I CONFESS I knew very little about Dear Evan Hansen (showing at the Hall for Cornwall until Saturday), other than it being an Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning coming-of-age fable from The Greatest Showman partnership Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

I found the idea of seeing something totally new rather thrilling, and deliberately did no research in an attempt to avoid plot spoilers.

My other half was a little lukewarm about it, however; and while our Gen Z daughter is arguably the target age group, one can never tell which way she’s going to go at the theatre (Grease got a scathing thumbs down).

But it was clear from curtain-up that this would be a multi-generational winner. The touching storyline is relatable to all, from gawky teens trying to navigate the world to the frazzled parents struggling to help them.

With its themes of adolescent mental health, social anxiety and online living, this is a thoroughly modern musical. At its heart, though, is an age-old tale of how a small, well-meaning untruth spirals into a situation beyond anyone’s control. While Evan’s viral profile initially gives him purpose, at some point his deception with be revealed and consequences will have to be faced.

The Greatest Showman this is not; the set is limited to kitchens and bedrooms, albeit with some extremely clever use of LED screens to reflect online activity.

And while I can’t honestly say I left the theatre humming earworms, in many ways, the book benefited from a pared-back musical approach which gave space for an extremely moving storyline to shine.

Although the central plot hinges upon suicide and grief, it’s not all doom and gloom. The show was leavened by a great deal of humour, Sincerely, Me- a riotously funny trio from Ryan Kopel, Tom Dickerson and Killian Thomas Lefevre – being a particular highlight.

All performances were fantastic, but stand-out songs for me included So Big/So Small, a heart-rending solo from Alice Fearn as Evan’s mother, Heidi, on the uncertain journey of parenthood. And huge credit to Ryan Kopel in the titular role, who has the most work to do and is the glue that holds it all together.

I suspect the show has a cult following; the first-night audience was vocally appreciative of every number, and rose collectively on their feet come the end - including the three of us, all blown away by our new discovery.

“Did you cry?” Daughter asked at the end, slightly teary-eyed herself. Let’s just say I had a lump in my throat, and plenty of food for thought. Ultimately, this is a heart-warming tale of how, as human beings, we’re all winging it as best we can. And that’s enough.