Thursday, 12 March 2020

12/3/20 - Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Be More Chill!


I have been immensely fortunate when it comes to exposure to musical theatre and live-stage performances. When I was younger, my aunt used to purchase tickets for myself, my younger sister and my mother to see shows on the West End, some of which, I still have the programs for now. I remember the first West End show I went to was Hairspray when I was around eleven or twelve years old. We got to stage door after the performance and the programs we bought were covered with signatures from cast members that were delighted that we had enjoyed the show. The last time I went on one of those trips was when I was sixteen. I had seen Wicked with my family and not everyone had enjoyed the performance as much as I had. But I was still much too young to go to the theatre alone. However, my love for musical theatre in particular didn’t cease.

It was only recently, in October of 2018, that I went to another West End performance, where I saw Heather’s on tour with two of my friends, just weeks after I’d managed to purchase Hamilton tickets for myself and my mother in the new year. It was then that I realised I had happened across an expensive habit. Since then, I have made four more trips to see shows in London; Hamilton (twice), Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, The Great Gatsby at Gatsby’s Drugstore, Dear Evan Hansen, Six, and most recently Be More Chill – which is the show I’ll be discussing today!

I figured that, I would share some anecdotes about my experiences, because, honestly, I just love to share and remember the fun I had!

SO, Be More Chill!

I bought the tickets for Be More Chill on their presale for a combined gift for a friend’s birthday and Christmas. She, like me, was not as into the show as we had been previous ones, but were intrigued about the show that gained a viral reception in the USA.

Despite us having limited knowledge about the show, both hesitant to read the book until we had seen the show onstage, we were very excited to finally see it, the two of us sharing a favourite song in the form of ‘Michael in the Bathroom’ which was an immensely apt depiction of experiencing anxiety.
When I went to London to see this show, I headed in much earlier than normal in order to visit other places. But, when it finally came to going from The Theatre CafĂ© in Leicester Square to The Other Palace, I cannot deny that I was grateful that we left early. Even though I had time to stop at the Costa on Cardinal Place, we struggled to find the theatre, and were dependent on Google Maps, which failed us. What I would recommend doing is exiting Victoria Train Station at Cardinal Place and following the path past Costa and turning left when you reach the main street, and follow the path. That way you won’t find yourself wandering aimlessly around the streets, struggling to navigate the vague instructions from Maps. If you struggle to find it, don’t be proud like us, ask a staff member in one of the stores along Cardinal Place. You won’t be the first, nor will you be the last to struggle to find The Other Palace. It isn’t in the easiest location to find. I would wholeheartedly suggest that you give yourself enough time to get lost.

We were still about thirty minutes early for the show and got to enjoy the bubbly atmosphere, with fans of the show all excited to see what would happen – we spotted fans wearing custom jackets that mirrored Michael’s from the show, and official merchandise.

The show itself was interesting – I went into it blind, and couldn’t deny that it was very clear the pacing was dependant on the intermission, the build-up toward the climax at the first act was much slower than most other shows I had seen. But, as much as it was a tad annoying to be at the edge of my seat, waiting to see something happen that would be detrimental, I really enjoyed the show. The second act was much faster, dramatic and the intermission seemed essential to set the pace for the immediate fallout. Had the show been without an intermission, the sudden shift in pacing would have been immensely jarring.

My favourite things about the show had to be the costuming. Although at the start, the use of colour appears slightly jarring, however, the use of bold, pop-ish colours are dramatic and work well with the use of backgrounds and technical motifs. There are references to classical gaming and coding – I really enjoyed seeing the abject absence of bright green until the finale, where everyone seems to be wearing green except for Michael, who wears red – the colour symbolism between the characters is amazing. I won’t spoil what they mean, but it was very clever.

The Squip’s costumes were fantastic too! I loved every single upgraded outfit and how it seemed that almost every time he came onto the stage, his outfit became more dramatic as he became more prevalent in the story, worming into Jeremy’s life. I found it super clever, and was in awe of the use of texture, patterns and clean-cut whites, silvers, greys and blacks with the Squip’s clothing.

There were some fantastic songs in the mix as well – I loved watching ‘Michael In The Bathroom’ live on stage, but was awed by how exciting The Pitiful Children was on stage. The lighting, choreography and drama really worked for the song. The clean movements were succinct and very dramatic. I really enjoyed it.

I had a great time at Be More Chill! It was unlike most of the musicals I have seen on the West End thus far, but I couldn’t help but fall in love with the intricacy of it.

Be More Chill is playing at The Other Palace theatre in Victoria, and tickets are available for performances until the 14th June.

Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you get a chance to see this show live! It was so good!

And remember,

Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley

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