Hot Blooded? "Be More Chill".

Two weeks ago tomorrow, a new musical premiered on the Broadway stage.  Based on a novel by Ned Vizzini, it involves a young man in high school trying to become more popular and get closer to his crush.  He achieves this by ingesting a computer in a pill that helps him accomplish his goal at the cost of alienating his best friend.

Have you guessed that today's musical of discussion is "Be More Chill"?  If so, you deserve a hearty congratulations.  With music by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz, "Be More Chill" premiered at the Two River Theater in New Jersey before having an Off-Broadway run at the Pershing Square Signature Center.  

How Be More Chill Exploded Into An Internet Sensation And Landed On Broadway

Thanks to tremendous support from social media, the musical received a Broadway run at the Lyceum Theater on Feb. 13.

"Be More Chill" involves Jeremy Heere, a junior in high school who wants to accomplish more than just survival.  He wants to step out of his outcast role and attract his crush Christine Canigula.  To his delight, the school bully Rich Goranski tells him about a supercomputer in a pill known as the Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor (or SQUIP, for short) that can help him become popular.

The two later purchase the pill from a stock boy at the shoe store Payless (which, at the time of writing, is closing all of its American stores) and activate it.  At this point, the SQUIP appears and helps Jeremy be more chill, though this proves to be disastrous.

Today's post will not be a review of the Broadway production.  This is because I cannot afford tickets to the Broadway show (even though they run from $49).  Instead, I will review Sinclair Community College's production, which ran last October.

Directed by Chris Harmon, Sinclair's production of "Be More Chill" starred Anthony Dell'Aria as Jeremy, Katelynn Pennington as Christine, Micah Koverman as Michael Mell, Jeremy's best friend, and Jared Setser as the SQUIP.  I saw the show on Oct. 7, and I really enjoyed it.

"Be More Chill" has an interesting blend of humor, blending pop culture references with social commentary for often comedic effect.  I would personally say it works really well, though I wish that the character of Christine was more fleshed out.  Pennington played her with plenty of energy and consistent comedic timing, and she was one of the most entertaining parts of the show.

"Be More Chill" Review - Most Metro

However, the standout performance of this production was Jared Setser as the SQUIP.  His version of the pill-brought-to-life was supposed to be very similar to Nick Jonas, though the user could pick from options such as Morgan Freeman and a generic anime girl (which made Setser's introductory scene hilarious); I personally believe that he nailed it and brought plenty of life to the role.

Iconis brings a variety of songs to the show, from the distressing "The Pitiful Children" to Michael and Jeremy's teamwork song "Two Player Game", and the cast performs each tune with flair and Rodney Veal's well-flowing choreography.  

In terms of a favorite song from the production, I would have to go with Micah Koverman's heart-wrenching rendition of "Michael In The Bathroom".  

Koverman perfectly conveys the fear of losing his best friend as he is drowning in the noise of a house party.  The clash of tones in the scene fits perfectly, and I believe that the varying tone is an aspect that "Be More Chill" juggles with ease.  Finally, the production and costume design is well done, blending the technological, high school, and pop culture aspects together to create an intriguing version of our modern world.

Have you seen "Be More Chill" either at Sinclair or on Broadway?  What were your thoughts on the production?  Did it hold up to your expectations?  If you have answers to these questions, or any other comments, feel free to leave a comment down below!