Review: In ‘Be More Chill,’ the adolescent angst of ‘Evan Hansen’ gets a wacky (and loud) A.I. “Be More Chill” is already a Broadway Cinderella story. High-school misfits seem to be having a moment. Be More Chill feels squawkily split between camp sci fi romp and searing teenage-life-today commentary. What did the Broadway critics have to say? Now there’s Jeremy and his best friend Michael, who are the lonely, lovable oddballs in this musical about the growing pains of contemporary masculinity. Scott Folan and Blake Patrick Anderson in Be More Chill. "Be More Chill" feels more even and flows more smoothly than it did Off Broadway. I couldn't be less chill, not after sitting through the insipid "Be More Chill" for the second time. If the Squip is an internet-age metaphor for drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin, or for the noise of social media, neither of these aspects are driven home with heavy-handedness. And everything's been spruced up for Broadway - the cool computer-screen set by Beowulf Boritt, the outlandish costumes by Bobby Frederick Tilley II, the slick projections by Alex Bosco Koch. At The Other Palace, London, until 3 May. A tale of nerdy teen angst and technology by songwriter Joe Iconis and bookwriter Joe Tracz, this geek-love, sci-fi, high school musical bombed during its initial 2015 run at Two River Theater in New Jersey. Arriving from Broadway, it feels gloriously like its own thing, filled with astute observation alongside delightfully silly humour and storming performances. ‘There’s never been a better time in history to be a loser,” says a teenage nerd at the outset of Be More Chill. Much has been written about this heartfelt musical's unlikely road to Broadway, the tiny production in New Jersey, the album that went viral (more than 200 million downloads and counting), the Off-Broadway run that sold out before it opened. I feel so seen. And ultimately proves, there's never been a better time in history to be yourself-especially if you're a loser...geek...or whatever. When he hears of the Squip – an implant that embeds itself in the brain and gives instructions on how to “be more chill” – it sounds like an answer to his dreams of popularity. So I guess I'll just do theater." Plus, with its willingness to jokingly promote drugs and promiscuity, this is hardly a children’s musical. The cult hit Be More Chill, featuring music and lyrics by Joe Iconis, a book by Joe Tracz , direction by Stephen Brackett and choreography by Chase Brock, officially opened on March 10, 2019. A deeper strain of suicidal darkness flows beneath the colour and comedy. Cast members’ Katlyn Carlson, Tiffany Mann and Lauren Marcus’ raucous “The Smartphone Hour (Rich Set a Fire)” is a direct, gossipy tribute to stage composer Charles Strause’s “The Telephone Hour” from 1960’s “Bye Bye Birdie.”. It features some fun, upbeat numbers, including the title tune and "Upgrade," while another, "Michael in the Bathroom," is a terrific showcase for Salazar, who gets a huge ovation when he first walks onstage, signifying how familiar many audience members already are with the show. Still, rushed or relaxed, "Be More Chill" is Broadway's wiliest and socially savviest night out for teens and parents alike. And no one sums up this mixture of sincerity and worldly mischief better than Christine, who, when things look bleakest, delivers a distressed zinger that might just qualify for best self-own of the current theatrical moment: "I look around and everyone's hurting. Some of Be More Chill works. I saw it last year off-Broadway, a perch on which it landed by virtue of the mad crush many young folk developed for a cast recording that streamed online long before a New York engagement was ever in the works. 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