Review: Be More Chill (Old Joint Stock Theatre)

Review by Raphael Kohn

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Be More Chill first went viral after its premiere across the pond, it was clear there was a cult musical in the making. I mean, the late 2010s were a golden age for musicals gaining traction through online fandoms, weren’t they? Hamilton took the entire world by storm, Heathers had teens obsessed, and then Be More Chill came on the scene. A musical that’s techy, wacky, and utterly nuts, there’s a reason it has such a devoted fandom; reasons that get tapped into in a small pub theatre in Birmingham, where creative ambition practically bursts out of its small space.

It's hardly a Sondheim musical in its complexity, but then again, it has no intention of trying to be. Playing heavily to its fanbase, it revolves around a gaming nerd at a high school, Jeremy, who dreams of breaking free from his social outcast status. In an act of utterly ludicrous desperation, he turns to an implant. In his brain. Activated by drinking Mountain Dew (only the green one). And this implant (the ‘Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor’, or ‘SQUIP’) takes the form of a Nero from The Matrix, and tells him how to be cool in school and fit in, which ultimately works wonders... until it doesn’t, of course, because plot development is still a necessity.

Like I said, it’s ludicrous. But actually, that’s why it’s enjoyable, because it’s ludicrously fun. James Edge’s production goes high-tech, pushing the boundaries of what pub theatres can do with screens lining the walls to display gaming-inspired annotations and animations (excellently designed by Liam Alexandru). They’re far more than a gimmick, playing multiple creative roles. Sometimes they provide backgrounds to establish settings. Sometimes they act as clever setpieces (who knew a TV screen could so suitably replace a urinal?). Sometimes, they even facilitate scene transitions with meme compilations. If anything will challenge your perceptions of what is technologically possible in a fringe pub theatre, it’s this.

The style’s not always matched by substance, with a plot that is often a touch superficial and sometimes lacking in wit, told through a script that is best described as weak. It’s not always helped by its music, which mixes bops with duds in a slightly forgettable and repetitive score. But it would be unfair for me to criticise this too much – after all, this isn’t a new work. What is certain here is that it’s an enjoyable piece, most so when you just embrace the silliness of it all, in a production that is really quite difficult to top.

And deep down, it’s actually highly relatable to far too many of us. It might be an odd metaphor for that awful feeling of not belonging and fitting in, and the lengths we’d go to change that. However, that might apply to you, there’s certainly a way you’d see yourself in this. Then again, perhaps the ‘SQUIP’ is a cautionary tale about the dangers of conformity and social pressures. Is the ‘SQUIP’ really an implant after all? Is it a metaphor for drug-taking, hard partying, and everything that constitutes ‘coolness’ in high school culture? It's never quite sure, and nor does the musical really get deep enough into such ideas to explore them properly, but that’s not a bad thing. If you see yourself in it, or you find meaning in those moments, that’s more than sufficient.

Even so, there’s a sprinkling of darkness in there in some themes of poor mental health and social isolation. Mainly arising in the fandom’s beloved song ‘Michael In The Bathroom’, there are glimmers of something interesting beneath the surface. Edge doesn’t let it overshadow the comedy of the rest of the musical, but even so, does manage to draw some sincerity out.

In lesser hands, such a performance would come across as immature and insincere. But thankfully, Jack Carr’s performance as Michael is a revelation, balancing the gloriously camp chaos of his character with genuinely heartfelt touches as he explores the darkness of Michael’s mind. It’s genuinely surprising to see that this is his professional debut; there’s a solid chance of a star in the making here. He’s not even the main character, Jeremy, who comes in the form of Tom Dickerson, a gawky and awkward lead who commands his transformation from a nerd into a ‘cool’ teenager masterfully.

Guiding Jeremy through this transformation is Tommy Fouweather as the ‘SQUIP’, with a suave edge to his sly performance and tremendous vocals to match. Not many of the other performers on stage get much in the way of character development and action to really explore, though Shannon Bourne’s performance as Christine certainly gets the laughs she deserves, while Steven Rostance impresses with his array of accents and excellent comedic timing.

I think this is all best described as ambitious to be honest, and you can’t help but admire it. The space is utterly tiny, crammed with ten performers in front of the screens. It’s all frantically energetic throughout, be that William Spencer’s enthusiastic choreography that practically shakes the seats with the actors’ leaps or Hannah Finch’s hectic lighting, flashing and spinning in a frenzy of luminous blasts. And that’s really what Be More Chill needs – plenty of enthusiasm and energy to carry it through.

Credit where credit’s due, the press night audience were ecstatic. This is a production for the fans through and through – some of whom I overheard talking about travelling for up to six hours just to be there. Others have booked upwards of ten times. And honestly, it’s beautiful to see people see themselves, and find such community, in this show. It’s a cult hit that is bound to be a success in a raucously fun, if at times silly, fringe musical.

Be More Chill plays at the Old Joint Stock Theatre until 31^st August 2025. Tickets from https://www.designmynight.com/birmingham/pubs/city-centre/the-old-joint-stock-theatre/be-more-chill-the-musical

Photos by Perro Loco Productions