CHICAGO TRIBUNE
THEATER REVIEW
'Be More Chill' keeps it real
By Nina Metz
Special to the Tribune May 29, 2008
In high school, every move is scrutinized and analyzed to determine
social rank. Some will always end up in the realm of nerdy boys and
geeky girls, and the quest to maneuver out of Dweebville is the bedrock
of most Hollywood-generated teen comedies.
Judging by the giddy success of Griffin Theatre's "Be More Chill,"
currently in a rollicking, production directed by Jonathan Berry at the
Theatre Building, the premise still has legs. Sometimes everything just
comes together in a show—the right script, the right director, the
right
actors, the right time.
At once specific and universal in its depiction of high school, William
Massolia's easygoing script is adapted from the popular,
no-holds-barred
2004 novel of the same name by Ned Vizzini (who comes to town for
post-show discussions the weekend of June 21). And friends, this is not
the Nickelodeon or Disney version of adolescence; kids have sex, do
drugs and steal mom's car.
"I am so not cool," are the first words we hear from Jeremy, a gawky
dude who is intensely aware of the downside of dorkitude. He maintains
a
list of "mortification events" on a "humiliation sheet" in order to
gauge his social standing. As played by Jake Cohen (a junior at
Northwestern University), his vulnerable desperation is sweet and
hysterical. On the girls at school: "All their outfits are tight and
imaginative, as in—it's easy to imagine them not being there.
Incredible."
Jeremy pines after the prettiest girl in school (Rani Waterman), and
all
he needs is a miracle. Or a magic pill—a "cool pill from Japan" that
contains a supercomputer. It's called a squip, and once Jeremy gulps it
down, his squip (Edward Paul, hilariously committed to the role)
arrives
in the guise of Keanu Reeves, the "Speed" and "Matrix" versions. He
instructs his charge on the finer points of making out and warns: "You
have to turn me off if you drink. Otherwise I'll start ordering you to
kill people." Paul delivers this line with about 14 exclamation points
tacked on—silly, and seriously funny.
The entire cast achieves a nice balance between sketch comedy and
genuine emotion. Berry's direction, swift and confident, taps into the
dire humor and heartfelt devastations of high school, played out on a
terrifically simple but evocative set by Brandon Wardell. For a couple
of hours inside the theater, at least, teenage hormones and histrionics
rule the day.
Daily Herald
THEATER REVIEW
Griffin gives teen angst the cool treatment
By Barbara Vitello | Daily Herald Critic at Large
3½ stars out of four.
"I am so not cool."
A lanky teenager utters the altogether subjective (and universally
shared) self-condemnation at the beginning of Griffin Theatre's humorous
and heartfelt adaptation of Ned Vizzini's 2004 novel "Be More Chill."
Everyone who has negotiated the minefield of adolescence and emerged
(relatively) unscathed can empathize with Jeremy Heere (winningly played
by Jake Cohen), the endearing protagonist of Vizzini's snapshot and
sendup of teenage angst adapted by Griffin co-artistic director William
Massolia.
A humorous coming-of-age drama with a quirky, sci-fi slant and a hint
of romance, "Chill" centers on the attempts of Jeremy to become cool. An
adorkable, articulate young man so self-conscious he keeps a list of
"mortification events" detailing his social blunders, Jeremy wants to
learn to dress right, talk right, act right thereby making himself over
into the person Hollywood and Madison Avenue say he should be.
He believes a personality overhaul will allow him to penetrate the
inner circle of his high school's social elite and win the girl of his
dreams: the pretty, perceptive Christine (Rani Waterman), the thinking high
school boy's ideal. With best friend and fellow outcast Michael
(sensitive, truthful work by Northwestern University junior Charles Filipov)
offering little help and the cool kids disinclined to share their
secrets, Jeremy finds an unlikely ally in Rich (Brad Bukauskas). A former
social nonentity, Rich turned cool after taking a "squip," a super
computer in pill form, that transforms the user into the chillest of the
chill. After popping the pill, Jeremy finds himself subjected to a
personality overhaul courtesy of Squip (a clipped, well-timed performance by
Edward Paul who plays the role with a straight face and no irony).
The Squip looks like Keanu Reeves (of the "Matrix" and "Speed" era),
acts like a Marine drill instructor, and delivers everything he promises.
Trouble is, cool comes at a price.
Much of the show's success rests on the slender shoulders of the
disarming Cohen, a 20-year-old Northwestern University student. His intuitive
performance (an impressive professional debut) grounds the show. We've
seen this kid in this situation countless times before, but Cohen
draws us in and makes us care anew.
Director Jonathan Berry's astute casting translates to credible
performances from the ensemble, which also includes Stacie Barra as queen bee
Katrina; Caroline Neff as the slightly toasted Chloe; Nicole Pellegrino
as the sexually adventurous goth chick Stephanie; and Caroline Fourmy
as Anne, the bespectacled hanger-on. Douglas Thornton plays the hunky
quarterback Jake and John Ryan Murphy is the Game Boy-obsessed Mark.
Rounding out the ensemble is Steve Wilson, who plays Jeremy's clueless dad
and mannered high school teacher Mr. Gretch, and Marsha Harman as
Jeremy's distracted mother and dippy Aunt Linda.
Vizzini's plot is as familiar as his characters. But the story, which
unfolds on Brandon Wardell's minimalist, black-and-white set enlivened
by Lee Keenan's subtle but noteworthy lighting, feels authentic. That
"Be More Chill" rings true has a lot to do with its author's flair for
teen-speak and the fact that he wasn't long out of high school when he
wrote it. Moreover, Massolia (who eloquently adapted "Letters Home:
Voices of American Troops From the Battlefields of Iraq" for Griffin in
2006) treats the characters with respect. His script is sweet but not
cloying; the teens bright but not insufferable.
CHICAGO READER
BE MORE CHILL Pygmalion, Faust, science fiction, and the films of John Hughes all come together in William Massolia's adaptation of Ned Vizzini's young adult novel, about a nerdy teen who swallows a tiny supercomputer that transmits messages to his brain on how to be cool. The device, called a "squip," works as a kind of internal image consultant, advising the boy, Jeremy Heere, on how to dress, speak, and act (like a jerk, mostly). Outlandish yet grounded in the harsh realities of high school, Jonathan Berry's lively production for Griffin Theatre avoids both the corny and the ultra-arch. As Jeremy, Northwestern undergrad Jake Cohen sweetly conveys the confusions and longings of adolescence.
- Zac Thompson
Through 7/6: Thu-Sat 7:45 PM, Sun 2:45 PM, no show Thu 5/29, Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont, 773-327-5252, $24.
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