Be More Chill, a musical about a teenage boy who uses a supercomputer brain implant to help him fit in at school and get the girl, became a surprise Broadway hit thanks to its hugely dedicated fandom.
Now, the show is coming to London's The Other Palace - the first venue outside of the States. Creator Joe Iconis (music/lyrics) discusses the show's development, fan support, and why it's struck such a chord with young audiences in particular.
Are you excited the show is coming to London?
Oh my gosh, I'm beyond excited! The initial journey that we've had over the past year and a half truly been a dream come true. From a little kid who always wanted to be a musical theatre writer, to have a show on in New York, to be on Broadway and now in London - just the fact it's happening is surreal. And I never thought the London production would come together as quickly as it has.
Have you been involved with the development process over here?
Yes, I've been very involved - I'm definitely someone who wants to be as involved as I'm allowed to be with the theatre I've created! The act that this is the first production outside of the States, which doesn't feature actors who've been with the show for years, we want to make sure it feels like its own beast - and a really world-class version.
I've been completely involved in casting and in London for rehearsal. It's so fun as a writer to get to work with artists who haven't encountered the material before and who bring a new perspective. Every rehearsal, actors are bringing new ideas, inspiring me, making me come up with new takes. That perspective shift is so helpful - it only makes the show itself stronger.
The UK cast of Be More Chill
What kind of changes have you made?
Two things. First, there's stuff on the surface - so lines in the show about things like Hot Pockets, which are an American savoury snack. Clearly, the cast over in London is like "What the hell is that?". So you get a joke line where no one laughs! There's some stuff that doesn't translate.
But also, people have different life experiences. So they ask "Why does this character say this?", and I actually have to think about that moment and explain it, because it's not someone who's been developing this character with me for three or four years. So it's also the emotional lives of the characters, and getting really great new insights there.