The cast of Be More Chill: Jason SweetTooth Williams, Katlyn Carlson, Tiffany Mann, Britton Smith, Lauren Marcus, George Salazar, Stephanie Hsu, Gerard Canonico, Will Roland, and Jason Tam, photographed in New York City. Photograph by Sebastian Kim.
The futuristic novel-turned-musical finds its final home on the theater stage and expects to draw crowds from across the country.
“Mean Girls meets The Matrix” is how a cast member from the initial run of Be More Chill described the musical in 2015. Today, lead actor Will Roland likes to call it “Little Shop of Horrors meets Ready Player One.” Based on a novel by Ned Vizzini, the musical, which opens on Broadway in March, follows a socially awkward teenager (Roland) who takes a pill that implants a super-computer life coach (played by Jason Tam) in his brain.