Be More Chill (NYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets

"This latest entry in the puberty musical sweepstakes has traits that undeniably set it apart from its competition. For one thing, it is — by cold critical standards — the worst of the lot, with a repetitive score, painfully forced rhymes, cartoonish acting...But this ostensible amateurishness may be exactly what sells ‘Be More Chill’ to its young target audience...The show’s current incarnation remains a festival of klutziness...The acting, singing and dancing are all, to put it kindly, frenetic."
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"Appealing though it often was in a smaller venue, the show has a different energy in this new space. The heat is off...Even for no-longer-young adults, it has entertaining moments. Iconis’s cannily crafted score features several nifty pop hooks...Directed in broad strokes by Brackett, the show doesn’t take itself seriously enough; many of the jokes are underbaked, and by the time it reaches its wacky, hectic finale, it has thrown internal logic out the window."
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"The zippy, delightfully devilish ‘Be More Chill’ is the latest tale of teen angst to convert crippling self-doubt and frustrated desire into the sound of music, and the results are enjoyable not just for their energy and charm but also for the streak of knowing wickedness running through all the pop and fizz...Drama nerds know the power of a good play within a play, and it’s a treat to watch the chaos of ‘Be More Chill’ merge with the chaos of ‘Midsummer.’"
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"Iconis' pop/rock score...is catchy enough. It features some fun, upbeat numbers...But for theatergoers not already smitten with the score, the musical contains serious problems. The book devolves into silliness...The central narrative certainly succeeds in tapping into themes of teenage angst and even has some symbolic resonance, but the sophomoric humor and cliched situations feel more appropriate for MTV than Broadway."
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"The show itself doesn’t live up to that social-media-sensation hype...It’s fine that the show’s arc is predictable...The problem is that those stakes still never feel high enough...The real star here is Salazar, whose breakout tune ‘Michael in the Bathroom’ easily becomes the show’s highlight...Iconis’ pop-rock songs are catchy and the show channels the angst and insecurities many young people experience, particularly in this social-media-driven age. I just wish there was more."
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"There is a breathless quality to everything that squeaky baritone Roland does in his attempt to break free and be cool. And those thrills aren’t just for kids. Traditional theatergoing audiences...will find delicious favor in Iconis’ contagious melodies and tricky lyrics...The Broadway 'Be More Chill' feels more even and flows more smoothly than it did Off Broadway...Still, rushed or relaxed, 'Be More Chill' is Broadway’s wiliest and socially savviest night out for teens and parents alike."
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"'Be More Chill' is one of the strongest new musicals of the past decade, a charming, astutely crafted tale of neurotic post-millennial geeks in love whose appeal is in no way limited to those whom it portrays...Here as in the original off-Broadway run, Ms. Hsu is the winsome star of the show—I don’t know when I last saw a more engaging stage performer—but Mr. Roland runs her a close second, and the rest of the cast is as close-knit an ensemble as you could hope for."
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"Amped up just enough to suit Broadway demands without swamping the heart and humor that caught everyone’s attention in the first place...Impossibly catchy pop show tune combining upbeat, even joyous musicality with some truly dark and uncompromising sentiments...For all of its storyline predictability and maybe too-happy-resolutions, Joe Tracz’s book and, especially, Iconis’ lyrics don’t flinch from the darkness and panic of the teenage mind."
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"'Be More Shrill' would be a better title for director Stephen Brackett’s heinously overamplified and overacted production...You get the feeling that Iconis’s score — with lyrics often resorting to doggerel — and Tracz’s satire-laced book might have retained some measure of charm in less hyperventilating style and more intimate surroundings...2½ hours of teenage insecurities turned into pop opéra bouffe make for a patience-trying endurance test."
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"If all of its overplayed, overwrought freneticism could have been avoided, we’d actually have an interesting Broadway show…‘Be More Chill’ has a very Millennial male filter on teen life; the girls in the show seem always to be seen through the eyes of the guys...The show is at its best when either Roland’s Jeremy or Salazar’s Michael are alone on stage singing terrific Iconis songs...Those are the well-performed moments when you start to feel something for these kids."
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"The heightened intensity is part of the originality. But the relentlessness is wearying and the hyperbolic style is at odds with the protagonist’s predictable emotional arc...Iconis writes in an indie-rock style that succeeds chiefly in conveying the inner turmoil shaking the characters. The clobbering effect is potent yet monotonous...With a 2½-hour rackety running time, the musical’s dimensions are out of whack."
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"A sublimely silly, exciting sci-fi teen musical comedy...A pop-rock score by Joe Iconis that is both addictively catchy and a master class in post-Sondheim dramatic integration...It brings fresh air and youthful vitality...The show’s weakest link is Joe Tracz’s book, which occasionally sputters and resorts to pandering...But on the whole, the production is both a supercharged piece of popular entertainment and a sincerely-felt portrait of vulnerable teens...The diverse, big-voiced cast is superb."
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"Everything about the show feels new, exciting, and alive...'Be More Chill' is that rarest of wonders: a successful sci-fi musical. Its combination of humor, social commentary, catchy music, and spectacular staging is everything a Broadway musical should be...Teenagers may have been the first to discover 'Be More Chill,' but this is a musical that any adult can appreciate...The best kind of science-fiction in that it draws a direct line from the way we actually live to the fantastic world it imagines."
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"Hard-rocking, super-charged, and very well written...A musical comedy with realistic, relatable characters singing well-placed songs...‘Be More Chill’ is good musical theatre disguised as a pop phenomenon...Tracz's book solidly moves the story along, with Brackett's staging nailing comic moments without sacrificing sincerity...But it's Iconis' score that really lights up the evening; mature in craft while conveying the musical and verbal vernacular of the show's young characters."
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"The creative team behind 'Be More Chill' understands and is respectful of its target audience of teens and young adults better than pretty much any other show around...It is hyperkinetic, with songs by Iconis that rely on a highly amplified, steady pounding beat and simple straightforward lyrics...Everything works becomes all of the elements work so smoothly together: the performances, Stephen Brackett's direction, Joe Tracz's book, Chase Brock's mostly frenetic choreography."
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"An exuberant new musical...The show is a bright and boisterous entertainment populated by a delightful ensemble and driven by propulsive music and some frequently frenzied dancing...Breezy and broad as ‘Be More Chill’ gets, it occasionally underscores the angst that adolescents feel...This production is well worth seeing. Stephen Brackett, the director, has put together an extremely energetic, extremely flashy attraction that visually embodies its youthful viewpoint."
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"Iconis’ tunes, which have earned him a major online following, are character-driven and catchy...But a lot of Iconis’ songs, and Vizzini’s story, gets lost in the chaos at the Lyceum. Director Stephen Brackett isn’t much for subtlety or soft moments. Roland, ideally cast in so many ways, is pushing too hard—vocally and otherwise...What I liked—actually, loved—about ‘Be More Chill’ more than anything is its potential...The songs would sound just as good without all the amplification. Perhaps even better."
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"The latest orgy of adolescent angst...The show is simply so-so. It’s loud, lively, and mostly lacking in surprises...The question at the musical’s core is provocative. If a pill could change your life, would you take it? The answer the show offers is, alas, pedestrian...Songs by Iconis get points for quirky subjects and self-aware wordplay. But they’re also long-winded and repetitive...Through it all, the actors are game and winning as they channel inner teens...It’s easy enough to swallow."
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"I find the implicit messages the material sends to young people repellent enough that I would advocate for impressionable minds to take in this musical with caution...I found its tone increasingly off-putting...The diverse and talented cast often seem pushed to the edge of caricature by cheap jokes and manic performances...The characterization of Jeremy’s peers, particularly the young women, also left me cold."
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"'Be More Chill,' the dazzling and inventive musical based on the cult Young Adult novel by Ned Vizzini, has made a successful transfer to Broadway Lyceum Theater with the same cast and an expanded production team after a tryout production at Two Rivers Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey in 2014, and a YouTube soundtrack that has had over 150,000,000 hits which led to an Off Broadway production at the Pershing Square Signature Theatre Center during the summer of 2018."
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“Edgy, raucous, rockin’, can’t keep a good thing down musical...Fast moving, fast talking, with exceptional projection design...The out of the box costumes are a wild fantastical fantasia...With genius Brackett at the helm directing, the cast is kept on its toes and more so with Brock’s robotic, quick moving choreography...The comedy and fun fly brilliantly. This is a show that speaks directly to the young generation and makes parents happy that their kids now want to attend theater."
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"An account, both touching and upbeat, of that universal downer — adolescence...Tracz and Iconis have modified Vizzini's plot judiciously, simplifying it for dramatic purposes...The musical captures the sadness and agitation of Vizzini's characters; and Iconis makes the characters sing in ways reminiscent of Broadway's golden age yet appropriate to the source material...Director Stephen Brackett kept his 10 actors moving with the precision and velocity of a computer program."
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“Although the music is relentlessly upbeat and the lyrics witty, ‘Be More Chill’ is really a strung-together collection of the usual teen-angst tropes...Perhaps if the main character of Jeremy was a little more interesting than a whiny kid who can’t see beyond his own misery, the show might attract more sophisticated viewers...But as long as its target audience is willing to travel...and their parents are willing to pay, I’m sure ‘Be More Chill’ is going to be around for a good long while.”
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“It’s a young and feisty High School musical, something akin to 'Mean Girls' mixed with the Sci-Fi out of this world 'Little Shop of Horrors', with a dash of outsider angst 'Dear Evan Hansen' layered on top of its catchy fun soundtrack...It hasn't slipped a bit since transferring to the Lyceum Theatre..And as guided with ADD enthusiastic energy by both the formidable Stephen Brackett, and choreographed by the talented Chase Brock, it deserves every bit of the hyper hype it has accumulated."
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"A high school comedy infused with techy sci-fi–the element that sets it apart from other Broadway productions...'Be More Chill' is committed to its high school genre, though even its archetypes can feel by-the-numbers...Even if you don’t dig the teen drama, 'Be More Chill’s' main attraction is its science-fiction flash...Its digestibility is geared toward Generation Z and Millennial audiences...Joe Iconis’s lyrics fires pop culture references at a hit-miss rate, with some allusions sailing over my head."
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“A serviceable book...Few of the songs are memorable...The cast is uniformly outstanding and fully committed to their roles. The playwright does not give us enough exposition about the protagonist Jeremy or his best friend Michael...Brackett’s direction and Chase Brock’s choreography move the action along at an appropriate pace...Tracz’s book and Iconis’s lyrics fail to address the depth of teenage angst and the tragic events that often erupt from deep despair and depression."
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"Iconis and Joe Tracz deftly package these themes in a palatable oeuvre of musical theater, but director Stephen Brackett and choreographer Chase Brock’s hit-or-miss staging still can’t seem to find its groove...Roland and Salazar have found deeper roots since last summer’s Off-Broadway production...The chameleon-like ensemble keeps the action moving at a brisk pace...I’d say 'Be More Chill,' in spite of its directorial inconsistencies, is a pill worth swallowing."
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“’Be More Chill’ is likely to get a cool reception from anyone past prom age. Iconis’s score has a tuneful array of teen empowerment songs, but Tracz’s book can’t consistently deliver a compelling story or characters. Spending two and a half hours with them feels...like being stuck in detention...The tone lands somewhere in the lumpy middle of campy parody and heartfelt teen vehicle."
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"The show is practically unchanged and the matinee audience when I went had a sizable contingent of high school-age theatregoers,…always a welcome sight…I'm raising my original Show Score from 55 to 70 because I came away even more appreciative of the talented company...The staging and choreography remain entertaining, and the costumes are just as outrageously over-the-top, but the material, clever as it often is...too often borders on banality."
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"‘Be More Chill’ has some seriously devoted fans...I wish I could share more fully in their ardor for this show...The story, a mix of satire, high school bestiary, and sci-fi, serves best as setting for the loud, lively and often tuneful score...It no longer feels like the little show that could. It's a noisy, high-powered commercial enterprise, selling itself largely to kids...I do regret the moments in the musical when the high school students feel one-note."
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"Unfortunately, The Squip fails to prevent Jeremy from making the most mundane rhymes when it comes to singing Joe Iconis’ repetitive score...Iconis’ musical score can best be described the way fast-food chains sometimes advertise their processed chicken. It’s crispy. No matter that crispy is neither a flavor nor a tune...These overwrought people on stage recall the street performers in nearby Times Square."
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"It is clearly aimed at young audiences...As for older folk, beware. The super-loud electronically oriented pop music and mostly witless lyrics are by Joe Iconis, and the book about high school angst by Joe Tracz...The cast does its job big-time, eliciting loud applause for solo numbers from the adoring audience members who act as if they are experiencing euphoria...I do have one optimistic takeaway: anything that introduces a younger generation to the theater is a plus."
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"Blenderizes teen tuner tropes...But Joe Tracz’s book and Joe Iconis’s score provide enough originality and zip to compensate for the familiarity. Stephen Brackett’s direction and Chase Brock’s choreography keep the action moving quickly and smartly enough to gloss over any dull patches...'Chill' is not an earthshaking groundbreaker, but it is a clever hoot causing audiences under 40 to fall in love with musical theater. Not such a bad thing."
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“Brackett has smartly streamlined the storytelling, without sacrificing its wit or its underlying pathos. Iconis’ songs are still catchy and the performances of the show's multicultural cast have been sharpened too...You also can see where the producers spent the money...The costumes are funnier, the sets are flashier and yet neither go overboard...This feel-good show has always been aimed at young people but I saw a lot of 40-plus folks...having a good time too.”
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"In sum, the narrative is clearer and the manic and zany camp tone tighter and more even, thanks no doubt to the benefit of additional time and skillful revision by director Stephen Brackett...While Mr. Iconis’ lyrics can be cloyingly cute, baldly expositive, and often predictable, the music in this musical quite literally justifies its existence, and there’s a lot of interesting texture and instrumentation in Charlie Rosen’s smart orchestrations."
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"It left me puzzled, cold, and (at moments) plain furious...The cartoonish acting, the ‘crazeee’ expressions and heightened everything means that every moment comes at you like an ‘OMG!!!’ sledgehammer...You can pick whatever message path you want through this brightly lit madness...The worst feeling during ‘Be More Chill’ is that you’ve seen all these characters before…‘Be More Chill’ feels squawkily split between camp sci fi romp and searing teenage-life-today commentary."
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"A frenetic and unnerving new musical…‘Be More Chill’ is as confused and un-self-aware as a hormonal teenage boy — and nearly as reckless...Salazar stands out with the score’s best song, though his character seems merely coded as queer in a show lacking courage enough to follow through...In the end Jeremy still has voices in his head, the loudest of which he says is his own. The problem is, he still hasn’t learned that the only thing he needs to be is more…himself."
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"Even more exuberant, even more colorful, even more fluid than ever before, but still as funny and moving and insightful and connected as it always was...It’s not just the youthful spirit and engaging sense of fun that make 'Be More Chill' a hit. It’s also the important message for kids to be themselves, to develop a sense of self-worth, to stop the bullying, and to connect with others around you, even if they seem different than you on the outside."
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"A high-octane pop score by Garden City native Joe Iconis that comes at you full blast, the rock concert vibe and universal emotional appeal sure to keep loyal fans snapping up for tickets...As for everyone else, the unique sci-fi twist makes for a story with far broader appeal...Roland is a powerhouse as Jeremy, a vocal force with impeccable timing...And he gets fine backup from the rest of the 10-person cast, directed in full-speed-ahead style by Stephen Brackett."
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“The entertaining new musical will be remembered for finally bringing edgy, accomplished downtown composer and lyricist Iconis to Broadway all while being plagued by Tracz’s uneven book and Brackett’s inconsistent direction. These elements collide to ensure that ‘Be More Chill’ cannot decide if it wants to be a campy, cult classic or a hard-hitting teenage drama...Brock’s dance vocabulary is absolutely one of the production’s strongest creative assets.”
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"The theatre smelled like lip gloss and bubble gum, and that's not entirely metaphoric."
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“Science fiction is the uninspired twist that sets ‘Be More Chill’ apart from other teen angst musicals...The narrative often seems like an excuse to pad the story...The performances from the cast are mostly forgettable...There is ultimately nothing redeeming whatsoever about the characters...An unsatisfying evening of theater and reeks of amateur writing...Watching the show is akin to being on a bad acid trip—awkward, painful, jarring and unsatisfying."
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"Some may find the musical’s frenetic energy and juvenile worldview tiresome. I, however, found these qualities to be actually refreshing, but perhaps unintentionally...Stephen Brackett’s tight, peppy staging remains a treat. He’s aided by a tireless, pumped-up cast of just ten, all of whom appeared in the Off-Broadway edition of the show. It’s a joy to see these young, hardworking performers."
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"A sci-fi parable of digital life and teenage insecurity...Sleek and shiny, sardonically teen-focused, duty-bound by the aesthetic eclecticism of today’s youth and built by a score that sounds nearly like a 2008 Vampire Weekend mixtape...Iconis and Tracz’ creation succeeds in injecting some irreverence into its medium, a particular weirdness to its characters—not vacant eccentricity, but definition—that feels somehow new to its genre."
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"The show still feels a bit like a scruffy underdog — a big-hearted, wildly energetic concoction build around the theme of adolescent awkwardness...One of the best things about Tracz’s book and Iconis’ lyrics is that while most of the characters seem one-dimensional at first, they are given more sides, some quite surprising, in the course of the musical’s two acts...The misfits triumph. Putting up a smooth, assured façade is shown to be a pointless exercise."
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"A technicolor, high energy swirl of buzzwords and ideas that a corporate boardroom thought might appeal to Today's Youth but miss the mark...Some of ‘Be More Chill’ works. It's a fun and rare idea for a musical to have a sci-fi twist…‘Be More Chill’ doesn't grapple with the issues right in front of its face. It wants to say something profound about the pressures of being a young person in 2019, but instead settles for a stereotype-filled retrograde story straight out of the '80s."
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“’Be More Chill’ offers teachable moments galore, but luckily none of them get in the way of the show’s explosive high spirits. Director Brackett and choreographer Brock keep the action hopping and the sound-level deafening, a wise decision considering that ‘Be More Chill’ never achieves the touching gravity of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ or the sharp wit that writer Tina Fey brings to ‘Mean Girls’. But, hot-damn, does this show know its audience.”
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"The fact that the musical itself doesn’t match the greatness or inspiration of the mythical buzz that propelled it is a bit of a downer...The story is bogged down by well-worn conventions of the geeky-male-teen genre, and it doesn’t seem very interested in subverting them...The show redeems itself in the thoroughly enjoyable second act, when its charms become apparent and the many promises of its quirky plot come to fruition. It’s not a masterpiece, but I get what its fans see in it."
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“As someone decades removed from high school, I found the humor broad, the POV adolescent and the music too loud. But for those with less delicate ears, there’s a lot to enjoy in the addictive and largely uptempo score...‘Be More Chill’ resonates with both young theater diehards and musical newbies who are skeptical that the art form can speak to them...It’s not for everyone, but it is a distinctive entry in the crowded market of Broadway high school musicals.”
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"The show is a high-octane delight, which will have audiences tapping their feet to Joe Iconis’s score throughout the show...One thing I appreciated is that the two leads genuinely look and act like high schoolers who wouldn’t be top of the food chain...There isn’t a single weak link in the cast...Scenes are heightened for effect, but never quite veer into caricature — this musical in sincere in its regard for teenagers’ plights, which is why it’s resonated so well."
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