It's hard to imagine a more topical theme for a musical in Australia right now than teenagers and social media.
Dear Evan Hansen is the story of a lonely, socially anxious teen who gives a speech at his school that goes viral after inventing a role for himself in a family tragedy.
Even in the early days of Facebook, Evan Hansen was a hit in the US, winning six Tony Awards (but ironically, a film adaptation was widely panned on social media).
A decade later, an Australian production by the Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group is touring - in the midst of debate over social media bans for children and broader concerns about teen mental health.
"There can be some really rough parts of the internet in terms of cyberbullying ... it can be a really supportive community, but it can also be really detrimental," said Beau Woodbridge, who plays the title role.
It's not so long ago that Woodbridge (son of tennis star Todd Woodbridge) was a teenager himself, contending with the rise of social media platforms.
At 22, he's stepped straight from graduate studies at London's Royal Academy of Music into the lead role in the Tony Award-winning musical.
While he may come across as bubbly and talkative, Woodbridge also suffers from anxiety - and it's very different beast from the nerves that come with singing in front of nearly 900 people at Melbourne's Playhouse.
"My anxiety doesn't necessarily manifest on stage. It's more about other things and how I deal with it," he said.
"I think people forget that the way a person presents doesn't necessarily mean they aren't going through things."
Directed by Dean Bryant, the local production has wrapped its Sydney season and opens in Melbourne on Wednesday then goes to Canberra and Adelaide.
Producer Michael Cassel explained he has been trying to bring the show to Australia since he first saw it on Broadway, and pounced on the rights when they became available in 2022.
"Audiences are reacting to the show in the exact way we hoped - it's having a profound emotional impact," he told AAP.
Evan’s single mother, Heidi Hansen, is played by Verity Hunt-Ballard, who is juggling the role with real-life parenting responsibilities: during the Sydney production, she was away from her own daughters for up to five weeks.
Hunt-Ballard does not often go on tour these days but she said the role was too good to pass up.
"There is a depth to this writing that I try and tap into," she told AAP.
"I felt quite a big responsibility to be representing single mums with authenticity and integrity."
Dear Evan Hansen is on at the Playhouse at Arts Centre Melbourne until February 16.
