BE MORE CHILL - Old Joint Stock (08/08/25)

Iconis and Tracz bring musicals into the digital age with great panache

Picture the scene: you’re in school, there is a definitive social hierarchy, and you are very much at the bottom of the pecking order, slumming it with the losers and the nerds, dreaming of being able to scrape your way out of the doldrums of dork and rub shoulders with the popular kids. This is very much a tried and tested formula, the nerd, his even nerdier best friend, and the ultimatum with which he is faced, between maintaining this lifelong friendship, and realising the high school dream of popularity.

With this undoubtedly overdone formula, there has to come a unique selling point, something that sets it apart from other similar stories, and my goodness does “Be More Chill” manage this in spades. This Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz musical tells the story of high school junior (year 12 for British reference) Jeremy Heere, who is, to put it bluntly, a social reject; he has no confidence, no social prospects, and feels invisible, safe for best friend and sole confidante Michael Mell. His solution? To take an experimental drug that implants a computer in his brain to influence, even control his every word and movement, activated by Mountain Dew no less.

Jack Carr, Steven Rostance and Tom Dickerson (credit: Perro Loco Productions)

On paper it sounds thoroughly unhinged, like something a couple of stoned college kids would muster up, and yet somehow it is an absolute stroke of brilliance from original author Ned Vizzini, both in its unbridled imagination and originality, and the way it dives so deeply into the teenage psyche, fully understanding the nuance and anxieties that come with it. But what was most intriguing was this constant of incorporating video game culture, which has become so prevalent over the past 30 to 40 years, and there were plenty of subtle and not-so-subtle nods to gaming past, with everything from Pong and PacMan to Tomb Raider, Pokemon and Minecraft afforded the limelight; whatever your era of gaming, there's bound to be something that will tickle your nostalgia bones.

It was Paul and Hannah Finch's lighting, in collaboration with video design by associate director Liam Alexandru, that gave this piece such a digital age aesthetic, with the back of the stage adorned by screens of various sizes, providing clever and original, at times delightfully funny visual aids; a particular highlight of this was "Two Player Game", a song that best shows Jeremy and Michael's friendship, during which we are treated to a plethora of video game clips from years gone by. It did, however, feel a little odd at times to have these cut in and out so suddenly, and the absence of any video transitions was slightly jarring, making the overall direction feel uneven and messy. Thankfully this didn't hamper the overall enjoyment, as the narrative was presented clearly and in an extremely fun way.

What was absolutely unequivocal though was the quality of performances on that stage, a wonderful mix of experience and superb new talent, all playing off one another brilliantly, as well as giving us some pretty remarkable solo turns; leading the line was Tom Dickerson as social outcast Jeremy, who gave us plenty of resigned awkwardness, as well as marvellously unbridled, unhinged vim and vigour, and always eliciting laughs aplenty. Opposite him was the irresistibly adorkable Shannon Bourne as Christine, who perfectly encapsulated the giddy, over-keen theatre kid and all the extravagance of expression that comes with it, and she balances the character magnificently, never descending in farce.

Shannon Bourne and Tom Dickerson (credit: Perro Loco Productions

Pick of the day though has to be rising star Jack Carr as Michael, who gave a mature performance that will have struck a chord with many in the audience, and especially during "Michael in the bathroom", during which Carr showcased his stunning powerhouse vocals, but still managing to capture the vulnerability and anxiety of the scene, he absolutely stole the show during this act 2 solo moment. Jessica Lim additionally blew the roof off with her soaring upper range, she truly can belt like the best of them.

Any one of this cast could have a full paragraph dedicated to them, the menacing charisma of Tommy Fouweather's take on the Squip, the hilariously caricaturish "popular girls" portrayed by Maya Jade Frank and Ailsa Erskine, and some impressive, at times hysterical multiroling from trouser-shy Steven Rostance; everyone contributed and was afforded ample opportunity to shine. What the production lacked in overall refinement it more than made up for with its heart, its immersive feel due to the complete use of such an intimate space, and the and the high calibre of performances that fully sell this quirky, kooky, fabulously fun coming of age musical.

★★★★☆

"Be More Chill" runs at the Old Joint Stock until the 31st of August (tickets)

{PR/Gifted tickets}