‘Be More Chill’ Cast Reunites for 10th Anniversary Concert

It’s never been a better time to be a loser!

The energy was contagious as fans of the beloved musical Be More Chill gathered at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, N.J. to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary on Thursday, July 24. Actors Will Roland and George Salazar, composer and lyricist Joe Iconis and more of the original cast participated in the special event.

The concert was the first of three, with the next two performances taking place on Friday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time. 

The Tony-nominated musical adaptation of Ned Vizzini’s seminal teen novel had its world premiere at the New Jersey theater in 2015, before premiering Off-Broadway in 2018. The show made a speedy transfer to Broadway the following year.

Since then, the musical has been performed all around the world with notable productions in London, Tokyo and the Netherlands. An 18-week limited run was planned for Chicago in 2020, but was ultimately canceled due to the COVID pandemic. 

Now, the cast of the world premiere and the Broadway production are reuniting to celebrate the major milestone and bring joy to fans of the underground hit. 

The two-hour concert featured performances of musical numbers from the work, including “More Than Survive,” “I Love Play Rehearsal,” “Two-Player Game” and more, with limited choreography. The cast also took turns sharing special stories from their time in the show, which ranged from silly off-stage antics to tearful anecdotes.

The concert — themed as a “class reunion” — had a few surprises for superfans, such as nods to the original costumes, a performance of a cut song and actors switching roles.

Iconis delivered remarks about Be More Chill‘s legacy at the top of the sold-out concert. “There’s so many of you!” he exclaimed as he walked out on stage and was loudly greeted by the audience (many of whom were dressed as characters from the show). “We are so, so excited. We cannot believe it’s been 10 years. We’re very overwhelmed right now and so thrilled to see all of you.”

Then the show kicked off with Roland, who originated the lead Jeremy Heere off and on Broadway, performing the opening number, “More Than Survive” — a catchy tune about being a social outcast.

A standout performance of the evening was Salazar, who portrayed Michael Mell in the world premiere and in the subsequent productions. The actor sang an emotional rendition of fan-favorite hit “Michael in the Bathroom,” eliciting a standing ovation from the crowd.

“I want to talk a little bit about the legacy of Be More Chill and how much it’s changed my life, and the lives of every person on the stage. It made us better artists, it made us better people, it made us better partners, parents, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters,” Salazer said, in a follow-up speech.

“10 years ago, I was trusted with this beautiful, beautiful high school student. Trusted with material that I have never been trusted with before. And for that, I’m incredibly grateful,” the actor continued.

Be More Chill tells a dangerous tale of teenage popularity in the internet age. The show follows Jeremy as he takes a drug called a Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor – aka SQUIP – which implants a supercomputer in his brain that tells him everything he needs to do to achieve popularity.

As the high schooler suddenly climbs the social ladder, he abandons his best friend Michael and flubs his chance with his theater-obsessed crush. 

Jeremy begins to question whether sacrificing his authenticity is worth the newfound adoration, but not before the SQUIP has fully taken over and begun to cause chaos among his peers.

The musical features music and lyrics by Iconis, a book by Joe Tracz and orchestration by Charlie Rosen.

Cast members Gerard Canonico, Katlyn Carlson, Morgan Siobhan Green, Lauren Marcus, Eric William Morris and Jason SweetTooth Williams also reprised their roles in the concert, with Amina Faye as a new addition.

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Breakout actress Stephanie Hsu, who later starred in Everything Everywhere All at Once and Laid, did not participate at the anniversary event. She was a part of the world premiere, and remained with the production during it’s Off Broadway and Broadway runs.

Overall, the concert was a beautiful celebration of the hit musical and its parting message that there’s nothing wrong with being a “loser, geek, whatever.”

Tickets for the Be More Chill 10th Anniversary Concert are now available.