell this story well. The choreography really shone too. It added to the songs and scenes without ever taking attention away from the storytelling. Well done to Aggie Gryszel as Choreographer and Scarlet McGregor as Dance Captain.
Madison Bland as Zoe Murphy did a wonderful job, particularly in the emotional songs. She really sang the emotions rather than simply singing the notes, which made her performance very engaging.
Charlie Hopper as Connor Murphy was great, both in his acting and as a dancer. He brought plenty of energy to the role, and his scenes with Joe Williams as Jared Kleinman provided great comedy. Both had great vocals and brought humour to the production.
Ruby Harker as Alana was another standout for me. Fantastic acting and singing, with a really professional performance throughout.
The three parents: Dannielle Birks-Hibbert as Cynthia, James Parkin as Larry and Georgina Hartley-Willows as Heidi, all brought believable acting and great vocals to the production. Georgina, in particular, really stood out to me as Heidi. She acted through every moment and emotion.
The costumes were well chosen and suited both the characters and the production nicely, while the programme itself was also really well designed. A lovely little detail that showed the care that had gone into the whole production.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable and heartfelt production of Dear Evan Hansen. There was clearly a lot of care, passion and hard work behind it, and that came across on stage. For a local theatre production, there were some genuinely impressive performances here, with the West End-worthy Josh Fishburn leading a very strong cast.
From start to finish, I was glued to the storyline and the performers. The standing ovation was well deserved. A must see show!
Well done to everyone involved with Splinters Theatre Group. You should all be very proud of what you’ve put on stage at the Montgomery Theatre.
