By J.E. Ballantyne Jr.
Technology is changing fast – so fast that what was new today is ancient history tomorrow. With cell phones, video games and computers, none of us are sure of anything from day to day.
That has even seeped into the entertainment industry – more specifically, live theater. The only constant that seems to still exist are live actors… well, at least for now. But that could soon change as spelled out in the Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz musical “Be More Chill,” which opened at Youngstown State University’s theater Friday night.
An outcast at his high school, Jeremy Heere is the butt of everyone’s jokes and bad behavior. But Rich Goranski, the school bully, comes to the rescue, claiming that he was in the same boat until he took a pill labeled, “Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor,” or SQUIP. Quite conveniently, or not, this tiny pill tells you what to say and what to do. Problem solved – right? Well, not quite.
Armed with this dubious knowledge, Jeremy purchases a dose of SQUIP from the back room of a Payless Shoe Source store. Oh, and to make it work, you must drink Green Mountain Dew. That’s reason for doubt right there. But Jeremy is sold on the prospects to come, or at least he thinks he is.
It is obvious that Sam Nabring is having a great time bringing the character of Jeremy alive in this production. From the opening number, “Jeremy’s Theme,”
he is in top form. Although not the best singer in the cast, he nonetheless sells this character to an almost full Spotlight Theater. His lack of singing chops actually adds to his character. He skillfully navigates all of the avenues which Jeremy must travel from taking the SQUIP, the changes it causes, and the results it produces. On stage for almost the entire show, Nabring’s energy and audience connection builds with each appearance. The different nuances Jeremy goes through after finding out that the SQUIP is not the answer to his problems were well handled.
Meanwhile, Jeremy’s best friend, Michael, played by Nicholas/Vixen Atwood suffers some of the consequences of the pill’s effects. Jeremy and Michael have always been best friends but Michael is soon discarded by Jeremy once the SQUIP kicks in. Atwood provides the perfect foil for Jeremy and the two play off of each other well. The development of and disintegration of their friendship is played out well with Michael getting a shining moment with his solo number, “Michael In the Bathroom,” in Act II. His acting provides strong support not only for Jeremy but also for other members of the company.
Rich, who gets the whole ball rolling with the SQUIP, is played by Ben Podnar. Rich, as stated earlier was once bullied in school until he took SQUIP which turned him into the bully. He prompts Jeremy to make the purchase. Podnar plays the “tough guy” very well and creates plenty of angst for Jeremy – enough to make it believable that Jeremy would take such a big step. But Podnar has a softer side which he delivers quite well once we get into Act II.
Part of the reason Jeremy wants to take the SQUIP is to hopefully win over the girl of his dreams – Christine – played by Natalie Horvath. Christine barely notices him prior to the pill, but does an about face after he takes it. That about face, however, is not quite what Jeremy hoped for. Horvath does well with the character of Christine and with the many different levels of the character. Sometimes, indifferent, sometimes sympathetic, and sometimes just plain flighty, Horvath combines them all into a good performance.
Brooke also plays into the story. Played by Natalie Ciccone, she is a real winner on stage. Lively with a lot of energy, she is a breath of fresh air in many scenes when she has lines. With a very expressive face, she is almost a scene stealer in many cases.
The personification of the SQUIP is very well played by Liam Burk. A character that takes over each time he enters, Burke takes full advantage of the controlling aspect of the character and makes himself a domineering part of each scene in which he appears. With a sinister edge, Burke provides the perfect dark side, if you will, to the whole concept of this little pill.
James Desharnais appears several times as Mr. Heere, Jeremy’s father, who doesn’t wear any pants. Desharnais is adequate in the role but gets overshadowed by some stronger performances. Unfortunately, his solo number, “The Pants Song” is almost totally unintelligible due to the sound level of the band. This was also the case with several solos and solo lines when actors were upstage. The four-piece band was way too loud and overpowered many of the actors. It doesn’t take very much sound to overfill that small black-box theater.
Others in the cast were Lincoln Hall (Jake), Romerio Darkins (Mr. Reyes), Owen Mills (Stockboy), Ilse Zijlstra (Jenna), Samantha Cox ( Chloe), and Alex Bosca (Ensemble). The cast was high energy and focused with full musical numbers such as, “The Smartphone Hour (Rich Set a Fire),” which is somewhat reminiscent of “The Telephone Hour” from “Bye, Bye Birdie.” “Halloween” and “Voices In My Head” also give some punch to the show.
Director Adam Day Howard has put together a good cast that was rehearsed well and handled the crazy nature of this show all the way through. Set design by Todd Dicken is very easy and minimal consisting of a platform upstage, a screen for video, and assorted props. In the costume department Katherine Garlick designed contemporary looks aside from the SQUIP, who is attired in attention getting garb which fit the nature of the character.
This is a very unusual show, especially for a musical. At just a little over two hours you will need to get there quickly as it is only a two-weekend performance run.
CAUTION: Not appropriate for age 13 and under
“Be More Chill” will continue Nov. 15, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 16 and 23 at 2 p.m.
Pictured at top: Nicholas/Vixen Atwood and Sam Nabring in “Be More Chill.” (Every Angle Photography, Elaine Manusakis)