WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
Dear Evan Hansen, Noel Coward Theatre London
Heartfelt musical on youthful anguish in the age of social media
SOCIALLY AWKWARD Sam Tutty (left) as Evan Hansen
[Matthew Murphy] 
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
WITH a backdrop illuminated by vast Twitter feeds, constantly updated with chit-chat and gossip, Dear Evan Hansen begins with an unequivocal message: we are all connected. Living our lives online as much as in the physical world, this brave new existence can be a little disconcerting and its effect on our wellbeing is just beginning to be understood.
Enter Evan Hansen (Sam Tutty), a socially awkward teenager suffering with anxiety, whose therapist has advised him — though we’re never informed of the reasoning behind this — to write encouraging letters to himself at the beginning of each day.
Alas, things swiftly begin to unravel as his bullying classmate, Connor Murphy (Doug Colling), takes one of them and reads it aloud. This does no favours to Evan and his confidence.
More from this author
As the Establishment stokes a culture war against gender recognition — not in favour of it — the left must unite in support of the trans community, says TOM KING
TOM KING marvels at the insights into the lived reality of the legionaries of the Roman empire revealed by 2,000-year-old artefacts
A play about choral singing, hedge funds and dementia proves to be an intricate exploration of family relationships and the redemptive power of music, says TOM KING
Playwright MARK RAVENHILL talks to Tom King about how the lockdown and its impact on care homes has been the catalyst for his new radio play
