Back in May, “Un-Block The Music,” did a story about Jennifer Ashley Tepper, author of the book series, “The Untold Stories of Broadway,” Creative and Programming Director at Feinstein’s/ 54 Below and producer of “Be More Chill” off-Broadway. Here’s an update. The show, which is set to run through September 23 is all sold out and it doesn’t even officially open until August 9.
A quick history of “Be More Chill”. It premiered at New Jersey’s Two River Theatre, which commissioned the musical in 2015. Despite the extraordinary audience response at the time, it was never picked up for off-Broadway. Two years after the world premiere, “Be More Chill” suddenly gained traction online without any effort from its creators. The cast album, music written by Joe Iconis, had found a solid digital fan base, approaching 100 million streams and becoming Tumblr’s second most talked-about musical. (Interview with Joe is coming soon.)
The plot, or rather the question that is the basis of the show is, “What if popularity came in a pill?” Would you take it, no questions asked? The show combines contemporary with retro sci-fi, and it’s funny. It explores what it means to “be yourself.” It certainly hits a nerve in today’s society.
According to Jennifer, you can still join the party by entering the TodayTix lottery (https://www.todaytix.com/x/nyc/shows/9851-be-more-chill) for a chance to win $29 tickets, or by joining the cancellation line which forms 1 hour before curtain at every performance! She says, if there are any questions, go to http://bemorechillmusical.com/faq
If you are interested in this story, check out the interview with Jennifer at:
Also, check out the profile of Eric Morris who starred in the Two River Theatre version of “Chill” and who is on the soundtrack.
Thirdly, check out this story about another recent show at Two River Theatre.
Un-Block The Music 
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