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 Café 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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