BE MORE CHILL (Broadway) Previews- Page 15

[Braniff Forever]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 2:12pm

Everything is subjective, right? I’m late 40’s and liked the show more than I thought I would. I loved Hamilton too, and even though it’s wildly successful, there are actually people who don’t like it. Even the most successful financial shows will have critics. Even the most critically acclaimed shows will have critics. I couldn’t stand THE FERRYMAN, but everyone just raves about it. My least favorite musical is Gentelman’s Guide, and it won best musical, and I couldn’t stand it!! Thankfully there is something for everyone. My mother used to say “that if we all liked the same thing, the world would be a boring place!”

[Andres_123]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 2:23pm

I see Be more chill as not a proper Broadway show but as the underdog scrappy show with a look that's not very Broadway.  To many it looks cheap and not professional and the songs generic or not sounding good. I  think the look of the show along with the costumes and songs are not something a Broadway audience is used to or expecting. Sci-fi teen musicals with a rock score has never really been done before or at least the way Be more chill is doing it. The show is meant to feel and look scrappy and not look like or sound like My fair lady or Band's visit.  The show is loud, in your face, colorful, young, and a sound that appeals to the youth. This is very much a cult musical and not everyone is going to like it but it's ushering in so many new musical fans and making Broadway a more youthful audience. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 3:09pm

Besides the Sci-Fi element (which in itself is even debatable), you literally just described BE MORE CHILL as being the first show to ever look and sound like things like HAIR all the way to RENT.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 3:10pm

I have no issues with the kids coming here to defend this show but know what you’re talking about when you do.

[\_(•_•)_/]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 3:24pm

Andres_123 said: "I see Be more chill as not aproper Broadway show but as the underdog scrappy show with a look that's not very Broadway. To many it looks cheap and not professional and the songs generic or not sounding good. I think the look of the show along with the costumes and songs are not something a Broadway audience is used to or expecting. Sci-fi teen musicals with a rock score has never really been done before or at least the way Be more chill is doing it. The show is meant to feel and look scrappy and not look like or sound like My fair lady or Band's visit. The show is loud, in your face, colorful, young, and a sound that appeals to the youth. This is very much a cult musical and not everyone is going to like it but it's ushering in so many new musical fans and making Broadway a more youthful audience."

Rent, Hair, American Psycho, Jesus Christ Superstar, Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry inch, Cry-Baby, Memphis, Zombie prom, Xanadu, Aida, Billy Elliot, Carrie, Chess, Heathers, Taboo, Fame, Footloose, 13, 9 to 5, First date, Freaky friday, If/then, Kinky Boots, Great comet, Lysistrata Jones, American idiot, Evil dead...

I can keep going and going if you want?

[Robbie2]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 3:32pm

Andres_123 said: "I see Be more chill as not aproper Broadway show but as the underdog scrappy show with a look that's not very Broadway. To many it looks cheap and not professional and the songs generic or not sounding good. I think the look of the show along with the costumes and songs are not something a Broadway audience is used to or expecting. Sci-fi teen musicals with a rock score has never really been done before or at least the way Be more chill is doing it. The show is meant to feel and look scrappy and not look like or sound like My fair lady or Band's visit. The show is loud, in your face, colorful, young, and a sound that appeals to the youth. This is very much a cult musical and not everyone is going to like it but it's ushering in so many new musical fans and making Broadway a more youthful audience."

 

That's cool...The problem this show will have is that it will not resonate with people of all ages and backgrounds... it targets the younger generation teens-20's. BMC tagline: "If you fed DEAR EVAN HANSEN to the LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS plant, you get BMC. I loved both those shows but we have no desire in seeing this! So, what is the BMC message?

 

Freaking Out About Be More Chill A viral sensation about high school, friendship, and a singing algorithm hopes to become Broadway’s next big thing?

 

Personally, I don't think so...it is no way in the same league as: Hamilton, Rent, Wicked, DEH, BOM, Grease, Hairspray, Avenue Q, Kinky Boots, Hair, ACL, Annie, Spelling Bee, Rock of Ages...

https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/be-more-chill-broadway.html

Updated On: 3/10/19 at 03:32 PM

[theaterlyfe19]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 3:53pm

_(•_&bull_/ said: "Andres_123 said: "I see Be more chill as not aproper Broadway show but as the underdog scrappy show with a look that's not very Broadway. To many it looks cheap and not professional and the songs generic or not sounding good. I think the look of the show along with the costumes and songs are not something a Broadway audience is used to or expecting. Sci-fi teen musicals with a rock score has never really been done before or at least the way Be more chill is doing it. The show is meant to feel and look scrappy and not look like or sound like My fair lady or Band's visit. The show is loud, in your face, colorful, young, and a sound that appeals to the youth. This is very much a cult musical and not everyone is going to like it but it's ushering in so many new musical fans and making Broadway a more youthful audience."

Rent, Hair, American Psycho, Jesus Christ Superstar, Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry inch, Cry-Baby, Memphis, Zombie prom, Xanadu, Aida, Billy Elliot, Carrie, Chess, Heathers, Taboo, Fame, Footloose, 13, 9 to 5, First date, Freaky friday, If/then, Kinky Boots, Great comet, Lysistrata Jones, American idiot, Evil dead...

I can keep going and going if you want?"

I agree. BMC is FAR from the first show to do what they're doing. Sure, the squip element does introduce something new, but otherwise, it's not the first of its kind. It's not a rarity. Its story is unique, I will say that, but I agree with the poster I quoted. 

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 4:11pm

I feel like I have been ranting about the marketing on this show since pretty much day one and here I go again. They need to STOP marketing to their target demo cus they ALREADY have that demo locked down, and START marketing to the AVERAGE BROADWAY AUDIENCE if they want to survive. 

I look at that footage and I just cringe that something that looks so cheap and unprofessional wants $130+ a ticket out of my wallet plus the cost to get into the city on top of that. They cannot and will not survive on their target demo alone. Teenagers are more likely to pay for a bootleg online somewhere to see this show then to actually GO SEE THE SHOW cus that is what they are able to afford. Appeal to the people that can actually buy a ticket to your show and keep you running. Maybe some of them might actually come out liking it, but if you put your best foot forward as the scrappy underdog... Broadway chews up and spits out the underdog musical on a regular basis.

Other shows that had a "cheaper" look to them still knew how to reach out and appeal to the masses. Via marketing, the material, performances, whatever. Get the butts in the seats and hope word of mouth spreads. This one is putting all their eggs in the appeal to the youths basket and it's gonna kill them.

[Andres_123]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 4:34pm

I'm not saying Be More chill is something broadway has never seen before but rather people aren't used to seeing such a youthful show that's sound is so modern. Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, next to normal, spring awakening, Rent, Great Comet all were very important to the theater landscape and had a score that was different from anything on Broadway. The big difference Be more chill has is that it's not a drama but a comedy and doesn't have big emotional moments like Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, Next to Normal and Rent. It also doesn't take on big issues like social depression, mental health, aids, or having a huge diverse cast. People have leaned more towards Dramas than Comedy's over the past few years and wanting to see something that will make them think, get emotional, and take on huge issues or present a show in a way that's very different like Great Comet. Be more chill is a sci-fi comedy that doesn't take on any huge social issues, has no huge emotional numbers, and that's why it's different. People have settled into the Dear Evan Hansen's and theater defining shows like Rent or Hamilton that when a show like Be more chill comes along that is all comedy, set in high school, a rock score, and sci-fi storyline. Show's not for everyone i'm just trying to give my view.

[anislander]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 4:45pm

Andres_123 said: "I'm not saying Be More chill is something broadway has never seen before but rather people aren't used to seeing such a youthful show that's sound is so modern. Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, next to normal, spring awakening, Rent, Great Comet all were very important to the theater landscape and had a score that was different from anything on Broadway. The big difference Be more chill has is that it's not a drama but a comedy and doesn't have big emotional moments like Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, Next to Normal and Rent. It also doesn't take on big issues like social depression, mental health, aids, or having a huge diverse cast. People have leaned more towards Dramas than Comedy's over the past few years and wanting to see something that will make them think, get emotional, and take on huge issues or present a show in a way that's very different like Great Comet. Be more chill is a sci-fi comedy that doesn't take on any huge social issues, has no huge emotional numbers, and that's why it's different. People have settled into the Dear Evan Hansen's and theater defining shows like Rent or Hamilton that when a show like Be more chill comes along that is all comedy,set in high school, a rock score, and sci-fi storyline. Show's not for everyone i'm just trying to give my view."

...you’re defending it? What you just said makes it sound like the most boring show alive. 

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 4:58pm

Every show gets constructive criticism - on both the Anastasia and Band's Visit closing threads, I saw people mentioning things that they thought each show could've done better.  The thing with this show is that other than people saying which things they think could use improvement, there are a lot of people that are just going, "This is TERRIBLE!  The songs are BORING!  The script is STUPID!"  With Anastasia, there was a very interesting debate over different characters and why they were important/not important to the story: with Be More Chill, there's no debate, just "I liked it" or "I didn't."  It makes it hard to enjoy the discussion.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 5:02pm

“...but rather people aren't used to seeing such a youthful show that's sound is so modern.”

My God, read the posts above that just begin to list the shows that fit into what you said people aren’t use to. This show is not the first of its kind, isn’t something nobody’s heard before, it’s not revolutionary, just stop with the arguments that it’s this groundbreaking thing that’s redefining what theatre is.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 5:27pm

Musicals existed before Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton and Rent. In 1972, Galt MacDermot and company wrote the ultimate Sci-Fi rock musical in Via Galactica (set in the year 2972 no less!). I’m sorry if Irene Cara wasn’t teenage angst-y enough for you, but this is very well covered ground. At least Via Galactica had trampolines.

The way you describe Hamilton makes it sound like a drudgery of a drama. There’s plenty of humor in the piece. Be More Chill certainly (attempts to) deal with serious issues- the entire opening is about social anxiety and fitting in; the father seems to be struggling with clinical depression; the list goes on.

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 5:31pm

MollyJeanneMusic said: "Every show gets constructive criticism - on both the Anastasia and Band's Visit closing threads, I saw people mentioning things that they thought each show could've done better. The thing with this show is that other than people saying which things they think could use improvement, there are a lot of people that are just going, "This is TERRIBLE! The songs are BORING! The script is STUPID!" With Anastasia, there was a very interesting debate over different characters and why they were important/not important to the story: with Be More Chill, there's no debate, just "I liked it" or "I didn't." It makes it hard to enjoy the discussion."

I don't know what topics you are looking in but I see comments like that on EVERY show. You basically described every preview heard we have here. NO show is immune to it but as I said before, if more people tip one way vs the other, you see more of one side of comments then the other. 

I'll say it again for the people in the back... just because ONE group of fans like a show does not mean that others from the other side of the aisle CAN'T express how they DON'T like a show and can't express how they feel in their own personal way. And really... trying to tell them they can't or they shouldn't will only make them comment more and comment louder.  

There are entire shows that I was "this is okay" on that very quickly tilted to "can't stand" because of their rabid fan-base trying to tell me that I can't have a neutral or negative opinion of their sweet cherub cheeked perfect angel of a show show they love and I am sure others feel the same way about it.

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 7:39pm

Scarlet Leigh said: 
I don't know what topics you are looking in but I see comments like that on EVERY show. You basically described every preview heard we have here. NO show is immune to it but as I said before, if more people tip one way vs the other, you see more of one side of comments then the other.

I'll say it again for the people in the back... just because ONE group of fans like a show does not mean that others from the other side of the aisle CAN'T express how they DON'T like a show and can't express how they feel in their own personal way. And really... trying to tell them they can't or they shouldn't will only make them comment more and comment louder.

There are entire shows that I was "this is okay" on that very quickly tilted to "can't stand" because of their rabid fan-basetrying to tell me that I can't have a neutral or negative opinion of their sweet cherub cheeked perfect angelof a show show they love and I am sure others feel the same way about it."

I didn't mean that you can't have opinions.  All I meant was that for other shows, there was more of a debate about the artistic aspects of the show, whereas with this one, there isn't as much debate.  I like the show, but it certainly isn't my favorite - I feel like the script can be a little cheesy in places, and some of the songs are a little long-winded.  However, I think it's better to give an opinion with backup than to just give an opinion.  For example, after previews for Ain't Too Proud started, people criticized it, but with reasons - the show felt disjointed, and the constant narration took people out of the story.  There wasn't anybody (as far as I can remember) who was giving their opinion without a little textual evidence.  (Oh my god - I finally found a use for all those English essays!!!)

[Robbie2]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 8:04pm

Be More Chill and the teen-fuelled wave of Broadway musicals

This viral hit is the latest show to capture a growing demographic of young theatregoers

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/be-more-chill-broadway-teen-musicals-1.5048553