Be More Chill
Music and Lyrics by Joe Iconis
Book by Joe Tracz, based on the novel by Ned Vizzini
Orchestrations by Charlie Rosen
Directed by Mike Dowdy-Windsor and Scott Miller
Choreographed by Michelle Sauer and Sara Rae Womack
New Line Theatre
June 1, 2019
Cast of Be More Chill
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg
New Line Theatre
I brought my son with me to see Be More Chill at New Line Theatre. It’s not the first show I’ve brought him to, or even the first New Line show, but this time, the reason was a little different. This is a show that I’ve seen highly polarizing reactions to, largely on generational lines, so I thought my 19-year-old son might offer a younger perspective that would be helpful. Watching the show together–and talking about it afterwards–was a valuable experience, although from both of our perspectives, the show wasn’t particularly polarizing since we were largely in agreement. For the most part, this is an entertaining show with the great cast, production values, and musicality that I’ve come to expect from New Line. It offers a fun take on old themes, although aside from the packaging there isn’t much “new” about it.
Be More Chill itself has been something of a sensation in its pre-Broadway incarnations, and its current Broadway run is a reflection of that popularity. It has obviously struck a chord with its audiences, and New Line’s production is about as well-presented as I could imagine, although as a show I see it as essentially derivative and–like a lot of the other popular “teen” stories–not particularly reflective of my high school experience (or my son’s 30 years later). There are definitely relatable aspects, but there’s not much here that hasn’t been done before, and better. Still, it may not be revolutionary, but it’s a fun show, with some memorable songs and characters, including protagonist Jeremy (Jayde Mitchell), his longsuffering best friend Michael (Kevin Corpuz), bullying popular kid Rich (Evan Fornachon), and Jeremy’s crush, theatre geek Christine (Grace Langford), who develops an interest in Rich’s buddy Jake (Ian McCreary), who used to date popular girl Chloe (Laura Renfro). Everyone’s life is eventually affected when Rich tells Jeremy about a secret technological advance that can help him be “cool” and get whatever he wants, including Christine. The “Squip”–a microchip that is swallowed as a pill and activated by Mountain Dew–manifests itself to Jeremy in a form (played by Dominic Dowdy-Windsor) that resembles Laurence Fishburne from The Matrix and grows more commanding and demanding as the story plays out.
This story is one that’s been told many times before in various forms. It’s a high school “outsider strives to be popular and learns the price of conformity” tale that represents high school in a way that hasn’t changed much since the teen comedy-dramas that were so popular when I was a teenager in the 1980s, except for changes in clothing and music styles and pop culture references. In fact, the themes go back even further than the 1980s, to the 1950s and possibly even earlier than that. One thing this show does well, though, is recognize its influences and celebrate them, from nods to Bye Bye Birdie and other pop culture phenomena through the ages, to those various teen movies that paint high school as a struggle between cliques and outsiders. It also features a Faustian angle and a sci-fi twist that calls to mind a gentler Little Shop of Horrors and directly references another iconic influence, The Matrix.
The staging at New Line is eye-catching, with a versatile, colorful set and excellent atmospheric lighting by Rob Lippert. Sarah Porter’s costumes are also memorable, reflecting the various personalities of the characters and sci-fi angle as well. There’s also an excellent New Line Band conducted by keyboardist Marc Vincent and strong musical direction by Nicolas Valdez. The choreography by Michelle Sauer and Sara Rae Womack is lively and energetic as well, reflecting the pop-rock based score well.
The performances here are the show’s strongest asset, with Mitchell and Corpuz making a believable team as Jeremy and Michael. Corpuz is especially notable for his sympathetic portrayal as Michael questions Jeremy’s treatment as Jeremy falls more and more under the influence of the Squip. Corpuz also gets the show’s most famous song, the catchy, angsty “Michael in the Bathroom” and he makes the most of it, with a dynamic, excellently sung performance. Dowdy-Windsor is also a standout as the stylish, demanding Squip, and Zachary Allen Farmer impresses in several roles, including an apathetic drama teacher and, especially, as Jeremy’s Dad, who has his musical moment with the show’s funniest song, “The Pants Song”. There are also memorable performances from Fornachon as the conflicted Rich, Langford as the earnest Christine, Renfro as “mean girl” Chloe and Melissa Felps as Chloe’s neglected friend Brooke, who develops an interest in Jeremy. It’s a strong, cohesive cast with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and, as is usual for New Line, especially strong singing.
Be More Chill may not be the best “teen” show I’ve seen, but as staged at New Line, it’s a lot of fun. It’s also a great show for people of different generations to watch together, and talk about. It became the catalyst for some meaningful conversations between me and my son. Also, since this is such a highly talked-about show, this production gives St. Louisans an ideal opportunity to see what so many people are talking about. Considering New Line’s size and scale, it may even be a better venue than Broadway for this particular show. It’s a memorable way to close another excellent season at New Line.
Special thanks to my son, John Kenyon, for thoughtful conversations that contributed to this review.
Jayde Mitchell, Kevin Corpuz
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg
New Line Theatre
New Line Theatre is presenting Be More Chill at the Marcelle Theatre until June 22, 2019