The Desperation Of Be More Chill

One: I adore your profile picture.

Two: I think they definitely are being hit hard by the Tony outcome. They probably realize that they aren't selling great, know that there are still some people out there who just need a bit of an incentive to see the show, and are trying to give them that incentive. Whether it works or not has yet to be seen.

HamilHansen said: "I've been noticing a lot more ad push/special offers/after-show "exclusive performances" for Be More Chill. Anyone else thinkthe one Tony nom is starting to panic them?"

There's no reason to believe they are related, given that no one thought it was going to sweep the Tonys, nor that it got snubbed...

MollyJeanneMusic said: "They probably realize that they aren't selling great."



Of course they know....it's their job to know.

I agree. I saw several of the co-producers and creatives posting very similar messaging about how the show is a hit and they are offering discounted tickets. So which one is it: is the show a hit or do you need to offer discounted tickets?

They're marketing the show as best and as aggressively as they can trying to be as creative as they can. That's what they're supposed to do. Why is that seen as a weakness or an act of desperation?

Marketing and advertising in general don't reek of desperation. What does reek of desperation are post-show performances (which have never translated into meaningful sales for shows like Bright Star and Disaster) and aggressive discounting. But it may be that their advertising dollars and press appearances just aren't translating into sales. Earlier in the run, the show had press features in NYT, Vanity Fair, and at least 2 national TV performances, among other media, which don't seem to have registered with ticketbuyers en masse.

I have an inkling July 7 is going to be a big closing day on Broadway: My Fair Lady, Ink, and King Lear as planned, with announcements post-Tonys for The Ferryman, The Prom, and BMC (which is when the current aggressive discount ends).

Updated On: 5/18/19 at 10:50 AM

I don't think it's an act of desperation; but rather just creative ways and incentives for undecided folks to finally buy a ticket (or two.)

In hindsight, they should have opened a bit later in the season (like in April) so people will still be talking about the show despite not getting that many Tony nominations. Back then people were talking about Salazar's Tony nomination for featured actor was in the bag, but then newer shows took the spotlight. In addition to the show itself, timing plays a huge role on whether a show can succeed or not in this unforgiving industry.

I hope it eventually succeeds but if we keep on seeing less than $500k gross each week, it will definitely close by Labor Day.

I am a huge fan and lover of Be More Chill but I always knew that going to Broadway was never going to work. The people who love the show and sold out the off- broadway run can't afford the broadway ticket prices as they are too young. So many fans complain about how they would love to see the show if only they had the money. I understand why producers would send it to Broadway as the hype around it when it was off-broadway and it being sold out. However they never considered that off-broadway tickets are more cheaper and that many fans couldn't see it and were complaining about it in very public ways such as Instagram comments. When they announced new block of tickets for the Broadway run all the comments were people saying I wish I could see this if only I had the money. It's also a show that appeals to the teen audience more than the adult audience and the adult audience is who you need to appeal to. Many of adults have enjoyed Be More Chill but it seems like more of a minority than a majority. As for why all the T.V stories, performances, and features in big magazines haven't worked is because the plot itself is pretty generic expect for the squip part which is what they should have been more focused on. The more than survive that was on GMA was too most people who don't know anything about BMC pretty generic, I would have done a number that focused on the squip and the sci-fi side. I think it will last longer than labor day as so many shows this season have gone on longer than they should have ( King Kong, The Prom). Even when it closes it will tour and have many international productions and will make way more money and become more known.

I definitely agree about how a smaller theater would've been much better for BMC. Like a week ago, I was checking Stubhub and found $12 tickets being sold for balcony seats. Clearly, this show is in high demand.

This is the Stubhub page for tonight’s Saturday 8pm show.

"BMC could have been a real success story if it had moved to New World Stages instead of Broadway."

A thousand times this.