Talia Suskauer, left, a member of the “Be More Chill” cast, greets fans after Tuesday’s performance at the Pershing Square Signature Center.CreditCreditJeenah Moon for The New York Times
“Be More Chill,” an energetic sci-fi musical set in the anxious halls of a high school, is coming to Broadway, propelled not by a presold megabrand or raves from critics, but a surge of social media.
Producers are betting that Broadway, increasingly dominated by movie adaptations, jukebox musicals and plays starring celebrities, has room for a no-name show whose early evangelists have been adolescents converted to fandom by streaming the cast album online.
Encouraged by the success of a current Off Broadway production, which sold out its run before the first performance, the producers announced Wednesday that they would open on Broadway in March at the 900-seat Lyceum Theater. The show, directed by Stephen Brackett, features a pop-rock score by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz.