Be more chill!

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For those unfamiliar with "Be more chill", it is a book, play and musical. Personally, my favourite version was that of the musical.

It follows the main character, Jeremy, who is somewhat of a geek and hangs out with his best friend Micheal.

Jeremy feels so self-conscious about not fitting in and being unable to talk to his crush, that he goes to the extent of spending a lot of money to have a robot (referred to as a Squip) implanted into their brain which instructs him on how to act.

The story isn't suitable for kids, so I wouldn't recommend younger audiences to watch this, since it has content that touches on suicide, and things of a sexual nature. However, if you are a teen or older, then I'd recommend it.

If you're looking for LGBT representation, then it's a good place to look. However, there are gay jokes, so if you are sensitive to that then I'd give it a miss. It also touches on internalised shame in one of the side characters, and goes into quite dark territory at times.

Especially when it comes to self-worth, this is particularly true in the musical version where the Squip doesn't hold back on insulting Jeremy, and makes Jeremy repeat the insults back to him.

I didn't like the play version as much, because I found some of the plot points weren't as strong as they were in the musical, and some of the characters weren't as likeable in the play.

For those familiar with "Be more chill", who was your favourite character and why? How about your favourite song? Any thoughts on any parts of it?

I saw the musical version once when I worked at a regional theatre as an usher one time.

Personally, I think it would have been better without the music. The story was interesting and I enjoyed its progression, but the breaking out into song I felt was distracting, and I didn't understand why the audience reacted the way they did at points. It also didn't help that the older lady seated near me had the overwhelming desire to do the two fingered whistle at the end of each song.

I was not aware that it was originally a regular play. Perhaps my thespian tastes will be better suited for that.

How to be More Chill
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