BE MORE CHILL (Broadway) Reviews- Page 2

[CukorLover]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 10:07pm

Thank you, Ben Brantley. That review was unmitigated perfection!

"For one thing, it is — by cold critical standards — the worst of the lot, with a repetitive score, painfully forced rhymes, cartoonish acting and a general approach that mistakes decibel level (literally and metaphorically) for emotional intensity. But this ostensible amateurishness may be exactly what sells “Be More Chill” to its young target audience.

Alone among Broadway musicals, “Be More Chill” feels as if it could have been created by the teenagers it portrays, or perhaps by even younger people imagining what high school will be like. Though its production values have been souped up since I saw it in August, the show’s current incarnation — which features the same cast and is again directed by Stephen Brackett — remains a festival of klutziness that you could imagine being put together in the bedrooms and basements of young YouTubers."

[GeorgeandDot]

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

OMFG. THAT REVIEW IS GOLDEN.

[Robbie2]

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

NYT-Brantley quotes: Not a Critic's Pick!

For one thing, it is — by cold critical standards — the worst of the lot, with a repetitive score, painfully forced rhymes, cartoonish acting and a general approach that mistakes decibel level (literally and metaphorically) for emotional intensity. But this ostensible amateurishness may be exactly what sells “Be More Chill” to its young target audience.

Alone among Broadway musicals, “Be More Chill” feels as if it could have been created by the teenagers it portrays, or perhaps by even younger people imagining what high school will be like. Though its production values have been souped up since I saw it in August, the show’s current incarnation — which features the same cast and is again directed by Stephen Brackett — remains a festival of klutziness that you could imagine being put together in the bedrooms and basements of young YouTubers.

The plot, presented in a droller and less hysterical vein in the novel that inspired it, is a sci-fi variation on the theme of social paranoia that has long ruled teenage entertainment. A nerdy, terminally unhip hero, Jeremy Heere (a self-effacing, sweetly adenoidal Will Roland), is offered a computerized pill, called a Squip, that rewires him to run with the cool crowd. Played by Jason Tam, in the show’s slickest performance, the Squip materializes to Jeremy looking like Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix” and proceeds to dictate his life.

He is assisted by his bestie, the forever gauche Michael Mell (the highly emotive George Salazar), whom Jeremy had abandoned on the road to social success. He is also inspired by selfless love — for the madcap Christine Canigula (a hyperkinetic Stephanie Hsu).

This all sounds like more fun than it is — at least for anyone over the age of 21. (That’s a generous cutoff point.) The acting, singing and dancing (choreographed by Chase Brock) are all, to put it kindly, frenetic. The set (by Beowulf Boritt), lighting (Tyler Micoleau) costumes (Bobby Frederick Tilley II) and projections (Alex Basco Koch) bring to mind bright fan fiction comic books drawn in fluorescent crayon.

But it may be its very lack of chillness that has allowed “Be More Chill” to capture so many young hearts. None of the characters on stage really look like enviably glamorous popular people, but friendly nebbishes imitating the social elite with slapdash satirical broad strokes.

The rhymes in Mr. Iconis’s lyrics feel like they might have been improvised on the spot by class-cutting stoners behind the gym. (An example from the showstopping “Michael in the Bathroom”: “II'd rather fake pee/Than stand awkwardly.&rdquo

Doubtless much care and calculation has gone into remounting “Be More Chill.” But it still has the goofy karaoke quality of kids performing boisterously for other kids. It doesn’t try to dazzle its audience with glossy professionalism. For better or worse, this may be the only show on Broadway that a tween could see and think happily, “Hey, I could do that at home.”

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

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 10:14pm

RIP to any possible Tony nomination, minus Salazar and maybe Lighting Design.

I’m seeing the show for myself next Sunday, so I’m going with an open mind. I am just now through videos and reviews getting an idea of what’s it about. I don’t like what I see in the Smartphone Hour, so hopefully thats the worst of the show.

[raddersons]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 10:18pm

Vulture is positive.

https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/theater-be-more-chill-does-high-school-with-knowing-cunning.html

[Vespertine1228]

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

I expect a statement coming tomorrow along the lines of "We never made a show for the critics, we made a show for the fans."

I still haven't seen Mean Girls or The Prom. Didn't realize how many teen shows there are on Broadway at the moment until the review pointed it out.

[VotePeron]

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

The fact that The Prom was received better than this literally boggles my mind

[Wick3]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 10:26pm

VotePeron said: "The fact that The Prom was received better than this literally boggles my mind"

Jesse Green reviewed the Prom whereas Brantley reviewed Be More Chill.

Despite the overall review, it was great to see Brantley describe Tiffany Mann as a powerhouse!

Given how this musical has a huge following in social media, I'd imagine marketing budget doesn't need to be that high. I really hope the show recoups but I guess we'll see how it fares this summer.

 

[woeisme3]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 10:33pm

“The Prom” is also a much more coherent musical than this. I wonder how long it’ll run on fans?

[Robbie2]

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

ljay889 said: "This show sounds absolutely dreadful lol."

yup but not to high schoolers

LA TIMES Charles McNulty:

Who is the audience for “Be More Chill”? Fifteen-year-olds who can afford Broadway tickets? God bless. But why subject them — or anyone — to such an overextended throwback structure? The nightmare of adolescence is part of the fun. I get it. (I lived it.) But with a 2½-hour rackety running time, the musical’s dimensions are out of whack.

One energizing quality of the production is the diversity of the young cast. For “Be More Chill” to survive at the Lyceum, it will have to become a cult phenomenon. It’s hard to imagine a stampede of repeat customers for this latest Broadway dive into adolescent angst. But one thing is certain: New faces onstage will bring new faces to the theater.

[SomethingPeculiar]

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

That's certainly not Brantley at his worst. I didn't get the feeling that he had "knives out" when writing this. But there's no hope of converting the older, traditional Broadway audience with this review.

The one good thing that this review offers is all the talk of it being a hit. And people of all ages have FOMO. People may have genuine curiosity about the show.

[LuPita2]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 10:48pm

Children and teenagers don't know who Brantley is, so it won't affect ticket sales.  I think this show is critic proof and doesn't need Tony noms to stay afloat either.  It was resurrected by kids online and until they're sick of it, this show will stick around.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 10:52pm

Brantley actually gives a nice shoutout to The Prom, calling it “big-hearted.” He would have have probably given it a nice review.

[RippedMan]

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

LuPita2: But who is buying the premium priced tickets? If everyone is buying a rush ticket this isn't going to last. 

"The Prom" is pretty terrible. The adults are great, but anything with the actual high schoolers is awful. I mean they literally all come out, place boxes, and stand and sing a terrible ballad. 

[LuPita2]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 10:59pm

RippedMan,

Lots of rich kids who want to see it? Parents will gladly pay for their kid to see a show, and actually be interested in something other than their phone for a few hours. The average annual household income of a Broadway theatregoer is over 200k.  

Updated On: 3/10/19 at 10:59 PM

[Rogerdellibovi]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 11:06pm

His review is saying he preferred The Prom, Mean Girls and Dear Evan Hansen to Be More Chill. Not sure why this BMC review board has turned into a The Prom trashing board.

[YvanEhtNioj]

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

At least NYT gave Tiffany Mann some props. She stands out so much during the show, I want to see her do more.

I agree with him the BMC isn't as good as DEH or Mean Girls, but I personally don't agree that it's worse than The Prom.

Nonetheless, I'm hoping Jason Tam gets a Tony nomination.

Also, I'm surprised so little was changed from Off Broadway and during previews. NO ONE at ANY point thought "some of these songs need to go..show is kinda long "

Updated On: 3/10/19 at 11:11 PM

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 11:22pm

LuPita2 said: "Children and teenagers don't know who Brantley is, so it won't affect ticket sales. I think this show is critic proof and doesn't need Tony noms to stay afloat either. It was resurrected by kids online and until they're sick of it, this show will stick around."

That's right kids and children don't know who Brantley is. Who does? The standard Broadway public buying the tickets that are the make or break for a show to survive. This show is NOT going to survive on kids online. Kids online are NOT the ones buying tickets. The average Broadway patron is the one keeping the lights on and paying the bills. The LA Time review hits that nail right on the head. 

"Who is the audience for “Be More Chill”? Fifteen-year-olds who can afford Broadway tickets? God bless."

Because there is no such thing as a 15 year old that can afford Broadway tickets!

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 11:26pm

LuPita2 said: "Children and teenagers don't know who Brantley is, so it won't affect ticket sales. I think this show is critic proof and doesn't need Tony noms to stay afloat either. It was resurrected by kids online and until they're sick of it, this show will stick around."
 

I just don't think we can call a show "critic-proof" that is largely dismissed by people over 25. A critic-proof show doesn't lose $32K in its second week and $146K in its third. Kids and teens alone aren't a sustainable audience demo on Broadway –– and other "teen shows" like Spring Awakening and DEH have had great reviews, more universal themes, Tony attention, etc.

However, the producers should sleep soundly tonight because none of this is a surprise: Brantley's opinion was on the record before they decided to move it. They had to be expecting this critical outcome. And there were great feature stories this week in Vanity Fair and NYMag!

[Ashley36]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 11:47pm

I am happy with NYT review

[LuPita2]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 11:50pm

That's what weird about it. Brantly has hated this all along and it's not like they changed it.  He said in 2015 it was "the theatrical equivalent of one of those high-pitched dog whistles that only those under 25 can hear".  I think he wanted just wanted to trash it again. 

No, I guess not critic proof, but the reviews aren't going to make or break the show. I also think that parents who want to connect more to their kids will buy tickets as well. Just like Spring Awakening or DEH.  Although this show is trash compared to both IMO, then again, I'm not their target audience.  

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 3/11/19 at 12:00am

Can’t wait until industry folks start tweeting about how the Times is out of touch. Everything I’ve seen or heard from the show outside of “Michael in the Bathroom” has been terrible.

Some folks just can’t admit when sh*t stinks.

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/11/19 at 12:05am

SomethingPeculiar said: "I just don't think we can call a show "critic-proof" that is largely dismissed by people over 25."

Sure we can... once it recoups.

[DaveyG]

Posted: 3/11/19 at 12:06am

I thought Brantley was spot on here.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 3/11/19 at 12:27am

haterobics said: "SomethingPeculiar said: "I just don't think we can call a show "critic-proof" that is largely dismissed by people over 25."
Sure we can... once it recoups."

Oh totally. I more meant that we shouldn't be jumping to hit/flop conclusions on Opening Night for a show with mixed-to-negative reviews and decent-but-not-spectacular sales.