#i find it kinda funny sundays a harmony character now

[kiilttis-art]

Aligned Dissonance

[staystrange]

Things I Noticed at the First Sunday Matinee of Be More Chill on Broadway -- 02.17.19

It took me so long to write this post because I had so many thoughts, but I get to post it now in honor of opening night, so I guess it works out : )

NOTE: I have never seen the New Jersey production, so any references I make to that version of the show are based only on the original cast recording. I saw the Off-Broadway production once, back in August, and I wrote a very long and detailed post about that, which you can find here if you are interested. I tried to remember as much as possible from both the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions, but my memory isn’t perfect, so apologies in advance if I misremember anything. Enjoy!

OTHER NOTE: When I saw the show Off-Broadway, I saw Troy Iwata as Jake, and when I saw it on Broadway, I saw Troy Iwata as Michael, so any comparisons between productions for those two characters could either be actual character changes or just changes because I saw two different actors play those characters.

Act 1

Jeremy’s bed isn’t onstage at the top of the show anymore. It gets moved onstage once the music starts.

JEREMY WEARS GLASSES!!!!! The Squip fixes his eyesight later, which is a cool way to bring up the fact that the Squip has control over Jeremy’s optic nerves before the optic nerve blocking part happens. As far as I can remember, Jeremy doesn’t wear the glasses again at the end of the show. But still, I was just so excited to see that he wears glasses now. Yay glasses!! (EDIT: I HAVE SEEN PHOTOS AND HE DOES WEAR THE GLASSES AGAIN AT THE END OF THE SHOW)

Will says “Good morning, time to start the day!” a LOT more sarcastically than before.

The dialogue in More Than Survive is different. The conversation about Madilyn being a slut / Jake being a player / etc. is gone and instead there’s a conversation between Jake and Chloe about how he thinks they should both see other people and she pretends to be mature about it but she’s actually upset. The part where Rich writes “BOYF” on Jeremy’s backpack is still the same, though.

At the end of the first round of “Christine…” Will sings it up the octave and it sounds so good and so perfectly Jeremy and I love it. Whoever made that decision deserves an extra round of applause.

There’s an extra bit of dialogue before Michael’s entrance in More Than Survive. Jenna walks onstage with Chloe and tells her that she saw Jake flirting with Madeline, and Chloe stops and says “I want details!” before shoving food in her face and walking offstage.

When I saw the show Off-Broadway, George got entrance applause, and I’d heard that Troy had gotten entrance applause in previous performances the weekend I saw it, so I was all ready for there to be entrance applause when I saw the show. There wasn’t any. It was just me awkwardly cheering.

When Will says “you’re listening to Bob Marley again, aren’t you?” he raises his voice to be heard over the music that is for sure blasting in Michael’s headphones.

The “I wrote Christine a letter telling her how I feel” dialogue is gone. I don’t remember if it was there Off-Broadway either, but it’s such an iconic line and I miss it. I’m glad it’s preserved on the OCR, though.

Michael gets so excited when he sees that the backpacks say “boyf riends” and he says “my mothers will be thrilled!” and takes a selfie with them. When I saw it on Broadway, either the audience laughed too loud or Troy’s mic didn’t work for a second because the first part of the line was cut off and my friend who had never seen the show before totally missed the fact that Michael has two moms.

When Michael says “there’s never been a better time in history to be a loser!” Jeremy responds by saying “thanks” in a way that is exactly like that video with the girl who gets an avocado for a gift. You know the one.

There are new Michael/Jeremy “Christine…” harmonies!!

The cast doesn’t hold out “Canigula…” as long as on the cast recording.

The end of More Than Survive is as heartbreaking as ever and I cried.

CHRISTINE’S BOOTS ARE RAINBOW NOW!! Also, I want them.

I thought they may have cut the “I’m joking!” “I’M JEREMY!” part but nope, it is still there, and it’s still one of my favorite moments of the show.

I Love Play Rehearsal got about a hundred times dorkier for both Christine and Jeremy and it was perfect. Stephanie Hsu is so perfectly dorky off course but the way Will as Jeremy reacts to everything she says and does during that song is so spot on and it just shows how incredibly talented Will is. Aside from that, I Love Play Rehearsal has barely changed.

After I Love Play Rehearsal, Jeremy says something about how he wishes he loved something as much as Christine loves play rehearsal and I thought it was really sweet.

The first More Than Survive reprise is still there! Untouched! Yay!

The Squip Song scene didn’t stand out to me as having any significant changes, aside from Rich now being noticeably affected by his Squip.

I’m not 100% sure but I think there was an extra section in the actual Squip Song that wasn’t there before.

Jeremy’s Squip Song reprise is still there, too.

The dialogue in Two-Player Game is a little bit different, though I already knew that because I was at the Be More Chill event at the Guggenheim that day when it was FREEZING. Michael mentions that Jeremy’s like the Crystal Pepsi he got from Spencer’s Gifts, and Jeremy asks, “Not safe for human consumption?” and Michael replies, “Better with age.” I’m pretty sure Michael referenced a different drink in previous versions of the show, though I’m not 100% sure about that. Also, the choreography is different.

I have now seen three different combinations of Michael/Jeremy perform Two-Player Game: George Salazar and Will Roland (Off-Broadway and the Guggenheim), George and Joe Iconis (Two-Player Game at 54 Below), and Will and Troy Iwata (Broadway). I just think that’s pretty cool.

When Michael sings “I’m your favowite person” he like leans back on Jeremy instead of hugging him.

When Michael and Jeremy sing “it’s just what we do, we make it a two-player game,” the note on PLAY goes up instead of staying the same. I’m not sure when this change happened because it’s the same as the original version on the Two-Player Game album but every time I’ve seen it live since Off-Broadway, it’s had that change. Whenever it happened, I love it and I’m glad it’s a permanent change.

The “I spent all of my bar mitzvah money on a winter-green tic tac!” line is still there. Jeremy is still Jewish. REPRESENTATION!!

When the Squip first appears, he sings this like intro to Be More Chill Part 1 that has part of the old version of Upgrade in it and I was not expecting it at all whatsoever but I like it!

Will looks so proud of himself when he says “I am a masterbater” and it’s hilarious.

Instead of “Jesus Christ” Jeremy says “This was a mistake” and it’s so funny.

The Squip jumps up on the top of one of the clothes racks and sings from there and it’s great.

The mall characters are still as hilarious as ever.

THIS is a big change: The second More Than Survive reprise was almost completely cut and replaced with a new song called Sync Up, which is about Jeremy’s first day of school with the Squip and how it helps him connect with the other characters. It’s a pretty cool song! The “all in all a not too heinous day” part of the More Than Survive reprise is now part of Sync Up, and everything else is gone.

This isn’t a change, but Will Roland dramatically reciting Shakespeare lines will never get old.

A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into is pretty much the same as Off-Broadway (which was changed from the original), though the bridge part has like a couple extra notes at the end.

The Squip Lurks instrumental might be gone but I don’t remember for sure.

UPGRADE. Upgrade is seriously like 90% a completely different song than the version on the cast recording. It has changed even more since Off-Broadway, but it’s so much better now!! Instead of just being about Jeremy and Christine each “getting an upgrade,” it now reveals so much about the other characters and adds so much depth to them. I wish I remembered every single lyric, but I remember there’s one part where they all sing “I’m tired of being the person that everyone thinks I am” and it’s just WOW. But yeah, seriously, Upgrade got a serious upgrade.

Loser Geek Whatever is pretty much the same, though the orchestration and staging are slightly different. The song starts with Will sitting on the bleachers on the right of the stage (from the audience’s perspective) and he eventually gets up and just sings it on the otherwise empty stage like he did Off-Broadway. I figured they weren’t changing it much since they already released the studio recording of it. I definitely cried during it though, despite this being my third time seeing Will sing it live. It’s just SO GOOD. He really leaves everything out in the open onstage and I could feel it, even up in the balcony.

Act 2

Halloween has a couple changes. The Squip dances during Halloween with the rest of the cast, which is an interesting change from Off-Broadway. Also, there’s a new section in the song with a new melody and lyrics and I wasn’t expecting it but I like it!! Will did a cartwheel during this song Off-Broadway but didn’t on Broadway and I was disappointed (but not for long — see below).

Christine still wears the princess costume and the whole Prince and princess misunderstanding between Christine and Jake is still there, but now Christine doesn’t wear her Juliet costume. Instead, she wears a low-cut princess dress that she would normally never wear, but she’s wearing it because she thinks it’ll impress Jake. YAY CHARACTER DEPTH!!

Do You Wanna Hang has not changed as far as I can remember.

When I saw Michael in the Bathroom Off-Broadway, I remember that the introduction music for the song started while the audience was still laughing at the joke that preceded it, and I have never heard a room of people go silent so quickly. The shocking effect of it really stuck with me. This time, though, the band waited a couple seconds for the audience to laugh before starting the song, which still works, though it doesn’t have quite the same effect. Also, this may have been because I saw Troy Iwata as Michael, but there were some lines that were sung slightly differently than before, and I think the song is a bit slower overall, too, though it may have been that way Off-Broadway.

OH ALSO THERE IS A THEREMIN PART IN MICHAEL IN THE BATHROOM NOW!!

The A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into (Reprise) scene on the couch with Jeremy and Christine is still one of my two favorite scenes in the show. I absolutely love it. It has not changed very much, though I did notice that when Will sang “Christine… will you go out with me?” he sounded a lot more insecure and quiet than he did Off-Broadway. This version works better for the character for sure, though I miss the belting version of it because it sounded SO GOOD. This version sounds good too, though, for sure.

Instead of carrying a bottle of gasoline, Rich carries a jack-o-lantern right before The Smartphone Hour.

There are some new harmonies in The Smartphone Hour!! Also, Troy Iwata and Jason Sweettooth Williams were lowered down onto the stage at one point and it was great.

In the scene right before The Pants Song, Mr. Heere still asks Michael “Do you love Jeremy?” but instead of Michael responding like “wHAT?!” he now responds like “…what?” if that makes sense.

I honestly cannot even tell you if The Pitiful Children has changed any more from Off-Broadway because I don’t remember what any of the new lyrics are. Chances are it’s changed at least a little bit more.

The Play has a few notable differences. First of all, though, I finally got to be part of the huge cheer during “My Squip says I can go all the way to Broadway!!” because I saw the show Off-Broadway before anyone, even the cast, knew it would be going to Broadway. I have been waiting MONTHS for that moment. It was worth it. For Michael Makes an Entrance, Troy ran through a wall and it was so epic. During the fight sequence between Jeremy and Michael, the movements made it look like Jeremy was glitching as he fought with the Squip for control of his own body, and it was so cool. Also, Will did a cartwheel during this scene instead of Halloween. I’m pretty sure Jake’s part in this song is different, though I don’t remember for sure. The Brooke and Chloe part definitely changed a little bit. During Christine’s part, instead of just singing Jeremy’s name once, she sings it three times to mirror the way Jeremy always sings Christine’s name three times.

The final scene is my other favorite scene in the show, and while it’s mostly the same, it has a couple changes. The “oh my God I’m totally bi!!” line is of course still there. Voices in My Head still starts as Jeremy gets choked up about his dad wearing pants (and I still started crying immediately). Michael still sings his line up the octave. HERE’S THE BIG CHANGE: the lyrics of the second verse of Voices in My Head are COMPLETELY different. Totally rewritten. I don’t remember what they are, but I do remember it ends with something about them being Jeremy’s squad. I did NOT expect that AT ALL, but I like it!! I do miss Will being like “what, this?” in response to the line about the acne, but I love the new lyrics too. THE OTHER CHANGE: when Jeremy asks out Christine, instead of saying “lunch? just the two of us?” he says “bowling alley performance art? just the two of us?” This is a reference to the A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into scene where Christine describes this idea she has for bowling alley performance art in response to Jeremy saying that his screaming in the mall after taking the Squip was part of a performance art piece. It’s a perfect moment. Jeremy and Christine still kiss adorable, and Jeremy still squeals in the dorkiest way possible. At the very end of the song, Christine goes up to Jeremy, leans into him, and says “ready?” leading to Jeremy screaming “LET’S GO!!” and going into the end of the show and it’s perfect. Some of the costumes are different, most notably Michael wearing a red jacket instead of his hoodie and Jeremy wearing Hello Kitty shoes for some reason.

Curtain calls are the same.

Overall, the show is fantastic, even better than it was Off-Broadway!! I’m sure they’ve made even more changes in the preview performances since I went, so I can’t wait to go see the show again after opening and see what changes they kept and what else is different. I hope as many people as possible get to see this show live because it is truly special and beautiful.

Happy Opening, Be More Chill. Thank you for everything.

[promisedangel]

BronyCon 2018 Highlights

Wednesday

-Pretty rocky day of travel. Ended up getting to Baltimare (yes, I’m going to pun it this whole post) around eleven pm. Mostly because of stops and a storm on the way in. By then, I was pretty cranky. -The Hilton staff didn’t help this. I won’t do into much detail, but let’s just say there were problems with our room situation and the person seemed either untrained or unprepared for this. It ended up taking an hour to get into our rooms because of it >.> I unpacked only a few things before I went straight to bed, still surly.

Thursday

-Day zero. We used this day to go to the aquarium! We got there pretty early so we could enjoy it slowly. The most surprising exhibit was the Golden Tameren Lion Monkey up top in the Amazon Exhibit. He was a lazy little darling. -We got to see the dolphins do a couple of tricks during the nurturing show, where they showed us the dolphins’ curriculum and how they stay in shape. -There was a giant sea turtle! She was so cute! She was in this huge tank with other fish and we finally got a good shot of her sleeping in some coral! -Got to pet a ray in the touch tank and pet some jellyfish! I knew they’re soft, but they live up to the name in spades! -The cafe the aquarium has was REALLY good. Cheap and they give you a lot of food that doesn’t taste cheap. -So, they take a picture on the way in. We decided to get a few copies of the picture. One of our friends wore a green shirt that blended in the green screen. The lovely ladies at the photo desk not only showed us this but also uploaded the picture onto our digital copies for free!! -Swung by the convention center to pick up our badges. Little more crowded than last year but was still an easy pickup. -Most of us swam in the hotel pool. we had a lovely time horsing around. :P -Had some pizza and relaxed the rest of the night. A friend introduced us to the Fallout board game, but we only played for about an hour before most of us were too tired to continue (mostly because of swimmer’s eye for me, I think).

Friday

-Day one. Went to opening ceremonies, but I ducked out early in order to go back to the room and change into my Pinkie Pie cosplay and bring The Cake of Friendship down to the con! -I went straight to autographs and got M.A Larson, the first of many guests we got this time around! His handler REALLY liked the cake. -Met back up with my friends and went with Green Ranger Dashie. A few of us, including him, organized to give Dwillstinator a gift. We showed it to him, the hat, and he flipped out. IT FIT PERFECTLY! -to the cosplay photoshoot. We had some fun talking with Blue Star (I think that was his pony name?) and some Flim Flam Brothers cosplayers had some fun before they were ‘chased’ out of Harmony Plaza by my friends and a few others. -The “Quillin’ It with the MLP Writers” panel was amazing. Nick Confalone was hilarious, Amy Keaton Rogers was a little nervous, but M.A Larson had some awesome deleted scenes from Slice of Life! It was a great panel. -Went to Them’s Writing Words, but I didn’t really absorb much since I was standing, holding the cake, and standing near the back. It was alright. -Went to the community guest panel to FINALLY get Nowacking’s signature. Missed him last year and I’m SO glad I was able to get him this year. -Went down to the vendor hall. Bought a couple of things and took pictures so a co-worker could choose a gift. -Got some food, briefly went back to the vendor hall, and changed out of my Pinkie Pie cosplay. -I placed fourth in the Prance tournament!!! Also, another person from our local meetup group placed first! Way to represent northeastern Ohio! -Briefly went to Bronypalooza. Then I went to relax at karaoke until I finally was able to sing. I was the last one to get a number and I sang “This Day Aria”. -A dance group went after me. They were pretty good. -I was too tired to continue on at this point. I went back to the room and passed out.

Saturday

-Day two. -We decided to try the buffet breakfast at the Hilton. Pretty good! -Jackbox games with the MLP crew was kinda funny and relaxing. -went to “Singing Studio Vs. Broadway”. Lot of interesting information. Not gonna lie; I got a little salty that they cut the question line right before I would ask my question. I was only going to ask Gabe and Michelle what their expeirences in recording western animation vs. anime. I’ve heard form a lot of anime voice actors that there are some differences and I wanted a take from someone who’s more versed in western animation. -A couple friends and I tried to get Tabitha’s autograph, but they capped the line way before we got there. I ended up changing out of my pinkie cosplay early. Came back to get Lena Hall’s signature!! Though we had to miss Tabitha’s panel and Pinkie Tales to get it D: But we got all the singatures we wanted except Tabitha during all that time! :D -Went back to the vendor hall to get a quick present! -caught the end of The Princess Paradox, which gave a new perspective on Twilight’s character development. -Got some dinner then got to the Screaming into the Mic panel. Very informative and fun! -Went back to the room to drop off my purchases and the cake. Then went back down and decided to go to Peter New’s 21+ panel. Lots of laughs and signing strange body parts. I was going to see Gabe and Michelle’s set in Bronypalooza, but this was fun. -Went to the 2D vs. 3D panel. I noticed there was a certain 3D animator there we wanted on the cake. I rushed back up to the room to get the cake and got armademon to sign the cake! -The Advanced writer’s panel was interesting! The five questions deep point was so funny! -Got tired, so I went back to the room and passed out. I somehow didn’t wake when ppl came back at about 2:30 AM.

Sunday

-Final day. -Went to autographs early to get Tabitha St. Germain as soon as we could! I was pretty chill about it, but the two boys accompanying me freaked out either during or after. We had a lot of in line talking with people. -We decided to go down to the vendor hall quickly; I had to show someone in our group where I bought my T-shirts! Decided to explore down there for a while. -At 2, we did an Escape Room based on Edgar Allen Poe. I wasn’t too good with it, but I did help with a couple puzzles and had fun! We succeeded with 9 minutes and twenty seconds to spare! -Ran back down to the vendor hall cuz I forgot to buy a keychain! Got there in time. -We went back to the room because the damn keys no longer worked, even though they said we didn’t have to come back Sunday to re-instate the keys (LIARS!). Ran back down to closing ceremonies just in time to hear the news that BronyCon will be 4 days next year, but will be the end!!! I took it kinda hard at first, mostly cuz of the running around and the ceremony starting with ppl still in line. One of our group took it REALLY hard. -Helped two of our group pack up and leave. They had business monday and didn’t want to be late. -Ended up getting food, but that whole situation wasn’t fun. Not going into details. I’m still surly about it. -I was left to relax alone until bed since I was one of the drivers. Gave me time to catch up on my Tumblr feed the past few days.

Monday

-Time to go home. We checked out before 11 AM. We ended up getting a bellhop to our room. He helped with the remainder of our stuff. Tipped him for his trouble. -One of us ended up getting a hug from Dwillstinator. Now he knows for sure they’re friends. -we said our goodbyes once again to Baltimare. We know that at least a few of us are coming next year. I’m already planning to save up for a big Cadance cosplay, I just need to find a good dressmaker.