|
One of this summer's most anticipated musicals, Be More Chill, has announced complete casting for the New York premiere production to run July 26 - September 23 at The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center.
Tiffany Mann (Waitress, Jerry Springer the Opera) will play Jenna, Britton Smith (Shuffle Along, After Midnight) will play Jake, and Cameron Bond (Finding Neverland),Troy Iwata (The Boy Who Danced on Air), and Talia Suskauer (Love in Hate Nation) will be the company swings. Previously announced cast includes members from the 2015 Two River Theater production ensemble and original cast recording, Gerard Canonico (Spring Awakening, Groundhog Day) as Rich, Katlyn Carlson (Dirty Dancing, The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin) as Chloe, Stephanie Hsu (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Christine, Lauren Marcus (The Humans at St. Louis Rep, Company at Barrington Stage) as Brooke, and George Salazar (tick tick BOOM!, Godspell, The Lightning Thief) as Michael; as well as Will Roland (Dear Evan Hansen, The Black Suits) as Jeremy, Jason Tam (If/Then, Lysistrata Jones, NBC's "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert") as The Squip, and Jason SweetTooth Williams (Freaky Friday, Benny and Joon, Bloodsong of Love) as Jeremy's Dad/Mr. Reyes.
Before arriving in New York, Be More Chill has already amassed an unprecedented following across various online platforms, with millions of fans from Brazil to Japan to New Jersey sharing fan art, streaming the album (over 114 million streams to date), and talking about the show. In 2017, Tumblr ranked Be More Chill as the #2 most talked-about musical on their platform, following Hamilton.
Following up on the success of The 2015 Two River Theater cast recording, available from Ghostlight Records, the special edition Be More Chill original cast recording on vinyl will be released July 27, the day after performances begin at The Pershing Square Signature Center. Pre-order the Be More Chill vinyl edition through PledgeMusic (pledgemusic.com/projects/bemorechill) and be the first to receive the 2-disc package, which features new illustrative designs, green and red colored discs, and a 16-page, 12 x 12 booklet with lyrics, production photos and a new liner note from Joe Iconis. Also available from Ghostlight Records on July 27, the new CD of Two-Player Game featuring Joe Iconis and George Salazar.
Be More Chill, the original musical with music and lyrics by Joe Iconis (NBC's "Smash", The Black Suits, Broadway Bounty Hunter) and a book by Joe Tracz (The Lightning Thief, Netflix's "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events") will have its New York premiere production this summer. Stephen Brackett directs andChase Brock choreographs the limited 9-week, off-Broadway engagement July 26 - September 23 atThe Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street, NYC). The official opening night is August 9 at 7:30PM. Tickets are now on sale at TicketCentral.com, (212) 279-4200.
Based on the cult sensation novel by Ned Vizzini, Be More Chill is the story of Jeremy Heere, your average, nothing-special teenager at Middleborough High in nothing-special New Jersey. That is, until the day he finds out about "The Squip." Thus begins a journey that pits Jeremy's desire to be popular against his struggle to remain true to his authentic self. Be More Chill is an honest, edgy, super-hilarious look at coming of age in the digital age, set to some of the most exciting songs in contemporary musical theater. This original musical comedy looks at modern issues like depression, bullying, and anxiety through the lens of sci-fi films of the 50s, horror flicks of the 80s, and teen movies of the 90s. Little Shop of Horrors meets The Breakfast Club in this celebration of outcasts, teenaged or otherwise.
Be More Chill features scenic design by Tony Award-winner Beowulf Boritt (Come From Away), costume design by Bobby Frederick Tilley II (Lizzie Borden, Top Girls); lighting design by Tony Award-winner Tyler Micoleau (The Band's Visit ); sound design by Ryan Rumery (Fool For Love); musical direction by Emily Marshall; orchestrations by Charlie Rosen (Prince of Broadway, Honeymoon in Vegas); casting by Telsey + Company / Adam Caldwell, CSA & Rebecca Scholl, CSA; production stage management by Amanda Michaels(The Children, The Ballad of Little Jo); general management by Lisa Dozier King; and production management by SenovvA Production Core.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos
Videos