Thought-provoking musical opens in Virden

The award-winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen” will make its Manitoba debut tonight in Virden.

Virden Theatre Productions will be the first amateur production company in the province to present the show and the second in the country, says co-director Dean Munchinsky.

“Having the opportunity to do something fresh here is so great,” Munchinsky said in a phone interview Thursday morning.

The story follows anxious high school teen Evan Hansen. When one of his classmates dies by suicide, Hansen lies about the relationship between the two of them and unexpectedly finds himself the face of an online social movement.

“I think this is something people are going to think about later on. It’s not just entertainment. It is very entertaining, but it has more weight to it than that,” Munchinsky said.

“There’s some sensitive material and that is part of out world. We exist in great times and we exist in difficult times, and being able to walk through and grow is all part of that journey,” he said.

Munchinsky said he enjoys getting the opportunity to work on something different.

“I don’t like when things are just copied from one production to another,” he said. “We put our own little fingerprints on it.”

He said the casting and characters are what make Virden’s take on the production unique.

“You could have the best show, but if you don’t have the right characters to be able to put into the placement, you’re not going to have a great show,” the acting director said.

In addition to co-directing — alongside Michelle Chyzyk — Munchinsky is also acting in the musical.

“It’s a bit of a bounce for me back and forth between directing and acting, but fortunately I have Michelle,” he said. “I’m able to lean on her and rely on her for the pieces where I can’t (direct) because I’m acting.”

Chyzyk, the artistic director for Virden Theatre Productions, said she’s dreamed of producing this musical since she saw it on Broadway in 2017.

“I was just so impacted by the performance. I left (the theatre) just emotionally drained. It was just so powerful, emotional and raw and true. And the music is absolutely gorgeous,” Chyzyk said.

She said the reason they could put on the show was because they were able to successfully cast the role of Evan Hansen.

“That’s quite an important role. Not every community might have an actor to play that role,” she said.

The character requires someone who is believable as a teenage boy, sensitive and a very strong actor, Chyzyk said.

“It’s emotionally challenging, but vocally, very demanding,” Chyzyk said. She praised the two actors sharing the role — Aaron Cox and Dylan Southam — for their talent.

The show runs for about two and a half hours but is fast-paced in the way many modern musicals are, Chyzyk said.

The musical will be performed at the Virden Auditorium Theatre today through Sunday and Oct. 2-4.

» rgerrard@brandonsun.com