Be More Chill continues at the Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham until 31 August 2025.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
The Old Joint Stock Theatre in Birmingham is continuing its mission to bring you unexpected choices in its musical programming. Next up at the city’s Fringe venue is American import Be More Chill, last seen on these shores in London for brief stints both sides of the pandemic.
Based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Ned Vizzini, the musical adaptation mixes teen angst with an exploration of artificial intelligence, seen through a prism of 1980s nerd culture. It marks another ambitious undertaking from the venue’s artistic director James Edge (who also directs the production), as it continues to push the boundaries of what Fringe theatre can achieve.
Social outcast Jeremy (played by Tom Dickerson) struggles with the usual adolescent insecurities, while also crushing on Christine Canigula (Shannon Bourne). His best friend Michael (Jack Carr) tries to assure him that they’re okay not being like the cool kids, but Jeremy’s longing to be seen as popular and cool continues to simmer. He hears about a secretive pill, a ‘Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor’ (SQUIP), that contains a computer which implants itself in the user’s brain and tells them what to do and say in any situation.
Out of desperation to be better at life and to win Christine’s heart, Jeremy takes the pill, and the SQUIP (played by Tommy Fouweather) begins to take control, dictating Jeremy’s words and actions, and inflicting pain when he doesn’t obey. When the SQUIP suggests further upgrades are required to give Jeremy the life he wants, Michael needs to find a way to bring back the old Jeremy or risk losing him forever.
Be More Chill fits in that same category of musicals as Little Shop of Horrors and The Toxic Avenger, off-the-wall cult favourites with that geeky charm but that never take themselves too seriously. We all have a certain portion of nerd within us that can relate to these characters, especially those of us who remember the 80s, and this is a true underdog story with two leading characters to root for.
Joe Tracz’s book is witty, perhaps a little superficial at times but with great personality and humour, and the SQUIP itself is a frighteningly brilliant creation with AI becoming more and more commonplace. Musically, the score is synthy electro pop (music and lyrics by Joe Iconis) which works well enough in context, though it’s largely unmemorable aside from the standout number ‘Michael in the Bathroom’.
The production defies the intimate performance space and delivers a show that feels big, bright and loud and full of energy. The physical scale of the show may be reduced compared to previous versions but it keeps the 80s vibes and video game imagery with some clever video design (Liam Alexandru), comprised of a series of TV screens which communicate what’s going on in Jeremy’s head throughout the story.
Watching the show does feel like being in a video game itself, an onslaught of light and sound, which is impressive but can feel relentless at the same time. Some will love this approach, with everything dialled up to 11, while others may find it too busy with too much going on in such a small space. But the intention behind it can’t be faulted – director Edge has such strong creative vision and seemingly limitless imagination that it’s difficult not to be impressed.
The cast is a mix of experienced more experienced professionals and newcomers, though you wouldn’t know, with everyone on form and giving strong performances.
Following excellent supporting work in the recent Dear Evan Hansen tour as Jared, it’s great to see Dickerson leading a show this time around. Onstage most of the time, Jeremy is a demanding role of high energy and big vocals, and Dickerson delivers.
As a professional newcomer, Carr brings pathos and likeability to his Michael in a remarkable debut that sets him on a strong footing for a promising career. ‘Michael in the Bathroom’ is the show’s standout moment and Carr tugs at the heartstrings throughout, perhaps going a little full throttle too soon rather than letting the song build, but it’s undeniably moving and effecting.
As the SQUIP, Fouweather is fantastically slick and charmingly robotic, giving his best ‘Keanu Reeves in The Matrix’ and selling every second of effortless cool. Maya Jade Frank and Ailsa Erskine are also a lot of fun as Chloe and Brooke, and Steven Rostance brings three impressively different energies in multiple supporting character roles.
Another success for the Old Joint Stock Theatre, Be More Chill is a cult oddball of a show that’s a lot of fun for the geek in all of us, and this production demonstrates again that shows are only limited by the imagination of the creatives behind them. Bonkers in a great way, if you missed Be More Chill the last time around, get yourself to Birmingham and give into the madness.
Rob Bartley
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