NKU musical theatre major Cody Combs recently starred in Paramount Theatre’s production of “Dear Evan Hansen.” The musical, a six-time Tony Award winner, debuted at the regional theater outside of Chicago from February to March. 

Combs played Evan Hansen, embodying the anxious high schooler who becomes caught in a web of lies to gain friendship and popularity. The Chicago Theatre Review described the production as “one of the most honest, emotionally moving and truly contemporary pieces of theatre.”

Having participated in previous NKU shows, such as “A Christmas Carol” and “Amélie,” Combs’ leading role in “Dear Evan Hansen” was his biggest production to date.

“It’s about a high school boy who is just trying to get by, along with all the other people in the show who are also trying to get by, but they all have their own unique challenges,” Combs said. “His surmounts to something greater than others, but it’s not revealed until later in the show what that is.”

The musical addresses heavy themes such as suicide, social anxiety and the ubiquitous influence of social media. To become Evan Hansen, a complex and emotional character, Combs brought aspects of himself to the role.

“All he wants is to help other people enjoy their life. And he wants to be wanted, he wants to be liked, and he wants others to feel like they’re appreciated as well,” Combs said. “He just makes a lot of effort to make people feel happy, and I try to live that way.”

Rather than imitating past performances of Evan Hansen, Combs continued rehearsals and, over time, his own interpretation of the character emerged. 

“It was a joint discovery between the director and I about how we wanted him to be portrayed, and what his anxiety looked like, and if it leaned closer to anxiety or just neurodivergence in general, because it’s never specified what’s wrong with [Evan]. It’s just very clear that he has a very different brain,” Combs said. 

In 2023, Combs acted in an NKU performance of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.” In the show, he played another neurodivergent teenager, finding that the experience was beneficial for his future role of Evan Hansen. 

“That helped me to navigate what not to do with this one and also what I could maybe lean more towards,” Combs said. “It did help me to know my balance as far as, ‘How can I portray neurodivergent characters in a way that’s accurate and not offensive?’”

The production required an intense schedule, with nearly daily rehearsals and up to two shows a day. Taking the spring semester off for the production, Combs described the experience as both challenging and rewarding.

“It meant so much more to me than I can put into words. I’m still trying to process everything that is coming from it, just because it’s helped me in so many ways, career-wise, fulfillment-wise,” Combs said. “I feel like that was so indicative of, I’ve officially made it to this chapter of my life.”