Be More Chill (NYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (821)
See it if If you want a clever and interesting updating of the Faust story with some memorable songs and lots of contemporary references
Don't see it if You mind some inconsistent (though possibly based on character) singing performances and an unnecessarily happy ending. Read more
See it if You would like to see a show with great costumes, great singing, and a story about how some young people might feel.
Don't see it if You don’t like lively fun music
See it if you enjoy teen comedies or stories about high school life.
Don't see it if you dislike teen angst or science fiction elements in your musicals.
See it if You want to have an enjoyable night in the theater. A fan of the previous off broadway & NJ productions. Enjoy quirky stories with fun music
Don't see it if You are a stickler for perfect lyrics, music and book writing. Are tired of the teenage High School drama. Read more
See it if You want to see a modern show with a loud, pop/rock score with songs that will be stuck in your head all night. If you like shows about HS.
Don't see it if You don't enjoy modern musicals, don't enjoy science fiction or shows with a great message. You would rather see a revival or an old show.
See it if you like sci-fi musicals about the teen experience and want to see what all the hype about the score is
Don't see it if you don't connect with Millenial and Gen-X themes and wouldn't enjoy a high school-set, tech heavy show
See it if you enjoy new cutting edge theater. Destined to be a cult classic. Add points if you are young.
Don't see it if you don't like bright and strobe lights, loud music, youthful themes, and/or gay and sexual innuendos offend you
See it if You enjoy lively musicals with edgy lyrics. Also see it if you loved Will Roland in Dear Evan Hansen. Hes amazing.
Don't see it if You dont enjoy lively edgy musicals and prefer to stay home and fall asleep in front of the tv.
Critic Reviews (50)
"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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