SUPAS’ Be More Chill – Sheffield University Drama Studio, 28 November 2024
Review by Jacob Bush.
Be More Chill comes to Sheffield as Sheffield University Performing Arts Society takes on the modern cult classic. The musical follows unpopular high school student Jeremy Heere as he takes a ‘grey oblong pill’ and gets a Squip – a super computer in his brain that guides him to popularity.
Joe Tracz’ writing is great – he creates believable characters, finding both laughs and heartfelt moments within the plot. The music and lyrics by Joe Iconis fit the plot and the setting perfectly. It’s very reminiscent of other high school musicals, adding a sci-fi twist to the sound.
Director Alice Bell keeps the show moving at an excellent pace. She really leads her cast in making their characters believable but at times, given the nature of the plot, pushing into the larger than life wouldn’t have harmed the show. Zara Walton’s choreography is energetic and really fun to watch, really finding a clear and consistent style for the show.
Jamie Stephens is pretty much perfect as leading man Jeremy Heere. He delivers powerful vocals – Jeremy is a very challenging singing role – whilst showcasing some excellent acting through song skills. He is instantly likeable, leading the audience to root for him from the off.
Esther Scourse plays Michael Mell wonderfully. The rapport between Scourse and Stephens is entirely believable. Whilst some of the songs feel too low for Scourse, they give an outstanding rendition of the iconic Michael in the Bathroom. Jess Aldersley is lovely as Christine Cangiula and has a lovely chemistry with both Stephens and Grace Imonhini as Jake Dillinger. She delivers her songs wonderfully, but a little more movement to I Love Play Rehearsal would have been nice to see.
Alicia Adeleye completely reinvents the role of The Squip, a role traditionally played by a man. Her characterisation of The Squip as a powerful yet power hungry woman is perfect. Some of her song sections are challenging to hear due to a combination of them being very low for her and the sound levels not being particularly high. However when she finds moments to really let rip, such as during The Pitiful Children, she sounds wonderful with a rich, soulful voice.
The supporting cast has some fabulous performances throughout it. Sophie Warren and Nany Rutter bring to life Chloe and Brooke wonderfully. Both are funny and both deliver strong vocal performances. Izzy Woolcott as Jenna leads The Smartphone Hour brilliantly, with very strong vocals and great characterisation, and Grace Imonhini as Jake really comes into her own leading the song Halloween.
Be More Chill is a fun show and SUPAS present it well with some excellent performers, effective staging and wonderful choreography.