Paramount Theatre to present the Broadway musical ‘Waitress’

Aurora’s Paramount Theatre will present the Midwest regional premiere of the award-winning musical “Waitress,” opening Feb. 12 and running through March 30.

The show’s music and lyrics are by Grammy Award winner and Tony nominee Sara Bareilles, with a book by Jessie Nelson. Director Katie Spelman returns to Paramount to stage the first Chicago-area production of the hit Broadway musical, with Michelle Lauto making her Paramount debut as the main character Jenna.

The musical tells the story of Jenna, a waitress and pie maker stuck in a bad marriage in a small town. After a surprise pregnancy, Jenna hopes to bake her way out of trouble.

“Waitress” the musical is based on the hit 2007 indie film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, starring Keri Russell as Jenna. After a 2015 tryout at American Repertory Theater, the musical premiered at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway in 2016, earning four Tony nominations including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Following a London production, national and international tours, “Waitress” returned in 2021 to Broadway for a limited engagement starring Sara Bareilles as Jenna, resulting in the live stage recording of the show released in 2023.

“Waitress” was nominated for four Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

Performances times are Wednesdays at 1:30 and 7 p.m.; Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 1 and 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $28-$85.

Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. For tickets and information, 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 will offer two Pay What You Can previews on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. See ParamountAurora.com/Pay-What-You-Can for details.

For the latest updates, visit ParamountAurora.com or follow @paramountaurora on Facebook and Instagram.