Thursday, February 20, 2020
Review Roundup: What Did London Critics Think Of BE MORE CHILL?
www.broadwayworld.com: Be More Chill tells the atypical love story of a boy, a girl....and the supercomputer inside the boy's head guiding him every step of the way. The boy is desperately trying to fit in. The girl's longing to be noticed. And the supercomputer just wants to take over the world.
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It is interesting to see what another country thinks of musicals that originated in the United States. I did not know what Be More Chill was until my high school decided to do it for our winter musical. I instantly fell in love with the score and understood how it became an online sensation for teenagers. The tunes are groovy, head-banging and hilarious. I was disappointed when critics destroyed it when it came out on Broadway. Yes it is teenage angst. Yes it doesn't really comment meaningfully on any of the themes present. But for teenagers, it is our identity. Also, it is fun to watch. The media opportunities alone should be interesting enough to merit less destructive comments. So, imagine my delightful surprise that people across the pond kind of actually agree with me. It's a fun show, not a deep one. This show has such possibilities for production design and media that each production could be different. I loved my high school's production and am glad that the one in London is getting a little bit better reception.
I personally never really liked Be More Chill. When I first heard the score I thought "wow this really isn't that deep is it". For me, Be More Chill falls in the category of meaningless but fun art, along with Mean Girls, Heathers, and those types of musicals. That being said, those show are really important to a lot of teenagers. Sometimes it is fun to have art that doesn't make you ponder your life existence, or leave with a feeling of hopelessness. I will say that Be More Chill is one of my least favorite shows that was on Broadway, and I think that the technical elements they added only made the show tackier, when they could've used that as a way to make it feel less like comic con and more like a show you paid hundreds of dollars to see. It's really interesting that the West End liked it more than America.
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