Be More Chill, Lyceum Theatre, Tuesday August 6th 2019

Be More Chill, Lyceum Theatre, Tuesday August 6th 2019

"Be More Chill" was presented at the Lyceum Theatre on Tuesday August 6th 2019.

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.  I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.

We were fortunate to see “Be More Chill”  at the Lyceum Theatre in its closing week as we missed out on Off-Broadway tickets last year.  I had booked our tickets in September 2018, so I was grateful that were still been able to see it.

Reminder emails were sent with venue location, parking and timing of the show information. We also received a follow up email suggesting to arrive early for security reasons (with current events it is essential). Bag inspection is mandatory.

It is a very steep climb to the Balcony of the Lyceum Theatre. We sat in the Balcony in the B row and had a pretty good view.

“Be More Chill” is a great adaptation of the book by Ned Vizzini that had the young audience screaming and cheering for their favourite characters.

"Be More Chill" directed by Stephen Brackett is a slick production that transferred from Off Broadway’s successful 2018 season. It had a decent five month run on Broadway but is more of a great quality Off Broadway show, similar to “Heathers”, rather than a good Broadway show.

Scenic Design by Beowulf Boritt used an historic framed set that uses the outlines of mobile phones that light up depending on the emotional context of the show. The precision of the set sliding in and out is terrific. The lockers canteen and curtains for the school scenes reminded me of “Chicago” and “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”. Entrances with flying cell phone covers reminded me of Aunty Mame’s entrance in the song "The Man in the Moon" from "Mame".

There was a fabulous moment when The Squip played by Jason Tam stood stage left next to black and white curtains that were similar patterns and tones to his costume.

The main set piece of a bed rolling truck via an “L” shaped track was seamless.

The trucks used in the show were nearly invisible.

The cell phone covers were also used to set the scene for different locations for toilet stalls, audition notices, doorways. This simple device paid homage to the Vaudeville posters on an easel announcing the next scene or act.

School lockers rolling in reminded me of “Heathers” and other shows where there are schools involved. I loved the simplicity of the design that was rich in depth.

The floor design with a grid of electronic connections were lit in various ways adding different atmospheres to the story.  This reminded me of floor used in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time".

Lighting Design by Tyler Micloeau supported the scenic design to maximum effect.

Vocally the show was not strong. The weakest link was the Christine Canigula role that had a screechy singing tone by Stephanie Hsu.  Ensemble singing was of a good high school choral society.  Nothing memorable or momentously stirring occurred during the ensemble singing.

Jeremy Heere played by Will Roland had the requisite nerdish stance and vocally was adequate. He sometimes strained a little on the higher notes.

Michael played by George Salazar was brilliant and received enthusiastic applause and cheering upon his first entrance. He captivated me and owned the stage. His rich tone displayed the different emotional layers of friendship and rejection.

Choreography by Chase Brook was executed with clean precision by the cast. The choreography is more hip hop in style with lots of gestural “sign language” movements. The school room scene reminded me of “Matilda” with the school desks, though here the choreography was more gestural. Overall, I loved the choreography that was more movement with the occasional dance break out.

It is a small scale show with a cast of ten and works well structurally. The action moves along to introduce and build up the characters quickly.  Tension between characters builds the drama of the story.

The audience went wild with the entrance of the three main male leads.

Some of the acting by the cast was stronger than others. Jenna Rolan played effectively by Tiffany Mann has a breakout moment in act two that received thunderous encouragement from the audience.

Music and Lyrics by Joe Iconis has some beautiful tunes and there was not a wasted moment emotionally with the story arc. The ending is slightly different to the book, but makes sense for a theatrical adaptation.

Book by Joe Tracz has some cliched scenes that honour the book. One scene covered multiple chapters of the book in a very succinct and emotionally economical way that did not labour the points.

Themes of teenage angst, depression, acceptance, self respect, bullying are universal.   These themes were covered well by Joe Tracz book of the musical.  Our 1960’s childhood version would be buying friendships with lollies which was a more innocent version compared to this version with The Squip or drugs.

This show will be popular with the school drama circuit enabling music theatre students the opportunity to develop character.  Plus the show will enable schools to expand the cast to have more cameo characters.

I dread "Be More Chill" being done with less technology at venues like Chapel Off Chapel as the technology is such an important aspect of the show. The show is suitable for the Comedy Theatre or Athenaeum Theatre, both more intimate venues.

One stand out moment is the melt down scene towards the end as it is staged with split second timing and executed brilliantly by the cast.

What is also historically interesting is that this is the old story of selling your soul to the devil, like “Damn Yankees” and tomorrow night we are seeing “Hadestown” that has similar theme. The second  interesting thing is show is one of many youth angst shows playing this season on Broadway including “Mean Girls”.

"Be More Chill"  received 6/10 from my partner while I gave it a 7/10.