Moving music, mental health message mark Paramount’s premiere of “Dear Evan Hansen”

Photos provided by Boris Martin

The Grammy Award for “Best Musical Theater Album” and a half-dozen Tony Awards, including “Best Musical,” “Best Book” and “Best Original Score,” have certainly spoken for themselves since “Dear Evan Hansen” debuted on Broadway a decade ago, and ever since then, the musical drama made just as massive of an impact across two national tours, plus England’s West End.

Now through Sunday, March 22, the Paramount Theatre is home to its Chicago Regional Premiere, a fitting choice considering the Aurora landmark is the largest subscription house in America and makes for a comparable match with anything downtown has to offer, minus the premium prices.

It was a a “good day” indeed, to cite one of the soundtrack’s key lyrics, which alongside such staples as “Waving Through A Window,” “For Forever” and “You Will Be Found,” already helped “Dear Evan Hansen” secure modern classic status.

Much of the reason also stems from a relatable premise of a bullied, lonely and anxious high school senior, who’s nursing a broken arm and is desperately trying to fit in, admittedly common issues for any generation, yet magnified exponentially in the era of social networking.

Perhaps that’s why Evan Hansen, played by the incredibly convincing Cody Combs, starts every day attempting to write an optimistic letter to himself, which in a roundabout way, leads to a series of white lies relating to a nonexistent relationship with a classmate who suddenly died.

In fact, it looks like Evan can almost fool family members and friends indefinitely, including a top-tier supporting cast comprised of 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, Pablo David Laucerica as Jared Kleinman and Elaine Watson as Alana Beck, united under the heartfelt direction of Jeff Award-winner Jessica Fisch.

However, what the misguided teenager doesn’t expect is for his online posts about the whole fabricated scenario to go viral, which at first appears even more convincing, until readers realize the details don’t quite add up and the entire episode gradually unravels.

Nonetheless, “Dear Evan Hansen” is a tale of self-discovery in its purest sense, and despite making pretty hurtful mistakes, there’s still a path to forgiveness and acceptance in the midst of this vitally important mental-health message that’s palpable inside the Paramount through the final curtain call.

“Dear Evan Hansen” continues at the Paramount Theatre through Sunday, March 22. For additional details, visit ParamountAurora.com.