2nd Opinion Review: "Be More Chill"
Will Roland and cast (Maria Baranova)
Tara Kennedy
- Chief Connecticut Theatre Critic
- Connecticut Critics Circle / American Theatre Critics Association
I’m a loser, baby. So why don’t you kill me? - Beck
Have you ever wished that you could just take something, and you’d be cool instantly?
No? You probably thought junior high was fun, too, I’ll bet. So, for those of you who remember the teen years as something resembling medieval torture, you know what I’m talking about. Those times where everything you said and did rendered you eating your lunch alone… again.
Based on the cult novel by Ned Vizzini, Be More Chill tells the story of sophomore Jeremy (Will Roland: a vocal powerhouse in a nerd costume), an awkward geek who’s into masturbation, video games, and the girl next door, Christine (the effervescent, vivacious Stephanie Hsu). He shares his geek status and love of video games with his best friend, Michael (the dynamic George Salazar). And Jeremy would be thrilled if his dad (the versatile Jason Sweettooth Williams – he plays various roles) would just put on some pants and leave the house.
After one of his daily harassment sessions with Rich (the energetic Gerard Canonico), he finds out that Rich was once a floundering geek like Jeremy until he discovered the Squip. A Squip is a super computer (from Japan!) in a pill that implants a virtual assistant (Jeremy’s is the charismatic Jason Tam) inside its host. The Squip then guides your every utterance and step, kind of like a high-tech Jiminy Cricket… sans conscience. With the help of his new personal assistant, Jeremy gets the attention of the popular girls, Chloe and Brooke (respectively played with a balance of sensuousness and silliness by Katlyn Carlson and Lauren Marcus), but can’t seem to draw Christine’s gaze away from Jake (the charming Britton Smith). As Jeremy gets more popular, he distances himself from Michael and his dad. But people like Jenna (the vocal rock-star Tiffany Mann) start noticing that Rich is acting weird – is it his Squip? Maybe this technological super assistant isn’t the cure-all that Jeremy hopes it is?
This musical speaks to young people of today. While the theme and players are familiar to us older folks, its approach is different, using the technological angle to its fullest imagined extent. Its plot is hardly innovative, but it’s not trying to be. This is a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously and director Stephen Brackett (luckily) recognizes that.
The energy and enthusiasm of this cast is unmatched by any show on Broadway right now. I was impressed with the vocal talent, peppy choreography, and the overall honesty in their performances. They look like they’re having the time of their lives and it’s gloriously infectious.
The music by Joe Iconis is toe-tapping, original, and memorable. That’s a difficult combination to come up with these days in the musical theater genre (see: most current selections on Broadway). The song, “I Love Play Rehearsal,” sung by Ms. Hsu, spoke to my inner teen theater geek and made me almost leap out of my seat with joy. Where the hell was THIS SONG when I was growing up?
Beowulf Boritt’s design is smart. The stage is a trio of arches similar to the white border of an iPad that appear to get smaller as you go upstage; think the Hollywood Bowl but smaller scale. That white background along with upstage scrims and white floor are the perfect backdrops for Alex Basco Koch’s projections. Circuitry are projected onto the floor and the iPad borders. And the pixelated, zombie hunt in the cafeteria video game during the duet “Two-Player Game” is a fantastic visual, as the Michael and Jeremy leap about with their wireless controls. It is this combination – along with distinct props and small set pieces rolling on and off stage – that create the sleek, computerized, millennial universe. Costuming must’ve been fun for Bobby Frederick Tilley II; the play costumes and the progressive design of the Squip as he becomes more powerful lends itself to creative, flashy design and Tilley nails it.
Fans of Dear Evan Hansen and 13 will feel right at home. The audience at the performance I was at was filled with young people who exploded in applause after every number, and with good reason. Be More Chill is anything but; it’s exuberant and fun, with an outstanding cast and contemporary design.