MANSFIELD — Evan Wertz has lived enough life in his 25 years on earth to understand it’s often not easy.
But he is also not too old to remember how difficult it was to be a teenager.
That’s one of the things that attracted him back to the Mansfield Playhouse stage in the title role in “Dear Evan Hansen,” his first turn at the community theater since his final youth theater performance in 2018.
The Tony Award-winning musical — written by Steven Levenson with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — follows a high school senior struggling with severe social anxiety who fabricates a friendship with a classmate following the student’s suicide.
The show, with an eight-member cast, opens Friday night for a two-weekend run at the 95 E. Third St. theater.
The musical launches the Mansfield Playhouse’s 101st season.
Wertz became a U.S. Marine after graduating from Clear Fork High School before returning home, getting married and becoming a father. He is now working as an apprentice electrician with the IBEW Local 688 in Mansfield.
“It’s interesting trying to kind of remember what the mindset was back as a senior in high school, trying to be like that awkward kid, full of social anxiety, never knowing what’s going on,” Wertz said before a dress rehearsal Monday night.
“It’s been a challenge to try to kind of revert back to that stage of life, especially since there’s been so much life that I’ve lived since that period,” he said.
“I hate shaving my face (for the role),” he said with a laugh.
“Dear Evan Hansen” cast
Evan Hansen — Evan Wertz
Heidi Hansen — Cheryl Russell
Zoe Murphy — Emalie Green
Connor Murphy — Aaron Bailes
Cynthia Murphy — Kristy Slagle
Larry Murphy — Sheldon Markel
Jared Kleinman — Gage Workman
Alana Beck — Davanna Parks
Directed by Doug Wertz
Show Dates: Sept. 11, 12, 18, 19 at 8 p.m. & Sept. 20 at 2:30 p.m.
Note: “Dear Evan Hansen” has adult themes and some profanity.
Tickets: $15 adult, $13 senior, $10 student (18 and under). Tickets may purchased through the box office Wednesday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and one hour prior to each production by calling 419 522-2883.
Tickets can also be purchased online at www.mansfieldplayhouse.com. Note: This is the only website where Mansfield Playhouse tickets should purchased.
The story behind “Dear Evan Hansen” is what brought Wertz back to the stage.
“For me, it’s the message. It’s the music. I love the music. It’s phenomenal,” he said. “There is a lot of cheeky humor that kind of sneaks in. And then, of course, my wife was kind of pushing me to do the show.
“We both love Evan Hansen. I think we watch it at least once a year just on our own time,” he said.
Wertz first performed at the Playhouse at the tender age of 5 and continued performing through high school. He grew up at the Mansfield theater, usually working with his father, Doug, the artistic director and president of the Playhouse.
Unlike, Evan Hansen, Evan Wertz grew up in a house full of family, including dad, mom and siblings.
“This show specifically is interesting because Evan Hansen’s dad left him when he was 7, after his parents divorced. He moved to Colorado, a totally different state. It must have been a challenge, your dad leaving you when you were so young.
“You’re on stage as Evan talking about your dad not being present in your life … when he’s standing right in front of you and directing the show,” Wertz said. “
“That’s kind of an interesting dynamic, but working with my dad … I’m kind of used to it. We just kind of just fell right back into the rhythm that we were in, when I did shows for him way back when,” Wertz said.
Doug Wertz said he is thrilled to have his son back on the Playhouse stage — and for the chance to work with him again on a theater project.
“It’s pretty cool. It’s been eight years since he’s done any theater at all. And now it’s pretty cool to see him back and then I’m excited to work with him,” the proud father/director said.
“He’s a very talented young man. The songs in this show … the way he carries them … it’s been very, very good,” Wertz said. “This whole cast … musically … oh my gosh … they’re fantastic.”
His son is just a cast member when it comes to stage direction.
“When you’re in director mode, you have got to be in director mode,” Doug Wertz said. “When you’re giving notes, you have to give notes in the same respect that you would give anybody else.
“I always do tell my actors, however, we are talking about characters. Don’t ever take anything personally,” Wertz said.
(Photos from a dress rehearsal Monday night of “Dear Evan Hansen” at the Mansfield Playhouse. The show opens a two-weekend run on Friday night. The story continues below the photos.)
In the show, which was nominated for nine Tony Awards and won six in 2017, Hansen, an isolated teenager, writes self-addressed therapeutic letters at his therapist’s recommendation.
When Connor Murphy, an outcast classmate, finds one of these letters, he takes it. Shortly after, Connor dies by suicide with the letter in his pocket. Connor’s grieving parents discover the note and mistake it for a final message from Connor to Evan, assuming the two were close friends.
Desperate to comfort the grieving family and fit in, Evan goes along with the misconception. With the help of his friend Jared Kleinman, Evan fabricates a series of backdated emails to prove his non-existent friendship with Connor. Evan becomes close with the Murphy family, including Connor’s sister, Zoe, on whom Evan has long had a crush.
As one might expect, a reckoning will come from the deception — and lessons are learned as people of all ages learn to cope.
Sheldon Markel, who played John Adams in “1776” at the Playhouse in March, said the mental health message from the show attracted him to “Dear Evan Hansen.”
“It’s a much-needed message. It’s kind of swept under the rug typically, but with this show, it brings it to light in a beautiful way,” the 38-year-old Ashland resident said.
Markel plays Larry Murphy, the father of the young man who commits suicide. He said he hopes the audience leaves after the show feeling hope.
“I think everyone has known someone or knows someone who knows somebody (connected to suicide), basically. But the message I think that (the audience) should take with them is that they’re not alone. There is hope and there is hope in speaking up.
“Speaking up’s not always easy. It takes humility, but the help is there. It puts pressure on those who are hurting (to speak up), but also on those who need to invite others to open up … both sides of the coin being approachable,” said Markel, a supervisor for the U.S. Census Bureau.
It’s a far different role than that of the founding father Markel portrayed six months ago.
“John was driven, passionate. He knew what to expect, I think, as far as the power of his words. In this show, Larry Murphy, the dad, he is driven by the emotion of the show.
“He is not always in tune to the emotions, but I think he eventually gets there. Because, with this show, we’re all reflecting the emotions of the events. Those events are always great.
“We’re lied to. We are told sad news. The rug is pulled out from under us. It’s not always easy, but we deal with it as a family in the show,” Markel said.
“Dear Evan Hansen” is performed with minimalist staging, unlike “1776,” which was filled with tables, desks and chairs.
Markel said it works.
“I think in this show, it makes sense, because it brings the emotions downstage. Literally, you’re in front of the audience. There’s nothing blocking you.
“Because of that vulnerability, it makes us much more relatable, too. There are no set pieces to hide behind. You deal with the emotion,” Markel said.
That emotion is what attracted 16-year-old Aaron Bailes to the part of Connor Murphy. It’s also his first performance at the Mansfield Playhouse.
“I like the emotional parts … just the depth of it. I like the plot. I like the characters,” said Bailes, a Buckeye Central High School student who attends the Pioneer Career and Technology Center for Performing Arts.
“The show is what drew me to (the Mansfield Playhouse). When I audition, it’s a show-based decision, not a place-based decision.”
Bailes said Connor Murphy is a difficult role to portray due to the emotional depth.
“He’s a very misunderstood character. He’s very angry. I think it’s definitely hard to portray that, But the cast is so helpful and they’re so great at what they do. It makes it a lot easier for the characters to feel more natural,” Bailes said.
What’s Connor Murphy so angry about?
“I don’t really know. He’s just … he’s a teenager at that point. His parents are kind of not that attentive …. but they are at the same time …. too attentive, almost. He just kind of has a lot of built up stuff,” Bailes said.
Bailes is new to the Playhouse, but not to the stage. He has performed at the Galion Community Theater, the Bucyrus Little Theater and he has a show scheduled at the Bellevue Theater Society for the Arts.
He hopes to continue in theater after graduating from high school in 2028 — but maybe not on stage.
“I don’t know if I want to go to school for it or not. I’ve been thinking about maybe taking a gap year and trying to get a job at the Renaissance (Theatre in Mansfield).
“I would like to work backstage on some stuff and maybe trying to progress my way up to something like Playhouse Square (in Cleveland) or even Broadway, if it did go that far,” Bailes said.
