Everything you need to know about the Be More Chill London transfer
Updated on 29 April 2020
Excitement and hype have been building up for the London transfer of Be More Chill, which was recently confirmed to be arriving at The Other Palace on 12 February 2020. The electrifying news came less than two months after the smash-hit musical closed on Broadway at New York's Lyceum Theatre. Now fans of the international cult sensation have something to look forward to come spring next year. The Be More Chill musical is poised to explode on the London theatre scene and in celebration of its new home and run, we've compiled this handy-dandy guide on everything you need to know about Be More Chill. Check out this guide along with a gallery of photos from the Broadway run below.
We hope to see you there at London's Other Palace in spring 2020!
An essential guide to Be More Chill The London Musical
Be More Chill knowledge is power! Be ahead of the pack and learn all you can about this stupendous musical for its highly anticipated UK premiere! Our Be More Chill FAQ is guaranteed to be both entertaining and informative.
Happy reading! 👓📚💻
The answer depends on if you mean the musical or the book. The 2004 American novel was written in the first person by Ned Vizzini, who introduced the fictional SQUIP pill that changed has now changed our lives forever. The nerdy, sci-fi publication got an "upgrade" when it was adapted into a stage musical by Joe Tracz, who wrote the book, and Joe Iconis, who wrote the infectious music and catchy lyrics.
If you mean "Who is on the creative team," then you've come to the right place! The new London production of Be More Chill features Stephen Brackett in the director's chair alongside Chase Brock as choreographer, Bobby Frederick Tilley II as costume designer, Tyler Micoleau as lighting designer, Emily Marshall as musical vocal arranger, Will Burton as UK casting director, Beowulf Boritt as set designer, Ryan Rumery as sound designer, Charlie Rosen as musical supervisor and orchestrator, and Alex Basco Koch as projection designer.
Be More Chill opened on Broadway on 13 February 2019 at the Lyceum Theatre.
The Be More Chill musical received its world premiere in New Jersey on 30 May 2015 at the Two River Theatre in Red Bank. It later enjoyed an Off-Broadway run in the summer of 2018 at the Irene Diamond Stage at Pershing Square Signature Center in Manhattan. The Off-Broadway run ended up completely selling out, which prompted producers to extend the musical's run at the venue by one week before Be More Chill eventually found a home on Broadway the next year.
The Be More Chill London performance dates are already set in stone and the musical is set to receive its London premiere on 12 February 2020 at The Other Palace following the closing of another musical adaptation, Amelie The Musical. The eleven-week Off-West End run of Be More Chill will finish on 3 May 2020, though it's unclear at this time whether it's an open-ended run or whether it will end up extending. Only time and ticket sales will tell! But you can certainly help by voting with your wallets to keep the musical alive!
Although The Other Palace is not officially considered a West End theatre, many theatregoers use the term "West End theatre" freely to denote any London theatre show on in The Big Smoke. So depending on how you look at it, Be More Chill is transferring to the "West End" this February! But not really...
Be More Chill tells the story of high school loser Jeremy, a social outcast who is bullied every day by Rich Goranski, the school bully and most popular kid in school. Jeremy just wants to be one with the crowd and to impress his big crush, Christine, who has her own problems to deal with. Desperate for her classmates to notice her, Christine auditions for the new school play: a Shakespeare knock-off called A Midsummer Nightmare (About Zombies). Later during rehearsals and after Christine wins the part, Jeremy gets jealous of Jake Dillinger, who flirts with Christine.
Upset, Jeremy heads to the bathroom where he's met with his bully Rich. Surprisingly, Rich reveals the secret ingredient to his recipe for success: a SQUIP pill that implants a supercomputer in your brain that tells you what to do and say in order to become popular fast! He encourages Jeremy to buy himself a pill and give it a shot so that he can finally learn how to be more chill and laid back. After giving in to peer pressure, Jeremy is met with conflicting voices in his head, arguing for dominance over Jeremy's free will. Can Jeremy really get the girl of his dreams and be the new popular guy, or is the SQUIP computer just a faulty get-cool-quick scheme that's bound to lead to a system crash?
We don't like to provide any spoilers. If you wish to know the answer to this question, either book your tickets for Be More Chill and find out next year or learn how to restrain yourself from spoiling the show! If you could wait with Game of Thrones, then you can wait to see what happens in Be More Chill! 😇
Be More Chill is recommended for ages 12 and up, as the musical contains strong language and mature themes that might not be suitable for children. Those under the age of 4 will not be permitted to enter the theatre, even with a parent or guardian.
The show's runtime is about 2 hours and 30 minutes, which includes a 15-minute interval to allow you to "chill" with a cold beverage and refreshments.
The Be More Chill cast for the UK premiere has yet to be announced. It is also still up in the air whether any of the original Broadway cast members will reprise their roles for the run across the pond.
Be More Chill on Broadway starred Will Roland in the lead role as Jeremy Heere, Stephani Hsu as love interest Christine Canigula, Jason Tam as the supercomputer voice inside Jeremy's head The SQUIP, Gerard Canonico as Rich Goranski, Britton Smith as Jake Dillinger, Lauren Marcus as Brooke Lohst, Katlyn Carlson as Chloe Valentine, Tiffany Mann as Jenna Rolan, and Jason "SweetTooth" Williams as Mr Heere, Scary Stockboy and Mr Reyes. Many of the cast members reprised their roles from the Off-Broadway and New Jersey runs.
Be More Chill London theatre tickets will only set you back at £24 if you book the economic saver seats. But if you're hoping to get the best seats at The Other Palace, be prepared to shell out at least £66 to ensure unobstructed views and a comfortable viewing distance. Be sure to book fast, as these tickets will not last long!
No concrete tour plans have been set. Though if the show proves to be successful (which is highly likely), then we see no reason why a UK nationwide tour wouldn't happen. Definitely stay tuned for details!
Yes. A Be More Chill film adaptation is in the works as we speak. The film is being produced by Berlanti Productions and 21 Lap Entertainment. Details on when the movie will be released in cinemas along with casting information are expected to be announced soon as the big UK premiere of Be More Chill draws closer and closer.
The original Broadway production of Be More Chill was nominated for: a 2019 Tony Award for Best Original Score (Joe Iconis); eight Drama Desk Awards, including for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (George Salazar), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Stephanie Hsu), Outstanding Music, Outstanding Lyrics, Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical (Bobby Frederick Tilly II), Outstanding Projection Design (Alex Basco Koch), Outstanding Orchestrations (Charlie Rosen); and four Outer Critics Awards for Outstanding New Broadway Musical, Outstanding New Score, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, and Outstanding Projection Design.
Broadway's Be More Chill was also nominated for seven Broadway.com Audience Awards and won four of them for Favorite New Musical, Favorite Funny Performance (Stephanie Hsu), Favorite Onstage Pair (Will Roland and George Salazar), and Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical (George Salazar). The musical was also nominated for 14 Theatre Fan's Choice Awards and ended up taking home 10 of them, including one for Will Roland's performance as Jeremy.
Be More Chill's best songs are often considered to be "Michael in the Bathroom", "I Love Play Rehearsal", and "Loser Geek Whatever", all three of which were nominated for awards. But you also can't go wrong with such musical numbers as "The Pants Song", "Do You Wanna Hang?", "More Than Survive" and "Voices in My Head".
You can book your London theatre tickets for Be More Chill with us when you try our safe and secure booking. Our highly intuitive interactive seating plan is also just the ticket you need for getting the best seats at The Other Palace in London. Our seating plan will inform you of the lowest-priced tickets and of restricted views so that you can make the best decision when booking West End theatre tickets.
By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.