Be More Chill, which made its world premiere at the Two River Theater in 2015, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with two concert presentations of the musical July 24 and 25 at the Red Bank, New Jersey, venue.
Directed by Stephen Brackett and choreographed by Chase Brock, the 8 PM performances will reunite many of the Two River and Broadway cast members, including Gerard Canonico (American Idiot), Katlyn Carlson (Bookie), Will Connolly (Once), Lauren Marcus (Company), Eric William Morris (King Kong), Will Roland (Dear Evan Hansen), George Salazar (Godspell), and Jason SweetTooth Williams (American Horror Stories) with more to be announced.
With music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz, the musical is based on the novel by Ned Vizzini and tells the story of an average teenager who takes a pill purported to make people more easygoing. '
鈥�Be More Chill holds a special place in Two River history,鈥� says Two River Theater Artistic Director Justin Waldman in a statement 鈥淏eloved by audiences here, on Broadway, and around the world, we are thrilled to mark this special occasion by welcoming the Joes, Iconis and Tracz, back to Red Bank.鈥�
鈥淏e More Chill is a show that changed my life in countless ways,鈥� adds composer Iconis. 鈥淚 don't know where I'd be had Two River not taken a chance on me many years ago, and I am so thrilled to celebrate 10 years of this misfit musical on the stage where it was first performed. My collaborators and I cannot wait to spend a few days in glorious Red Bank partying with the fans who have supported us on this journey and looking toward the future. There's never been a better time to be a loser.鈥�
Following a world premiere at Two River Theater, which commissioned the musical, Be More Chill steadily amassed a cult following online for three years, leading to a commercial Off-Broadway debut at the Pershing Square Signature Center in 2019. A subsequent Broadway run played the Lyceum February 13-August 11, 2019, earning a Tony nomination for Best Original Score.
The original Broadway company featured Roland, Salazar, Stephanie Hsu, Canonico, Carlson, Tiffany Mann, Marcus, Britton Smith, Williams, and Jason Tam plus understudies Cameron Bond, Anthony Chatmon II, Morgan Siobhan Green, Troy Iwata, Talia Suskauer, and Joel Waggoner.
In addition to the concerts, on July 23 at 8 PM, Two River will host an In the Know conversation with Iconis and members of the company, hosted by Two River Artistic Director Waldman. This event is free to the public and may be reserved
Tickets for the concerts will go on sale at noon May 20 by .
