It is impossible to ignore Be More Chill. It’s one of Broadway’s most anticipated new musicals and is set to start previews today. It was most recently seen in 2018 during an off-Broadway run and in 2015 at a regional theater in New Jersey. And that’s really it—two limited runs and it’s headed to Broadway. A cast recording is available to stream, and some songs on YouTube have more than three million views. But, somehow between these three productions and a cast recording, this teenage-centric musical created a passionate following of fans who know the show inside and out.
The musical follows a character named “Jeremy” who takes a special pill to help him “be more chill” as he makes his way through awkward days in high school.
Some people may know of this show thanks to some of the names attached to it. Producer Jennifer Ashley Tepper, known to her 18.8K Twitter followers as @jenashtep, is a theater historian who wrote a trilogy of books titled The Untold Stories of Broadway. Tepper has been part of the Be More Chill team for years and works frequently with Joe Iconis, who wrote the show’s music and lyrics.
I don’t know much else about the musical than that, so far. But there is no way to ignore Be More Chill as it moves closer to its opening date. So, what is making all of this happen? I’ve heard that the performers are incredibly talented and the songs are fun to listen to, but I think the show has become one of the most popular musicals of the year because of its devoted fans.
There’s an array of song covers, fan art and lyrics on every social media platform, and apparently there were fans that saw the show up to nine different times during its regional stint, according to Two River Theater. These fans have devoted hours and days and maybe even years to sharing this show with the world simply because they see little pieces of themselves portrayed onstage.
I talked to Ali Wonderly, music/theater performance alumna, who worked in digital media for the Off-Broadway run of Be More Chill. Ali said, when she saw the show, there were fans screaming and crying as certain songs began.
“For many young audience members, this show has become a safe-haven for them, as it created a huge online community for young people to share their insecurities, talk about characters that look/act/feel like themselves and find joy creating their own pieces of the puzzle that have become the world of Be More Chill,” Ali told me via email.
Since I don’t know any of the music, I spoke to Vance Klassen, music theater sophomore, who has followed the show for a while. Vance and I discussed how he enjoys listening to the pop/rock score because it’s catchy and has great musical aspects for performers. When I asked about the devoted fans that have followed the show for years, Vance seemed hopeful about their impact.
“The world is in desperate need for great storytellers, and I hope this sparks a new generation of dedicated individuals,” he said.
In the upcoming weeks, Be More Chill will be one of Broadway’s hottest tickets, audiences filled with people wanting to know just why this show is so special. Any critical reviewer who wants to see the show may find themselves seated next to a super-fan who knows every lyric before the show even starts. Maybe someday soon I’ll see it, a cross between the critic and the super-fan, someone excited to see the musical that brought so many people together. And no matter how Be More Chill does on Broadway, the fans who carried this show with them will be left with the understanding that they were part of something special.
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