Be More Chill rapidly become a musical phenomenon amongst young theatre fans across the country… even before it opened on Broadway!
The musical, based on the popular 2004 novel by Ned Vizzini, features a relentlessly catchy score by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz. It originally premiered in May 2015 as a regional production at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, commissioned as part of its new play development program. What happened next is almost unprecedented…
Be More Chill went viral, so to speak, and generated the kind of online buzz on YouTube and various social media platforms that regional productions can only dream of. Even before its New York premiere, the musical’s cast recording had been streamed well over 150 million times and on Tumblr, it ranked as the second most talked-about musical on their site (behind Hamilton). Its central themes of teenage angst and cyber escapism had obviously struck a chord with a young, enthusiastic demographic across the States and a New York premiere was just a question of time.
Be More Chill officially opened at Pershing Square Signature Center’s Irene Diamond Stage on August 9, 2018, following previews from July 26, and enjoyed a sold-out 10-week off-Broadway premiere engagement. Fans flew in from around the country and countless hopefuls registered their digital lottery entries or lined up outside the box office for cancellations at every performance. The production also garnered a great deal of critical acclaim in New York, justifying the hype. Our own critic, Stanford Friedman, commented in his 5-star review that the show is “catnip for theater kids and a dynamic dose of escapism for their parents.”
Having accumulated so much momentum thus far, surely the production’s final off-Broadway performance on September 30, 2018 couldn’t be its last? Certainly Not. The bright lights of Broadway were beckoning and a multi-million-dollar transfer was announced, with previews beginning at the Lyceum Theatre on February 13, 2019, ahead of an official opening on March 10.
Months before the Broadway opening, a film adaptation of the novel and musical was also reported to be in development, with Shawn Levy and Greg Berlanti listed as producers.
(Photos by Maria Baranova)
This show has now closed. See our list of theatre tickets for shows currently on sale.
9 images Based on the cult sensation novel by Ned Vizzini, Be More Chill is the story of Jeremy Heere, your average, nothing-special teenager at Middleborough High in nothing-special New Jersey. That is, until the day he finds out about "The Squip." Thus begins a journey that pits Jeremy's desire to be popular against his struggle to remain true to his authentic self. Be More Chill is an honest, edgy, super-hilarious look at coming of age in the digital age, set to some of the most exciting songs in contemporary musical theater. This original musical comedy looks at modern issues like depression, bullying, and anxiety through the lens of sci-fi films of the 50s, horror flicks of the 80s, and teen movies of the 90s. Little Shop of Horrors meets The Breakfast Club in this celebration of outcasts, teenaged or otherwise.
Following the evening performance on June 20, 2019, composer Joe Iconis announced a closure for Be More Chill, currently at the Lyceum Theatre. The production will now play its final performance on August 11, 2019 and will have played 30 previews and 177 performances upon closing. Be More Chill began previews on February 13, ahead of an official opening on March 10.
Calling all Losers, Geeks and Whatevers! There’s a new Broadway production making waves, trending and exploding in hashtags at the Lyceum Theatre by the name of Be More Chill! Based on the popular 2004 novel by Ned Vizzini, this musical adaptation, which features an original score by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz, made it all the way to the Great White Way thanks to a young, dedicated fan base who poured out their love on social media for the cast recording following the show’s world premiere at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey in 2015.
Be More Chill couldn’t be hotter. The musical theater sensation went from being a flop in a little theater in Red Bank, NJ in 2015, to a viral internet sensation in 2017, that has over 170 million streams of its cast album today, and, finally, a Broadway run that opened March 10, 2019 at the Lyceum Theatre. This is not the usual route for a Broadway musical.
