There’s two key things at play here in this version of Be More Chill. From Dear Evan Hansen to Everyone's Talking About Jamie, teenagers with identity issues are in danger of becoming a cliché of contemporary musical theatre. Sometimes a musical comes along that attracts such a fan following, nothing will stop it becoming a massive success. A likable cast is headed by a strong-voiced Scott Folan (pictured below with Blake Patrick Anderson) as the lovesick dweeb, Jeremy, who mistakenly pops a Japanese-manufactured pill – why Japan, one wonders? By using this site you accept cookies used to improve and personalise our services and marketing, and for social activity. The second is the interesting social dynamics it presents and its direct, searing look at today’s core social problems even though the book the musical is based on was written in 2004 – the first performance being 2015. Jon Tsouras – UNDERSTUDY. Christopher Fry – MR HEERE, MR REYES + OTHERS This is material for their generation – it’s high school, it’s loneliness, it’s pressure, it’s parties and it’s play rehearsal. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Image credit: Matthew Crockett . Eloise Davies – BROOKE LOHST Of course, taking such a pill has consequences and Jeremy finds himself having to make difficult choices. They're lonely and bullied, suffocating under a net of gossip and rumours - perpetrators and abused alike. Joining them on the creative team are director Stephen Brackett, choreographer Chase Brock, set designer Beowulf Boritt, costume designer Bobby Frederick Tilley II, lighting designer Tyler Micoleau, sound designer Ryan Rumery and projection designer Alex Basco Koch with wigs by Dave Bova. This latest musical theatre exercise in “geek chic” has been an American phenomenon: a show propelled by social media that developed a rabid fan base taking it all the way to Broadway last year. Folan gets an Effie White-style first-act finale which a tireless Folan delivers to the back row of theatres several streets away, and there's a funny Prince sight gag in the Halloween sequence that kicks off the second act. Be More Chill is undoubtedly a musical aimed at, and speaks directly to, a younger demographic. Wouldn’t it be simpler if Jeremy and his genial bestie, Michael (Blake Patrick Anderson), ran off with one another? Before the break, the characters and their interactions are dislikable – most feel selfish and a little flat. One interesting part to this story about the dangers of relying too much on tech is in the programme and theatre itself. And here Be More Chill now is in London at The Other Palace, previously home to Heathers – another American musical about the psychological torture inherent in being a teen – and arriving in time to suggest Dear Evan Hansen on amphetamines, but with much familiar pushing of buttons where an honest appeal to the heart might be. Theo is a freelance writer and editor. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Folan works well with the personification of his S.Q.U.I.P. A healthy celebration of the quirky and eccentric provides hope for those who lack the confidence and assertiveness of those already popular. Hope Mill Theatre Confirm The Cast of RENT, Scott Folan to Host Red Solo Cup Concert Reuniting London Cast of Be More Chill, Be More Chill Extends Run at The Other Palace, Top Ten Shows to See in London in February 2020, Inside The Rehearsal Room of Be More Chill London, Adam Kay This Is Going to Hurt Tickets at the Apollo Theatre, Tango After Dark Tickets at the Peacock Theatre, My First Ballet: Swan Lake Tickets at the Peacock Theatre, Death Drop Tickets at the Garrick Theatre, Back To The Future Tickets at the Adelphi Theatre. All around are neat little innovations to improve interaction like encouragement to take pictures of the stage and share on social, as well as ways to interact more with the case and authors through QR codes. Eve Norris – UNDERSTUDY You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The cast undoubtedly work hard. Be More Chill is playing The Other Palace until 3 May. London Theatre: Tickets Reviews | News | West End | Off-West End | UK Touring Productions, February 19, 2020 Last updated: February 19, 2020 12:24 am By Chris Omaweng. With original music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz. It goes well, almost perfectly, but when The Squip (played with menace and slick authority by Stewart Clarke) overplays it and just says that he intends to make a social network – the spell is somewhat broken. He has appeared on stage, as well as having directed several plays in his native Scotland. Our Review 3 / 5. Review - Be More Chill at The Other Palace. The Reviews Hub London is under the editorship of John Roberts.The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. As far as the music goes, I didn’t have any of the tunes in my head on the Tube home. Originality, not to mention an inbuilt logic, don't figure much in a show whose call to self-empowerment would land far better if it could only, well, be more chill. James Hameed – RICH GORANSKI Simply enter your email address in the box below, Turning Japanese: Stewart Clarke as The Squip in 'Be More Chill', The show's aesthetic is intended to bombard you with enough stimuli that you won't pause to question or reflect. Be More Chill, The Other Palace review - more exhausting than enlightening American theatre phenomenon pushes buttons aplenty to diminishing effect . Before long Jeremy has ditched the ill-fitting jeans and the loyal friendship of his adoring, Xbox-obsessive best friend Michael and is strutting around in an Eminem T-shirt while girls at the mall swoon at his feet. Be More Chill Cast Popularity has its benefits (y’know, like box office receipts for the production) but it isn’t the only important thing in life. Elsewhere, however, the lyrics can be rather repetitive, even by musical theatre standards, and the show’s opening lyric, “C-c-c-c-c’mon, c-c-c-c-c’mon, let’s go”, reflected how I felt about the storyline on occasions when it stagnated. – critics. Costumes by Bobby Frederick Tilley II, scene design by Beowulf Boritt and sound design by Ryan Rumery wrap the show in a highly enjoyable (and nostalgic) early 2000s feeling. Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz's hit Broadway musical Be More Chill is coming to London, making its UK premiere at the Other Palace.The new cult-classic musical, based on the book by Ned Vizzini, will play from February 2020. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The first is the energy and momentum created by a young cast when performing ideas written first by an author who was at the very foundation of today’s YA literature push. Soon he realises even the cool kids are struggling with the same esteem issues as he does and if there is a glaring fault to this musical it's the way it tries to squeeze too much emotional import out of generic 'no one sees me as a person'-style millennial angst. There's a particularly brilliant routine (The Smartphone Hour) delivered by the girls communicating solely on their phones. London, SW1E 5JA, London Theatre 1 and London Theatre One are Registered Trademarks Or, maybe, they’re just good actors in a really well produced musical – both plausible. Not that the adoring public for this lunatic sci-fi paean to normalcy will give a fig about – yuk! As he delivers the now iconic ‘Michael in the Bathroom’ the audience are gripped, pulled head first in to the characters torment at losing his best friend to a Japanese drug. It’s a weird and wacky storyline, but Joe Tracz’s book makes it feel bizarrely sensible, and if you choose to look beyond the science fiction, you’ll find a very intelligent and heart-warming story. Scott Folan and Blake Patrick Anderson in Be More Chill. The big test for Culture Recovery Fund winners: will they use it for change? Where Be More Chill does have the edge over other high school musicals are Joe Iconis' tunes – catchy and hummable, they ping along and never outstay their welcome, especially "Two Player Game", "More Than Survive" and the finale "Voices in My Head". Some of the humour is of school playground quality, which is commensurate with the musical’s youthful setting. This actor's CV includes a British musical, Loserville, which could work as an alternate title here, not to mention the pogrom environs of the recent, and excellent, Fiddler on the Roof. Perhaps it’s indicative of how long it can take to fully develop a musical. You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. Read our community guidelines in full, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, Miracle Chance and Scott Folan in the Broadway import Be More Chill, Public cash for billionaires? Be More Chill at The Other Palace c. Matthew Crockett, Scott Folan Jeremy Heere Renee Lamb Jenna Rolan, Blake Patrick Anderson Michael Mell Scott Folan Jeremy Heere, James Hameed Rich Goranski Scott Folan Jeremy Heere Stewart Clarke The Squip, Millie OConnell Chloe ValentineRenee Lamb Eloise Davies Brooke Lohst, Miracle Chance Christine Canigula Scott Folan Jeremy Heere, Scott Folan Jeremy Heere Blake Patrick Anderson Michael Mell, Greg is an award-winning writer with a huge passion for theatre. There's a musical about as far away as you can get from the kimono-swirling theatrics of The Squip, who advises the hapless Jeremy, "You need to get popular" – a sentiment that is more or less de rigueur in most new American musicals, or so it would seem. This brightness takes the form of a very peppy and energetic performance. A passing reference to Hamlet suggests serious aspirations at work, which is to elevate to the point of absurdity material pitched at such a maniacal level throughout that you want to give out Ritalin tablets all round. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. BE MORE CHILL is the new musical sensation that’s about to invade your brain… in the best way. , which is commensurate with the personification of his S.Q.U.I.P just good actors in really! They sing is spot on you with the best online experience sometimes a musical comes along attracts. 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