Theater Thursday - Be More Chill

We were given free tickets to Be More Chill for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Be More Chill

Where: Lyceum Theatre
              149 W. 45th St.
              New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 13 and Up

Me - Be More Chill, in my opinion, is the best show ever!  It's about a kid named Jeremy who wants to be cool so he can impress, Christine Canigula, a girl whom he has a crush on. One day, a bully named Rich tells him about Squips, pills you can take that will teach you how to be cool. Against the advice of his best friend, Michael Mell, he decides to take one.

I've been obssessed with Be More Chill for a while now. The first time I ever heard of it was a few months before it began its run Off Broadway at the Signature Theatre. One of my friends had told me a little bit about it so when I saw the music on YouTube, I decided to listen. Immediately, I was obssessed. I began to learn about the characters and the story, and by the time I saw the show I basically knew every detail of the plot. When I found out that it was coming to Broadway, I was ecstatic and counting down the days. Last Tuesday, exactly six months after I had seen it the first time, I got to see it again. As you can probably imagine, I absolutely loved it! I was slightly surprised  to see that they had made a lot of changes some of which I liked more than others. The music is probably the aspect of the show that changed the most. To be honest, I do prefer some of the songs the way they were before most notably Upgrade, which they changed about half of the lyrics to. Even with the changes, however, the music was still amazing! When I found out the cast was recording an original Broadway soundtrack, I was once again thrilled. I can't wait to listen to the new recording every day!

One of my favorite songs is Michael in the Bathroom sung by my favorite character, Michael played by the incredible, George Salazar. George Salazar is unbelieveably talented, and if he doesn't win the Tony for this role I am going to be very mad! Michael is such a sweet pure character, and I love him so much! I can really relate to him, and I know that a lot of other people will be able to also. I even spent multiple paychecks recreating all the patches on  my own version of his iconic red hoodie.

Another of my favorite songs is The Pitiful Children sung by the Squip played by the also incredible Jason Tam. The Pitiful Children is another song that had lyric changes. However, this time the changes occured from the original production at Two River Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey to the Off Broadway production. On Broadway, it was not only one my favorite numbers but one of my favorite scenes over all. I love the way that the Squip's costume evolved by the time he reached that point in the show and with the combination of  that, the lights, the intensity, and Jason Tam's fantastic performance itself,  I was completely blown away. Between those two numbers, I would say that George Salazar and Jason Tam stole the show. That's not to say that the rest of the cast wasn't unbelievable too. Katlyn Carlson, Lauren Marcus, and Tiffany Mann especially shined during The Smart Phone Hour.

I have been lucky enough to meet most of the cast members, and they are exactly as incredible as you would imagine if not more so. I've even had the opportunity to meet Joe Iconis, who wrote the music. He is sunshine in human form. Talking to him made me appreciate the music in a whole new way. Over all, Be More Chill is my favorite thing in the world, and I would recommend it to absolutely everybody. *

*The above is a guest post by older sister, Melia.

Mom - Be More Chill is more than just the show that was propelled to Broadway by its fanatical internet fan base. It is also a really unique musical with really great music. Once you hear the songs, you will not be able to get them out of your head. However, more than that, it's actually a very meaningful show. It's all about the struggle to fit in and the lengths  to which people will go to try and fit in when they are usually better off just being themselves. That is something that just about anyone can relate to. We all have our insecurities even people who seems super confident. The show is well acted by a talented cast. George Salazar especially shines in a sweet and at times heartbreaking role. His performance of  Michael in the Bathroom is particularly touching, and definitely Tony worthy. However, over all the cast is good, and they really work well together.  Although the show is already beloved by teenagers, it is not just a show for them. It is a show for anybody and I would highly recommend it.

For more about Be More Chill or to purchase tickets, visit bemorechillmusical.com.

And that's our view. Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits: All Be More Chill production photos by Maria Baranova