BE MORE CHILL to open at the Lyceum in February 2019- Page 4

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/6/18 at 3:56pm

Huh.  I hope they do some work to drastically improve the writing and the score (though it rarely happens with Broadway transfers these days), but I'm glad they're giving Broadway a shot.

[theaterwiz414]

Posted: 9/7/18 at 1:02pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "Note to self: avoid 46th between Sixth and Broadway next spring."

You read my mind haha

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 9/7/18 at 10:06pm

"This show is sort of uncharted waters, given that the audience sort of self-generated online."

"...uncharted waters"? Ever heard of a show called [title of show]? Be More Chill is using it as a template. The creators of [title of show] started ths kind of online, fan assisted advertisement. It's worth mentioning that Jennifer Tepper, one of the producers for Be More Chill, was the assistant to the director of [title of show], which, strangely enough, also played at the Lyceum.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 9/7/18 at 10:32pm

ghostlight2 said: ""This show is sort of uncharted waters, given that the audience sort of self-generated online."

"...uncharted waters"? Ever heard of a show called [title of show]? Be More Chill is using it as a template. The creators of [title of show] started ths kind of online, fan assisted advertisement. It's worth mentioning that Jennifer Tepper, one of the producers for Be More Chill, was the assistant to the director of [title of show], which, strangely enough, also played at the Lyceum."

 

Lasting only 3 months on Broadway

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 9/8/18 at 2:22am

"Lasting only 3 months on Broadway"

I'm missing your point, Robbie2. Yes, [title of show] ran only three months. My point was that [title of show] was the first show that I can think of to have such a large online presence before landing on Broadway, and that actively courted audiences and encouraged them to get involved with the show on social media, Be More Chill is following in their path. There's nothing wrong with that, and it's no big deal, but Be More Chill isn't in "uncharted waters", which means new and unknown territory. [title of show] had already been there, and that was ten years ago. The fact that [title of show] didn't have a long run doesn't change the fact that they were there first, and made headway for shows like Be More Chill.

Also, in the case of both shows, the audience didn't "self-generate online". They were carefully drawn in and cultivated by the show(s).

I'd like to clarify that the first quote attributed to me:  ""This show is sort of uncharted waters, given that the audience sort of self-generated online."  isn't mine. It's the post I was responding to.

 

 

[binau]

Posted: 9/8/18 at 4:19am

Do we have information about what kind of online audience [tos] had? E.g., How many Facebook likes? How many YouTube views etc.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 9/8/18 at 8:34am

"Do we have information about what kind of online audience [tos] had? E.g., How many Facebook likes? How many YouTube views etc."

There were at least 13 episodes of The title of show show, each one around 10  minutes in length. TTOSS began before they were on Broadway, continued into the run of the show, and starred the cast, featuring many Broadway stars. In the linked episode there was Benanti, Lin Manuel Miranda, Kate Shindle and Cheyanne Jackson (who was a running gag through several episodes ). It is here that Jennifer Tepper, one of the producers of Be More Chill, first appears (in name, anyway). In TTOSS, Tepper was given many job titles, but she was primarily assistant to the director.

They also had a twitter account, a FB page, and titleof show.com, all still active. They had a blog and sold merchendise. They encouraged fans to make and share videos. They ran into a bit of trouble when one of their episodes jokingly suggested using duct tape and a sharpie to create [tos] labels, and fans started putting them on other shows' posters. 

Updated On: 9/8/18 at 08:34 AM

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 9/8/18 at 9:39am

The comparisons to [Title of Show] aren't all accurate, because social media has grown dramatically in size since then. In 2008, the access to the technology wasn't as much as it is now, and I don't remember musicals being a trend. Now, it seems kids are cool for liking musicals, and technology amplifies this. While Be More Chill fans are not seen as cool in the school I go to, be more chill is contained to mostly social media and the Cult while [Title of Show] wasn't as much of a cult based show, and was more widespread by word of mouth AND media than as a cult. That doesn't make the comparisons too fair, but I personally think it will have a similar fate (half a year to a year Max).

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 9/8/18 at 9:59am

The [tos] fans (or "tossers" as they were unfortunately nicknamed) were pretty cult-like. Here is a long thread from this board.

In any case, I'm not really comparing the two shows, just countering the idea that Be More Chill is ground-breaking in its use of social media. Of course social media and technology have grown since then, but they were far from nonexistant, and [tos] made full use of them, more than ten years before BMC.

I agree with you that BMC will be short-lived, though I doubt it will make 6 months. I'd be happy to be wrong.

 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 9/8/18 at 11:08am

oh my god that title of show thread was positively nauseating. i only read the first page but like... is that how people on the internet talked a decade ago? i was 16 that summer, why was everyone so... “i’m totes unique XD” thanks i hate it

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/8/18 at 11:21am

I tried to listen to the cast album on Spotify. I made it through the first few songs and I had to stop. Absolutely dreadful.

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 9/9/18 at 12:47am

saw this tonight and it is easily one of the worst things ive seen. Some good songs lost in a totall enept production, the direction and the choreography were dreadful and the book was cringy, also can we stop this thing where we are writing shows with fifteen year old characters and castiung people in their late 20s early 30s, seriously everyone looked ridiculously too old to be playing high schoolers 

The audience made me feel like i was the only one not in on a big outside joke

I will say, I loved Jason Williams and Jason Tam, Will Roland needs to go he is not a leading man.

this was like a pale imitator of Little Shop with for some reason the tone of Toxic Avenger

This is going to last 6 months on broadway if that and then collapse 

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 9/9/18 at 9:11am

It wasn't the worst for me, and I feel like I was able to forgive a couple things because i did enjoy the show. However I felt the exact same way - I hate the choreography and the cast looks and feels waaaaaaaaaayy too old.

Sadly, I dont anticipate this changing before Broadway; the fans will come see it regardless. 

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 1:24pm

I saw the show last night, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Yes, it walks a very fine line between clever and juvenile, but I was into it. One thing I'll say, though, is that it reminded me of the show they put on in Waiting for Guffman, which, oddly, is both a compliment and an insult. I love that movie, so I was OK with it, but I can see why some people might not like the show at all. I don't think that the transfer to a larger theatre will be too much of an issue, since the comedy is so broad that they should have no problem playing to the last row of the balcony. Getting people in the seats is another matter. While I was watching, I kept wondering how the show will do on Broadway, and, at this point, I just don't know. 

Updated On: 9/10/18 at 01:24 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 1:37pm

is that how people on the internet talked a decade ago?

That's how (mostly) young people talked on the internet a decade ago.  And little has changed with respect to online youth communication.  In fact, it's more annoying now since the rise of Twitter popularity, when you know hear people actually say "hashtag" in verbal conversation.  But really, it's just another form of slang, which has annoyed adults for generations.  Welcome to the club.

Updated On: 9/10/18 at 01:37 PM

[perfectliar]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 1:48pm

gypsy101 said: "oh my god that title of show thread was positively nauseating. i only read the first page but like... is that how people on the internet talked a decade ago? i was 16 that summer, why was everyone so... “i’m totes unique XD” thanks i hate it"

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a lot of that ridiculous language directly referenced the way the characters in the show spoke.

[bwaylinds]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 6:51pm

I thought the fans were calming down but then I came across this young fan on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnh8QbZAxeA/?hl=en&taken-by=the_real_breadsy

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnh8YDWgbxx/?hl=en&taken-by=the_real_breadsy

I've seen a lot of odd things done by Broadway fans, but this takes the cake -or bread!

Seriously, so weird.

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 8:57pm

I just want to understand her thought process...

[bwaylinds]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 9:06pm

I mean if she feels such a great need to give George bread (which I will never understand why one would - he is perfectly capable of buying his own bread) then just give him a loaf from Amy's or something but this is honest-to-god insane. She looks like she can't be older than 16 and she definitely lives with her parents. Imagine what they thought! 

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 9:38pm

Just so all of you know, this vitriol toward teenage fans of a show isn't new. I'm in my late 20s so for me the shows were Spring Awakening and Legally Blonde and Wicked (and a little later on, [title of show] and Hair and Next to Normal), but the language people are using to describe fans of Be More Chill and Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton now is basically exactly the same. And yeah, some people were out of line and it definitely brought out the crazies, but most of us grew up and remain theatre fans and a lot of us are now professionals in the industry ourselves. From what I've heard, the kids at the show have been mostly respectful and enthusiastic, which isn't a bad thing. I haven't seen the show but ultimately, anything that gets people excited enough to become the next generation of theatre fans and ticket buyers is good in my book - it's what will keep the industry going and birth the next generation of writers, performers, directors, administrators, etc. 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 9:44pm

How the living did she get his cell phone number?

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 9:47pm

Apparently, fans are upset because he has a girlfriend, and they shipped him with George. So they are attacking him and his girlfriend. What the actual f***

[bwaylinds]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 10:17pm

Bwayfan292 said: "Apparently, fans are upset because he has a girlfriend, and they shipped him with George. So they are attacking him and his girlfriend. What the actual f***"

Don't you know? It's illegal to be straight on tumblr! Of course they should attack her!

I kid I kid... The reports on here as of recent were giving me hope for the BMC fans but I guess not.

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 10:54pm

The mods deleted the things I posted... Whatever. If you want a link it's right here.

WARNING: Language, general rudeness.

So fans messaging Gerard are way out of line. I get celebrity number trading was fun back in the day but don't actually message them. 

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 9/10/18 at 11:21pm

Update: the poor girl now is changing her phone number according to his instagram, because the stans are calling her.

Where tf are you raised that you believe this behavior is okay?