BWW Retrospective: A Look at the History of BE MORE CHILL Before Its Off-Broadway Upgrade

It was announced this week that Be More Chill, the original musical with music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz will have its New York premiere production this summer.

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.

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.

Though this musical has gained modern cult-classic status thanks to its legions of vocal and dedicated fans on social media, the cautionary tale of a high school nobody named Jeremy and his high tech popularity pill made its humble beginnings as a young adult novel by writer Ned Vizzini.

When the novel was first published in 2004 , the New York Times Book Review called the story "is so accurate that it should come with a warning."

The novel caught the eye of musical theatre writer Joe Iconis, an upcoming composer with an ear for the mechanics of adolescence.

A fixture on the New York cabaret scene, Iconis had recently had his first significant success with the infectious tune "Broadway, Here I Come" from the NBC series Smash. When a mutual agent stepped in to introduce Iconis to book writer Joe Tracz, a fellow fan of the novel, the two began work on a musical adaptation of the story.

The first professional production of Be More Chill was originally commissioned and produced by Two River Theater, Red Bank, NJ.

The world premiere production of the show ran at Two River Theatre in the summer of 2015 and was enthusiastically embraced by critics and fans alike. The original Two River cast of the show included Will Connolly as Jeremy, George Salazar as Michael, Stephanie Hsu as Christine, and Eric William Morris as the Squip.

Following its smash original production, the musical captured the ears of musical theatre fans everywhere when Ghostlight Records dropped the original cast recording. Following its release, online fan frenzy began with the aid of YouTube's algorithms directing fans of shows like Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen to the singles from the score.

Bolstered by its online success, Be More Chill's cast recording entered the Billboard Cast Recording chart 97 weeks after its initial release.

As Be More Chill grew in popularity, its online fan frenzy continued on social media with fans from New Jersey to Japan belting out the songs on YouTube, creating fan art, show-inspired animation, and whole internet communities dedicated to the little-known musical that had yet to have a major production.

The show received its second professional production in the winter of 2017 at Exit 82 Theatre in New Jersey. Be More Chill at Exit 82 was directed and choreographed by Sean Openshaw, starring Matt Dalton as Jeremy Heere, Ryan Everett Wood as Michael. Sal Pavia as the Squip and Elizabeth Ritacco as Christine.

Fans who had long-awaited another opportunity to catch this organic musical theatre craze flocked from across the globe en masse to see the production. Over the course of its run, Exit 82 theatre received fans from 37 U.S. states, Canada, England, and Brazil.

In July of 2017, it was announced that R&H Theatricals would be licensing the show for regional, community, and school productions. To celebrate the release of the show to excited theatre kids everywhere, R&H Theatricals launched a special "Michael in the Bathroom" cover contest which would award a complimentary theatrical license of the show for a school production to the winner.

Following the release of the rights, the show was snapped up by eager theatre-makers everywhere and productions popped up from Colorado to Australia.

In 2017, Tumblr ranked Be More Chill as the #2 most talked-about musical on their platform, following Hamilton.

In the latest chapter of this musical theatre sensation, Be More Chill fans everywhere rejoiced when it was announced last week that the show would receive its first New York production at the Pershing Square Signature Center. Adding to the excitement, Dear Evan Hansen star Will Roland will join original cast members Gerard Canonico, Katlyn Carlson, Stephanie Hsu, Lauren Marcus, and George Salazar for the limited engagement.

After three years, two successful productions, millions of album streams, and more covers of "Michael in the Bathroom" than you can shake a stick at, Be More Chill has more than secured its place in the pantheon of musical theatre phenomena like Hamilton, Spring Awakening, and Rent. But what is it about Be More Chill that has theatre kids losing theirs? It seems New York City will just have to wait and find out this summer. Until then, the short but singular history of this high school sci-fi musical odyssey serves as concrete proof that Be More Chill will more than survive its first trip to the Big Apple.