Casting news: BE MORE CHILL ...Broadway premiere to feature entire cast of off-Broadway run
ONLINE PRESS KIT: Visit www.BeMoreChillMusical.com/
Be More Chill, will arrive on Broadway with the entire cast of this summer's off-Broadway engagement in tact. The company will feature Will Roland (Dear Evan Hansen, The Black Suits) as Jeremy; George Salazar (tick tick BOOM!, Godspell, The Lightning Thief) as Michael; Stephanie Hsu (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Christine; Gerard Canonico (Spring Awakening, Groundhog Day) as Rich; Katlyn Carlson (Dirty Dancing, The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin) as Chloe; Tiffany Mann (Waitress, Jerry Springer the Opera) as Jenna; Lauren Marcus (The Humans at St. Louis Rep, Company at Barrington Stage) as Brooke; Britton Smith (Shuffle Along, After Midnight) as Jake; Jason SweetTooth Williams (Freaky Friday, Benny and Joon, Bloodsong of Love) as Mr. Heere - Mr. Reyes - Scary Stockboy; and Jason Tam (NBC's "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert," KPOP) as The Squip. Cameron Bond(Finding Neverland), Anthony Chatmon II (The Book Of Mormon), Morgan Siobhan Green (Sweetee), Troy Iwata (The Boy Who Danced on Air), Talia Suskauer (Love in Hate Nation) and Joel Waggoner (School of Rock) are the company understudies.
"We are absolutely thrilled that the entire New York premiere company will be making the journey with us to Broadway," says Gerald Goehring, lead producer of Be More Chill." This company has collaborated to bring Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz's beautiful and universal musical to life off-Broadway this summer and we could not have been more thrilled with the outpouring of love we received from our fans around the world. The entire company cannot wait to bring the production to an even greater audience at The Lyceum in the new year."
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Be More Chill will begin performances at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street) on Wednesday, February 13 at 8PM. The official opening night is Sunday evening, March 10. Tickets are now on sale at Telecharge.com, (212) 239-6200 or (800) 447-7400, and at the Lyceum Theatre box office. Group Sales are available through Broadway Inbound, (866) 302-0995, groups@
Be More Chill, features music and lyrics by Joe Iconis (NBC's "Smash," The Black Suits, Broadway Bounty Hunter) and a book by Joe Tracz (The Lightning Thief, Netflix's "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events") based on the cult sensation novel by Ned Vizzini. Stephen Brackett (Buyer & Cellar) directs and Chase Brock (HBO's "Last Week Tonight," Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) choreographs.
The initial New York premiere production of Be More Chill played a sold-out limited engagement off-Broadway this summer. A hit with audiences and critics alike, The New York Times writes "Be More Chill is one of the most popular musicals in America." The Wall Street Journal raves "you don't have to be a millennial to revel in the spunky charms of Be More Chill. See it now if you can wrangle a ticket, because it's going to hit big - deservedly so." The New Yorker says "if you fed Dear Evan Hansen and Mean Girls to the Little Shop of Horrors plant, with a few Xbox games as a digestif, Be More Chill is probably what you would get. ...Dynamic, jouncy, and as infectious as malware." The Hollywood Reporter says "uproarious laughter ...enjoyable, catchy, up-tempo numbers, so winning that it's hard to resist," and Vox calls Be More Chill "a sensation. ... wildly adored ...universal. ... The audience was screaming at every song." Variety writes "It's one thing to be told that Be More Chill is a viral hit on the internet. It's quite another to experience the hype live and in the room, where the audience explodes like it's at a rock concert. ...People have come from all around the country, if not all around the world to see it."
Even before arriving in New York, Be More Chill's inspired a dedicated community of fans around the world. Before opening, this summer's New York premiere engagement sold out its entire limited run with tickets purchased by fans from all 50 states (plus Washington D.C.), and from 18 countries on five continents. Be More Chill had already amassed an unprecedented following across various online platforms, with millions of fans from Brazil to Japan to New Jersey sharing fan art, streaming the album (over 200 million streams to date), and talking about the show. Tumblr ranks Be More Chill as the #2 most talked-about musical on their platform, following Hamilton. Shortly after the announcement of Be More Chill's Broadway run, it was announced that Shawn Levy's 21 Laps("Stranger Things," Arrival, Night at the Museum) and Greg Berlanti Productions (Love Simon, "Dawson's Creek," "Brothers & Sisters") would bring an adaptation of the Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz musical to the screen.
What if popularity came in a pill? Would you take it, no questions asked? In Be More Chill, achieving that elusive "perfect life" is now possible thanks to some mysterious new technology-but it comes at a cost that's not as easy to swallow. What could possibly go wrong? Blending the contemporary with retro sci-fi, this thrillingly exciting, comically subversive, and deeply felt new musical takes on the competing voices in all of our heads. And ultimately proves, there's never been a better time in history to be yourself-especially if you're a loser...geek...or whatever.
Be More Chill features scenic design by Tony Award-winner Beowulf Boritt (Come From Away), costume design by Bobby Frederick Tilley II (Lizzie Borden, Top Girls); lighting design by Tony Award-winner Tyler Micoleau (The Band's Visit); sound design by Ryan Rumery (Fool For Love); projection design by Alex Basco Koch (Buyer & Cellar); hair and makeup design by Dave Bova; musical direction by Emily Marshall; music supervision and orchestrations by Charlie Rosen (Prince of Broadway, Honeymoon in Vegas); fight direction by J. David Brimmer; production supervision by SenovvA Inc.; casting by Telsey + Company / Adam Caldwell, CSA & Rebecca Scholl, CSA; production stage management by Amanda Michaels(The Children, Thérèse Raquin). John Corker and Lisa Dozier King are general managers for the Broadway run of Be More Chill.
Be More Chill is presented by Gerald Goehring, Michael F. Mitri, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Marc David Levine, Marlene and Gary Cohen, 42nd.club, The Baruch Frankel Viertel Group, Jenny Niederhoffer, Robert and Joan Rechnitz, Jenn Maley and Cori Stolbun, Chris Blasting/Simpson & Longthorne, Ben Holtzman and Sammy Lopez, Koenigsberg/Federman/Adler, YesBroadway Productions, Kumiko Yoshii, Phil Kenny/Jim Kierstead, Bruce Harris and Jack Batman, Jay and Cindy Gutterman/Caiola Productions, deRoy/Winkler/Batchelder, Jona
Following up on the success of The 2015 Two River Theater cast recording, available from Ghostlight Records, a special edition Be More Chill original cast recording on vinyl is now available. The 2-disc package features new illustrative designs, green and red colored discs, and a 16-page, 12 x 12 booklet with lyrics, production photos and a new liner note from Joe Iconis.
BE MORE CHILL BROADWAY LISTINGS INFORMATION
Be More Chill begins performances at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre (149 W 45th Street, NYC), on Wed. February 13 at 8PM. The official opening night is Sunday evening, March 10. Be More Chill plays preview performances Tuesday - Saturday at 8PM and Sunday at 7:30PM, with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2PM. There's a special matinee performance on Wed. 3/6 at 2PM. There is no matinee on Sunday, March 10. Beginning March 12 performances are Tuesday and Thursday at 7PM; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8PM; with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2PM, and Sunday at 3PM. Tickets are now on sale at Telecharge.com, (212) 239-6200 or (800) 447-7400, and at the Lyceum Theatre box office. Tickets range from $49 - $165 with additional premium seating options available. A limited number of Squip Zone tickets will be available at each performance. A Squip Zone ticket includes a seat in the first two rows of the theatre and one limited edition collector's item created monthly and exclusively for Squip Zone ticket holders. Group Sales are available through Broadway Inbound, (866) 302-0995, groups@BroadwayInbound.com.
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ABOUT THE CAST OF BE MORE CHILL
WILL ROLAND (Jeremy Heere) is a Brooklyn-based actor/singer/human. Recently: Be More Chill, Dear Evan Hansen, The Black Suits, LoserSongs. TV: "Billions", "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", "Red Oaks". Proud longtime member of Joe Iconis & Family. Passionate about new work: new plays & musicals developed with 2ST, La Jolla, Arena, NYMF, NAMT, Hartford Stage, & more. Thanks Mom, Dad, Val, Steph, Station3, SRDABD, Abrams, Wolf Kasteler, and my many loving teachers for their support throughout this crazy endeavor. www.will-roland.com, Twitter: @will_roland, Instagram: @actually_will_roland
GEORGE SALAZAR (Michael Mell) is thrilled to return to Broadway with Be More Chill. Broadway: Godspell. Nat'l tour: Spring Awakening. Off-Broadway: Be More Chill, The Lightning Thief (Drama Desk nom.), tick, tick... BOOM!, Here Lies Love. Regional: Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter. TV: "Bull," "Divorce." Albums: Two-Player Game, Be More Chill, The Lightning Thief, Godspell. Love and gratitude to the Salazar family, the BMC 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 families, and everyone of you who found and fell in love with our show and let everyone know about it. We're here because of you. www.thegeorgesalazar.com
STEPHANIE HSU(Christine Canigula) originated the role of Christine in Be More Chill at Two River and the show's Off-Broadway run. She is excited to continue the journey on Broadway! Most recently, she made her Broadway debut as Karen The Computer in the Tony Award nominated, SpongeBob Squarepants The Musical. Film/TV: "The Path" seasons 1-3, "Femme", "Set It Up", "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", "Girl Code". BFA: NYU (Experimental Theater Wing, Atlantic). All things for Liz Swados, always. Thank you beyond- to all my beloveds who help me bloom big. For more, follow @hsulace
GERARD CANONICO (Rich Goranski). Favorite Broadway credits: Groundhog Day (Original Broadway Cast, Fred), Spring Awakening (Original Broadway cast, ensemble/Moritz replacement), American Idiot (Original Broadway cast). Off-Broadway credits: Bare (New World Stages), Dear Evan Hansen (2nd Stage Theater), Brooklynite (The Vineyard Theater), and The Talls(2nd Stage Uptown Theater). Regional: Be More Chill (Two River Theater). Feature Films: Not Fade Away (Director David Chase) and Boy Wonder. Gerard also freelances as a musician on a variety of instruments and projects. Most notably he fronts and plays guitar in the touring tribute band to Blink-182 known as The Dude Ranch. Instagram- @GerardCanonicoOfficial
KATLYN CARLSON (Chloe Valentine) is thrilled to be making her Broadway debut with Be More Chill! She's been on this wild ride since originating the role of Chloe, first at Two River Theater (including the OCR), and again Off-Broadway. Other Off-Broadway: The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin. First National Tour: Dirty Dancing. Film/TV: Holly Star, Going In Style, My Name Is Jerry, "Happy Together," "Henry Danger," "Master of None," "Alternatino with Arturo Castro," "Billions," "The Jim Gaffigan Show." B.A., the University of Chicago. Love love love to her favourite Canadian, Ryan. @katlyncarlson
TIFFANY MANN (Jenna Rolan). TV: NBC's "Rise," "Orange Is The New Black." Broadway: Waitress. Off-
LAUREN MARCUS (Brooke Lohst). Broadway debut! Most recent credits include: Brooke in Be More Chill (Two River Theater and Signature Theatre), Brigid in The Humans (St. Louis Rep), Amy in Company (Barrington Stage), Beatsville (Asolo Rep), and The Jonathan Larson Project (Feinstein's/54 Below). Lauren is also a singer/songwriter, and her debut EP, Never Really Done With You, is on Spotify and iTunes. BM : NYU; MA : Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Endless thanks and love to BMC teams 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0, our BMC fans, my family, my man, Diane Kitten, CK, Hatch, John Simpkins, Acrilix, and Whole Artist Management. Whew! www.laurenmarcus.com, @laurmarcus.
BRITTON SMITH (Jake Dillinger). Broadway: Shuffle Along, After Midnight. Off Broadway: Bella (Playwrights Horizons); Fortress of Solitude, Wild Goose Dreams (Public), Wild Party, Cotton Club Parade (Encores). Regional: The Sting, The Honeymooners (PaperMill),
JASON SWEETTOOTH WILLIAMS (Mr. Heere - Mr. Reyes - Scary Stockboy) is making his Broadway debut with Be More Chill after being part of the Off-Broadway run last summer! Jason also recently originated roles in the world premieres of Disney's Freaky Friday (Signature Theater, La Jolla Playhouse) and Benny and Joon (The Old Globe). Be More Chill marks over a decade of collaboration with Joe Iconis, having also appeared in The Black Suits (SPF- The Public Theater), Things to Ruin (Le Poisson Rouge) and Bloodsong of Love (Ars Nova) and many others. Jason also played Prince Dauntless (opposite Jackie Hoffman) in Transport Group's revival of Once Upon a Mattress. Love to Molly and Mara!
JASON TAM (The Squip). Broadway: IF/THEN, Lysistrata Jones (Astaire Award nomination), A Chorus Line (Original revival cast), Les Misérables. Off-Broadway: Be More Chill, KPOP (Lortel Award), Marry Me A Little, Lysistrata Jones. Tour: Les Misérables. NY: Nobody Loves You, Allegiance, The Last Goodbye, US, Clueless, The Black Suits. Regional: Hollywood Bowl, Guthrie Theater, Sacramento Music Circus, Sharon Playhouse, Casa Mañana. TV: "Jesus Christ Superstar Live" NBC, "Do No Harm", "Guilty", "Hawaii 5-0", "One Life to Live", "Beyond the Break". Film: Every Little Step (documentary). BFA - NYU Tisch.
CAMERON BOND (u/s Squip/Jake/Mr. Heere-Mr. Reyes-Scary Stockboy). Broadway: Finding Neverland. Off-Bway: Be More Chill. National Tour: Finding Neverland (First Nat'l), Beauty & the Beast (Gaston). Regional: La Mirada/McCoy-Rigby, 3D Theatricals, Disney Cruise Line's Beauty and the Beast (Gaston). B.A. in Business Administration, Azusa Pacific University. Thank you Creatives, Professional Artists, TelseyCo as well as BJDKCJ for your unconditional love and support. @cameronjbond #squipdaddy
ANTHONY CHATMON II (u/sSquip/Jake/Michael/Rich/As Cast and Dance Captain). Broadway Debut! National Tours: Cinderella's Prince in Fiasco Theater's Into The Woods, Doctor in The Book Of Mormon. Other theater: Hairspray (DTC), Freedom Riders (NYMF), Lempicka (Lab), West Side Story (Hollywood Bowl). TV: "Law and Order: SVU", "Blue Bloods", "The Other Two", "Bull". Thank you God, Family, Sherry, Telsey+Co. IG: @Anthonychatmonjr.
MORGAN SIOBHAN GREEN (u/s Christine/Brooke/Chloe/Jenna/
TROY IWATA (u/s Jeremy/Michael/Rich/As Cast). Off-Broadway: Be More Chill, The Boy Who Danced On Air. TV: "New Amsterdam" (NBC), "Tell Me A Story" (CBS), "Quantico" (ABC), "Time After Time" (ABC), "Orange Is The New Black" (Netflix). Cast Recordings: The Boy Who Danced On Air (Rosser & Sohne), Island Song (Carner & Gregor). troyiwata.com @
TALIA SUSKAUER (u/s Christine/Brooke/Chloe/Jenna). Broadway Debut! Off-Broadway: Be More Chill (Signature Theatre). Proud alum of Penn State Musical Theatre. Thanks to HCKR, Joe Iconis, Jennifer Tepper, and the whole cast and crew of BMC. Endless love and gratitude to my family and friends who have never stopped believing in me. @taliasuskauer
JOEL WAGGONER (u/s Mr. Heere-Mr. Reyes-Scary Stockboy/As Cast). Broadway: School of Rock. Off-Broadway: Southern Comfort (Public Theater). The Joel Waggoner Experience (Joe's Pub). TV: "100,000 Pyramid" Season 3 Premiere. Composer: Presto Change-o (Barrington Stage).2012 Dramatist Guild Fellow (Composer). MFA from NYU Tisch. Debut single "Unlikely Warrior" on iTunes. Follow @joelwaggoner and @Joelcappella on Instagram.
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