“Dear Evan Hansen: Today is going to be a good day and here’s why…”
Indeed, it is a good day when Aurora’s Paramount Theatre reveals details about its upcoming Chicago Regional Premiere of Dear Evan Hansen, the smash hit, contemporary musical about an anxious high school senior who invents a starring role for himself in a tragedy that he did not earn. Performances are February 4 - March 22, 2026. Opening Night is Friday, February 13 at 7 p.m.
Paramount’s new staging of one of the most iconic pop culture phenomena of our time will be the first produced by any Chicago-area theater since the musical’s national tour. Paramount audiences won’t just experience an honest and original story for all of us who want to be seen. They’ll understand why Dear Evan Hansen is a six-time Tony Award-winner, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score, and a Grammy-winner for Best Musical Theater Album.
Paramount Broadway Series is back in February with the Chicago Regional Premiere of Dear Evan Hansen, Feb. 4-Mar. 22, 2026. Jessica Fisch (top, right) directs. The production features (bottom, from left) Cody Combs as Evan Hansen, Megan McGinnis as Heidi Hansen, Isabel Kaegi as Zoe Murphy, Jake DiMaggio Lopez as Connor Murphy, Bri Sudia as Cynthia Murphy, Devin DeSantis as Larry Murphy, Ty Shay as Jared Kleinman, and Elaine Watson as Alana Beck.
Evan Hansen starts every day writing himself a letter about why it’s going to be a good day. It’s a coping mechanism recommended by his therapist for this lonely, anxious high schooler just looking to fit in. Because of his letters, Evan finds himself telling a well-meaning white lie that snowballs into a blizzard of untruths. In the end, Evan’s unforgettable journey of self-discovery and acceptance demonstrates there is a place for everyone to feel love and be seen—even when you make mistakes.
Prolific Chicago director Jessica Fisch, winner of the 2024 Jeff Award for Director-Musical, makes her Paramount debut helming this must-see Chicago premiere. Said Fisch, “The show explores the boxes we put ourselves in: the emotional, the metaphorical, and the digital ones we post, like and share. My sincere hope is that this show brings together a multigenerational audience who feel inspired to discuss with one another how anxiety, loss, and technology have shaped their own lives.”
The cast features Cody Combs in his Chicago-area debut as Evan Hansen, Megan McGinnis as Heidi Hansen, Isabel Kaegi as Zoe Murphy, Jake DiMaggio Lopez as Connor Murphy, Bri Sudia as Cynthia Murphy, Devin DeSantis as Larry Murphy, Ty Shay as Jared Kleinman and Elaine Watson as Alana Beck.
Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Dear Evan Hansen begins previews Wednesday, February 4. Press opening is Friday, February 13 at 7 p.m. Performances run through March 22: Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (Exception: No matinee Wednesday, February 4.)
Tickets are $31-$106. That’s a fraction of the cost to see a show in downtown Chicago, plus downtown Aurora boasts easy, affordable parking and new restaurants all around. (Prices listed when tickets are purchased in-person. Additional fees apply for phone and online orders.)
For tickets, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days. For group discounts, contact Melissa Striedl, melissas@paramountarts.com or (630) 723-2461.
Paramount: Making live theater accessible to all
Paramount will offer two Pay What You Can previews Thursday, February 5 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, February 7 at 2 p.m. See ParamountAurora.com/Pay-What-You-Can for details.
Paramount will offer open captioning Friday, March 13 at 7 p.m. and American Sign Language interpretation Friday, March 20 at 7 p.m.
Paramount offers free assistive listening devices at all performances. Check in at the coat room before the show to borrow a device. If you require wheelchair or special seating or other assistance, please contact the box office in advance at (630) 896-6666 or boxoffice@paramountarts.com.
Dear Evan Hansen: Behind the scenes
Dear Evan Hansen has a book by Tony Award-winner Steven Levenson and a score by Grammy, Tony, Olivier and Academy Award-winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman). The original director was four-time Tony nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal).
The musical had its world premiere at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in July 2015 and an Off-Broadway production at Second Stage Theatre in March 2016. Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in December 2016. At the 71st Tony Awards, it was nominated for nine awards, winning six, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score and Best Actor for Ben Platt. The New York Times called it “a breathtaking knockout of a musical” and NBC Nightly News declared it “an anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond.” The Broadway production ran for nearly five years. A film adaptation followed in 2021 starring Ben Platt in the title role he originated on stage, with a cast including Amy Adams and Julianne Moore.
Paramount’s production team is led by director Jessica Fisch with Kasey Alfonso, choreographer; Kory Danielson, music director and supervisor; Andrew Boyce, scenic designer; Stephanie Cluggish, costume designer; Greg Hofmann, lighting designer; Adam Rosenthal, sound designer; Tony Churchill, projection designer; Katie Cordts, wig, hair and makeup designer; Aimee Plant, properties designer; Ethan Deppe, electronic music designer; Celia Villacres, conductor and associate music director; Kevin Reeks, associate conductor; Sean McNeely, orchestra contractor; Jinni Pike, stage manager; and Emma Franklin and Lanita VanderSchaaf, assistant stage managers. Offstage vocalists and understudies are Angel Alzeidan (u/s Zoe Murphy and Alana Beck), Maxwell J. DeTogne (u/s Larry Murphy), Jordan Radis (u/s Connor Murphy and Jared Kleinman), Sara Reinecke (Dance Captain, u/s Heidi Hansen and Cynthia Murphy) and Jake Ziman (u/s Evan Hansen).
Jessica Fisch is a freelance director, educator, and creator based in Chicago. She is dedicated to the creation of new work, original content, and bold reinterpretations of classic texts. She has had worked on and developed plays and musicals across the country with companies such as Actors Theatre of Louisville, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens, Writers Theatre, Northlight, Rivendell, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Drury Lane Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Windy City Playhouse, Playwrights’ Center Minneapolis, Playwrights Realm NYC, Public Theater’s Emerging Writers’ Group, and Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Youngbloods. Three productions she directed have been named to the Chicago Tribune’s “10 Best Shows in Chicago” list (Beautiful, Cry it Out and Every Brilliant Thing), and her production of Every Brilliant Thing was named to the Chicago Sun-Times “Decade’s Best” list for the 2010s. She has received two Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and one win for Best Director (Dear Jack, Dear Louise & Beautiful*) and four Best Production nominations and one win (Dear Jack, Dear Louise, Murder on the Orient Express and Beautiful*, The Audience) *Jeff Award Winner. In addition to her theatre work, Jessica, with her co-creator Grace McLeod, is the co-writer, co-director, and executive producer of the original scripted podcast series Two Truths and a Lie. She received her MFA in Directing from Northwestern University. She is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and a mom to two kids. jessicafisch.com
Dear Evan Hansen is sponsored by Old Second National Bank and Waubonsee Community College. Broadway Series sponsors are the Dunham Foundation, BMO, Illinois Arts Council and the City of Aurora.
About Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction since 1931.
Since launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount has amassed more than 40,000 subscribers, making it the largest subscription house in the U.S.
Paramount Theatre is one of five live performance venues overseen by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA) in downtown Aurora. ACCA also programs and manages Stolp Island Theatre, 5 E. Downer Place, Suite G, where its wildly acclaimed immersive production of Million Dollar Quartet has been running for more than a year; the 165-seat Copley Theatre, at 8 E. Galena in the North Island Center; the Paramount School of the Arts; and RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, downtown Aurora’s outdoor summer concert venue and home to Christkindlmarket Aurora.
Paramount Theatre is overseen by Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals.
For the latest updates, visit ParamountAurora.com or follow @paramountaurora on Facebook and Instagram, and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn.