Broadway and West End Award Winning Musical "Dear Evan Hansen" comes to the Midlands.

From a sporting family, rather than a theatrical one - Ryan’s granddad was footballer Frank Kopel and his father is Scott Kopel who was a defender - Ryan told me “I was not very good at football at all.  It was very obvious it was not going to be my route.  I fell in love with theatre when I went to see a local production of “Oliver!” and I became obsessed.”

Local drama and theatre groups followed for Ryan.  He said, “I was lucky enough to go to a performing arts high school in Glasgow from the age of 14-17 which was amazing and the best foundation and training.  Then I went to Mountview, a drama school in London, where I had the best teachers.  It is a phenomenal school.”

“Mountview was hard work, but it was really good training for the industry you are about to go into, it really prepares you for it,” he continued.

Ryan was keen to tell me all about the show and his character Evan.  “It is the story of a 17-year old boy, who I play.  He is a youngster who suffers with real anxiety and feels like an outcast.  He is feeling more and more alone in the world because of social media, and he ends up in therapy.  His therapist tells him to write a letter every single day saying this will be a good day and here is why.”

He continued, “But his letter gets in the hands of the wrong person, another outcast at the school, which results in teenage suicide and through that mishandling of the letter, everyone, including the deceased boy’s family end up believing that Evan and the boy were best friends. The storyline is really the unravelling of that situation and it depicts Evan in a new light.  Then through his people-pleasing ways and his anxiety Evan ends up finding himself in a terrible situation.”

Ryan said, “It sounds very deep, but it is also funny and beautiful and the music is incredible though.”

As we said, it is a difficult role to play, so I wondered if Ryan relates to his character?

“I do, I do,” he told me. “Evan makes some really questionable choices throughout the show, but I said to the director, “I get it, I understand.”  

“When I was young, I was such a people pleaser and wanted to be thought of as a good person.  That pressure you put on yourself can be crippling,”  Ryan continued. 

“Evan is a tiring role to play and yet I never get tired of it.  It takes everything I have and it takes over your life.  Vocally it is the hardest role I have ever played, and so I have to be disciplined.  I don’t speak until 2pm every day and drink litres and litres of water for example, but there is nothing better than being able to play him every night.”

“In the world now, people can say anything they want about you on social media, post anything and it doesn't have to be real or true.  That pressure is huge and people don’t feel as if there are any repercussions for that, as they can do it anonymously.”

“I really get Evan and his desire to bend over backwards to make people, even if it is at the expense of your own happiness or mental health,” he said. 

The trolling on social media is awful these days and Ryan was keen to point out that the show aims to bring this to the fore.”

“We need to regulate this stuff,” he said. “This is not normal and the tech world has almost gone too far and feels out of all of our controls, so I think there is a conversation to be had there.”

The score of “Dear Evan Hansen” is challenging, but wonderful.  Ryan told me “There is a song called “Words Fail” at the end of the show, and every single night, I almost forget where I am and I come out of my body in it.  It is the best feeling in the world,” he said.

The audition process for his role was intense.  “They needed to see as much as they could,” said Ryan.  “The process was three months and I auditioned six times.  I would sing one song and do a scene and that built up so that by the end I was singing three or four songs and three or four scenes and so it became a 20 minute audition, which is rare.  We got to work with the director who delved into the story, which was amazing.”

Ryan continued, “The creative team on the show are some of the best in business. They are an unbelievable team and I feel so lucky to be working with them.”

Ryan also has definite chemistry with his fellow cast members.  “Zoe, who plays my love interest, is amazing.  We went to Mountview together and we are very close and Alice who plays my Mum is a West End legend.  She played Elphaba in “Wicked” at which I worked front of house and she was the star and so it is very surreal that she is playing my Mum now!”

Ryan is a little stuck for choice when it comes to choosing his favourite song from the show.  “It is between “Words Fail” and “For Forever,” he said.  “Words Fail” is my favourite to perform, as it is cathartic to let go at the end of the show, but “For Forever” is my favourite to listen to.”

Another very well-known song from ”Dear Evan Hansen” is “Waving Through a Window”, probably the most challenging song in the show.  

“It is amazing, but so damn difficult!” Ryan laughed! “It is lovely to listen to, but so hard to sing!”

This is a completely new production of the show and Ryan said, “Without giving too much away, we have done something new with it.  It is very different from the West End and Broadway productions.  Morgan Large, who is our set designer, is very talented at being able to further the story through the set design and it is really intricate and clever.”

The future is rosy for Ryan following the tour of “Dear Evan Hansen” but he is uncertain exactly what is coming next.  He does however have dream performers he would like to work with. 

“My favourite actor of all time is Nicole Kidman, I would love to work with her.  My favourite movie is “Moulin Rouge” and I would love to work with the director Baz Lehrman.  His stuff is so cool and unique,” said Ryan.

So watch this space.  I predict big things for Ryan Kopel and I am sure his dreams will come true. 

Catch “Dear Evan Hansen” at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from April 1-5 and at the Birmingham Alexandra Theatre from June 17-21.

For tickets visit grandtheatre.co.uk or agttickets.com to book.