BE MORE CHILL to Premiere Off-Broadway This Summer

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 10:08am

Looks like a transfer of the Two Rivers production, but with Will Roland as Jeremy, and Jason SweetTooth Williams as Jeremy's Dad.

Thoughts? Personally, I'm actually really looking forward to this.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 10:10am

This has been pretty polarizing: people either seemed to love it or think it was absolute garbage.   Glad I'll get a chance to find out for myself.  

[raddersons]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 10:18am

Regardless of how bizarre the rest of the show is tone-wise (I've only listened to the score once), I think there's no denying that "Michael in the Bathroom" is a great song (which I've listened to dozens of times). Also excited to actually see this in action.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 10:21am

The show has quite a following, which I always found sort of puzzling considering it has had a single production regionally.

[yesraccoons]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 10:27am

Kad said: "The show has quite a following, which I always found sort of puzzling considering it has had a single production regionally."

Teenagers. Almost any musical with guys in high school will ignite the teenagers and that's what Be More Chill is. Examples, Dear Evan Hansen, Heathers, etc. The thing is these demographic tends to not be the people actually going to the theatre. They live throughout the country and they don't visit cities always. It's not a demographic sustainable for anything more than off-broadway. Yes, people may get more into it when it comes. But the current fanbase won't make that much of a difference. A few mega teens fan will see it, the stage door will be a nightmare, the crowd with obnoxiously sing along, but otherwise, it'll be a normal show. 

 

Teenage angst = angsty teenagers like. 

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 10:28am

Thanks for the heads up! Just got a ticket. Although I don’t quite understand the story from listening to the cast recording, here’s hoping “Michael in the Bathroom” will be worth the price of admission alone.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 10:30am

It's based on a YA novel by Ned Vizzini.   

 

 

Article on its fandom

Updated On: 4/13/18 at 10:30 AM

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 11:00am

Thanks Dramamama

[thealtoslament]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 11:11am

I'm one of those people who really loves this show, but even I can recognize that it's going to be a nine week nightmare for everyone involved because of how insane the fandom is. 

[Gink]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 12:14pm

We recently saw a production at Sacred Heart University in CT--while we had been listening to and enjoying the music since the recording was released, we were not fans of the musical's book. (And we love the novel it was based on.) As we walked out we all talked about how much better the show would be with a major rewrite of the book. 

[Leaf Coneybear]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 3:50pm

Some of the songs from this are pretty good, I particularly like the opening song and the finale. However, I think that the show itself is just... eh. I've read the book and wasn't a big fan, but I like Vizzini's other book.

[SpyOnTheInside]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 4:44pm

So excited for this actually. It's one of my son's favorite shows, but I've got a question, hopefully someone here can help! My son's 16th birthday is August 8th & I'd love to take him then. Tix are avail starting July 26th, but the "official" opening night isn't until August 9th (but no tix available for the 9th that I can see).
So my questions are, does anyone know
a) How to get tickets for opening night (Aug 9th) and 
b) If there's a difference between seeing it during "previews" (August 8th) or waiting to see it after the official opening (August 10th)?
Thanks for your insight!

 

Updated On: 4/13/18 at 04:44 PM

[Gink]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 6:38pm

Previews are a time of change--and I hope they change a lot of the book--but close to opening night the show will likely be close to frozen so I would feel good about getting tickets for before the opening. 

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 7:09pm

I loved the show back last may, but it's very repetitive and it feels like one of those teenage trends. Not to be hipster, but it was better before the fanbase came along. I followed the base for a bit in June and July last year, but it became terrible. "Holy" quads, king accounts, bullies, and generally nobody was nice. Also the fetishising of lgbt people in the fandom is rapant. I'd love to see the show, but the door sounds like hell, and the audience too.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 4/14/18 at 1:49am

I'm usually pretty good at picking out my students' new obsession musical before they start asking to perform the show or songs from the show at every possible opportunity, but Be More Chill's popularity in that Middle/High School age group threw me for a loop. I knew Joe Iconis from playing enough auditions/cabarets to see Head Shot, Flesh and Bone, and some of those Smash songs come into rotation. It just felt like out of nowhere in the past few weeks every male student I had wanted to sing Michael in the Bathroom and every female student wanted to sing I Love Play Rehearsal. 

What I've heard of the show sounds like fun. I can't imagine it would go further than off-Broadway, but that is a great step forward for the show. If a musical inspires that much passion among my students, I'm more than willing to give it a chance.

[AntV]

Posted: 4/14/18 at 9:11am

Was Will Connolly not available or is Will Roland their attempt at "star casting?" Don't really think he's right for the role.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/14/18 at 11:53am

What's it about?

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 4/14/18 at 12:38pm

A socially awkward teenager has a nanoscopic quantum supercomputer implanted in his brain to teach him how to be more popular, but he gets more than he bargained for. Think Dear Evan Hansen meets Little Shop of Horrors meets The Matrix

[CorkySt.Clair]

Posted: 4/14/18 at 7:20pm

AntV said: "Was Will Connolly not available or is Will Roland their attempt at "star casting?" Don't really think he's right for the role."

I don’t know much about who’s right for the role (I haven’t really listened to it BMC). But, in response to your quote-unquote “star casting”, Will Roland is a major star among the demographic that is already obsessed with BMC (think the same teens that go crazy for DEH). In that respect, it actually looks like a pretty smart choice 

[Elegance101]

Posted: 4/16/18 at 4:16pm

HamilHansen said: "Got my tickets!!!!!



It didn't say who was playing the SQUIP. Is it Eric William Morris or someone else?"

The SQUIP, Jenna, and Jake remain uncast as of now. I believe the originals couldn't do it.

[wish i were here2]

Posted: 4/16/18 at 4:53pm

Are the cheapest seats $65-$75? Just wondering since on the side it says ticket prices range from $35 to $140, but I can't seem to find any $35 tickets on any day....could it be referring to the TodayTix Lotto it says it will have?

Updated On: 4/16/18 at 04:53 PM

[yesraccoons]

Posted: 4/16/18 at 6:38pm

wish i were here2 said: "Are the cheapest seats $65-$75? Just wondering since on the side it says ticket prices range from $35 to $140, but I can't seem to find any $35 tickets on any day....could it be referring to the TodayTix Lotto it says it will have?"

Pretty sure I got a ticket 4 hours after they announced Will Roland was on and couldn’t find anything below 65$

[Addison D.]

Posted: 4/16/18 at 6:43pm

Is Jake Boyd in this show? I thought he was a splendid Anthony Hope and followed him briefly on igram.  He has got some kra-zee teen fan-base, man.  Yikes.  

 

[thealtoslament]

Posted: 4/16/18 at 9:47pm

Addison: he was in the premiere production in NJ, doesn't look like he's going to be back for Off-Broadway.

I bought a ticket for the August 5 matinee. If they're making any changes it should be close to frozen by then. If you are there, do say hello. 

Updated On: 4/16/18 at 09:47 PM

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 4/16/18 at 10:11pm

If Roland leaves Hansen on June 10th, perhaps we'll start getting rehearsal footage by then? I wonder if they will use the original choreo the Two River posted on youtube, I really liked it (Especially for Pitiful Children)