Tag: be more chill

Goodbye to Be More Chill and the Prom, and also I saw Lion King!!

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Today, August 11th, begins the chain reaction of Broadway shows closing in the next few months, leading with Be More Chill, which opened earlier this year, and the Prom, which had about a year-long run. Next Sunday, we say farewell to the Cher Show, King Kong, and Pretty Woman. But as for right now, two shows that meant a lot to a lot of people are going up for the last time.

Beginning with Be More Chill, a show that has one of the biggest fanbases out there and is one of the “Golden Four” along with Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and Heathers. Fitting in that category, it’s a show with a mainly teenage demographic. Written by Joe Iconis, the show’s journey is impressive-many of the cast members have remained from the workshop to the Off-Broadway and now the Lyceum Theater. So the closing of this show is hitting hard for a lot of teens, as it left an impact on many and even saved the lives of some.

Now for The Prom, which saved many other people for a completely different reason. The show paved the way for LGBTQ+ respresentation. Now, saying that is blatant erasure of shows like Fun Home and Falsettos, but that’s not what I’m trying to do. What I mean is the initial responses were better in the community than those shows were originally and personally, I like this show a lot more in general than Fun Home, which is the fandom’s main rival for the Prom. It also had the first ever LGBTQ+ kiss on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Many people across the nation have gotten hope for their situations from the triumph of Emma and Alyssa. So, thank you, Prom, for giving people a safe space.

With all that being said, I’m not sure these shows were quite ready for Broadway- they just don’t sit on the same level as the smash hits in other theaters. I don’t mean to drag either in any way, since they’re still wonderful pieces of art, but if they had waited a couple more years, they could have made the show even better and last longer on the Great White Way. Nonetheless, it’s tragic to see such well-loved shows leave us.

On a brighter note, I saw the Rafiki Tour of Lion King on Friday! I tend to throw around the word ‘masterpiece’ a lot, and now I realize how much I needed to rethink my vocabulary choice. I don’t think I really knew the definition of the word until I saw the sheer spectacle that is Lion King. Seriously, if you ever get the chance to see it, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT DO IT. You will absolutely not regret it. It’s truly just beautiful. ❤

Thinking About What’s Closing Soon

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If you haven’t heard yet, I have some news for you. On Thursday and Friday (6/20-21) two well-loved shows announced closing dates on August 11th. The Prom and Be More Chill are both shows that I love, and that I know many people love just as much. And both have not even been running for a year yet, which is even more heartbreaking.

Let’s start with The Prom, since it announced its final bow first. From what I can tell, this production is closing simply because it isn’t selling enough tickets. But on the other hand, almost every show is sold out and some people bought tickets for later dates that are now cancelled. The reason I’m devastated by this show leaving th Great White Way is because it’s exactly what the world needs to see at a time like now. Especially since it’s Pride Month (happy pride, btw!) and some people still aren’t being accepting of certain groups of people. The Prom promotes not only that love is love, but also that everyone deserves the same treatment and that we all have our right to live how we want to live. It made history on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade with the first kiss between two females. It’s the most open-minded show to ever hit New York, and it has representation for everyone. And it has one of my all time favorite quotes: “One thing’s universal- life’s no dress rehearsal.”

Moving on to Be More Chill. I don’t have as much to say about this show but that doesn’t mean I won’t miss it, because I totally will. This show has only been open since early this year!! This is way too soon to close! But with that being said, I knew it wouldn’t last that long. The American Theatre Wing is getting bored with musicals based on preexisting material. I can’t blame them to be honest, but I definitely don’t group BMC in with most of the other recent adaptations or even the biopic musicals. The message the show displays is one that also needs to be heard. It shows that life is hard, and secretly, we all just want things to be easy, but often we can trade convenience for quality. We’re really all just ‘pitiful children’ in the end.

How do you feel about these shows closing? Let me know! (I just think it’s so sad how shows have to close so soon. I wish we could just build more venues, but that’s totally unrealistic.)

Friendships in Musicals- Rated out of 10

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First of all, Happy Tony Day! I’m excited to see how this year’s show unfolds. And speaking of “holidays,” yesterday was National Best Friends’ Day, so I thought I would talk about a few of my favorite friendships in musicals and just for fun give them “ratings.” Without further ado, here are the Broadway besties!

Number One: Elphaba and G(a)linda. What better way to start out this list than with maybe the most famous pairing? Elphie and Glinda meet in college, and it’s hate at first sight. For a long time, it’s hard for them to get used to each other, but as the story goes on, they become some of the best friends the world’s ever known. I think people could really learn a lot from their story, so I give them a 10/10.

Number Two: The Schuyler Sisters. Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy are not only a power trio of sisters, but also best friends, especially Angelica and Eliza. They represent ultimate platonic love, particularly when Angelica sacrifices her love for Hamilton so Eliza can be with him. I wish we got more of Peggy’s story, because she was just as much of a queen. 9/10 because we need more Peggy.

Number Three: Evan Hansen and Jared Kleinman. The typical high school boys who spend their free time doing not-typical things. Unless you think backdating emails you wrote claiming to be someone else because you need to prove you were friends with a dead kid you weren’t friends with in the first place is something typical. This friendship goes downhill fast when Evan is consumed by the lie, and Jared walks away from him. 6/10 for toxicity on both parts.

Number Four: Jeremy Heere and Michael Mell. This friendship is one that as soon as you witnessed it, you knew it would last throughout the whole show. Until Jeremy started ignoring Michael to be cooler, which caused Michael to feel hurt and eventually have an anxiety attack at a party. Nonetheless, Michael helps Jeremy out in the end, saving the day. 8/10 because it’s so one-sided. Poor Michael.

Number Five: the Barricade Boys. Barricade Day was just a few days ago, so I had to include them. They are the definition of loyalty- willing to die for each other, and unfortunately, most of them did. They spent all their time together, having as much fun as one could have during the June Rebellion. 10/10 I wish I had a squad like that.

Honorable Mentions: Winnie and Jesse, Tuck Everlasting
the Six, Six
Jack and Crutchie, Newsies
Dmitry and Vlad, Anastasia
The Fates, Hadestown

Who are your favorite Broadway best friends? Let me know!

P.S. I’m seeing Dear Evan Hansen on Friday, so expect a post about it next week!