i'm a supercomputer jeremy, i'm made of WORDS

Initially, I was going to write this about Hairspray, the first musical I was in. Before I had finished writing that though, (I attached the draft to the back of this for fun if you feel like reading that!) I had an amazing opportunity over Spring Break. I got to see Be More Chill on Broadway, the first show I’ve seen on Broadway.

I need to start with why this is so special though. Many months ago, my friend told me I should give the soundtrack a listen. I didn’t like it’s techno vibe, after the first 2 songs. She was persistent, and forced strongly suggested I listen to the rest of it. I did, and found myself lost in the sci-fi world it had created. Slowly, I fell into the rabbit hole of obsession, and started learning chords and singing songs.

I was basically in love with this universe by the time I persuaded my parents to buy tickets, and then the day came. I was basically bouncing up and down as we walked into the Lyceum. 5th-row orchestra seats were just amazing. When the screen went up and they rolled the bed in, something inside me just changed. I would be screaming about Will Roland, but it wasn’t Will Roland up there, it was Jeremy Heere. I was lost in the universe before the show even started. If you ask my mom, she’ll tell you all about how I was grinning ear to ear the entire time. It makes me want to be happy.

I knew this show inside and out, I thought. I had watched every video there probably is to watch, learned the dances, and harmonies. All the people I stared at through my computer screen for months on end, were in front of me. Live, real people. It wasn’t like seeing a movie, you could see every dimension. There wasn’t a white noise from the mics, it sounded like they were just that loud. It really was a dream come true, considering I had dreamed about it. The emotional barrier I had always felt staring at my screen that told me “Stop dreaming, you’ll never be there up in that room” was gone. I didn’t feel like the superfan who was probably annoying her friends with how much she talked, I was in this universe, watching it live and in person.

After the curtain call, I ran into Jason Sweettooth Williams, the actor for the dad. I didn’t believe what I was seeing at first and did a complete 180 to ask him for a picture. My journey didn’t end there though, I sped outside to the stagedoor and it was crowded with all these teens (haha Mean Girls). I ended up in the back, but my parents talked to a grandmother who caught on quick. Her granddaughter, Chloe pulled me up to almost the second “row” of people. I started talking to her and other people there as we waited for the actors to come out. I really felt at home, there. I wasn’t a fangirl at a middle school, I was in a group of people who understood me, and what I was talking about.

I even up getting a picture with George Salazar, who at the current moment is my favorite actor. I also got my program signed by Jason Tam and Jason Sweettooth (along with George Salazar). It really was just surreal for me.

Hairspray might be one of the classics, but I found this show that speaks to me. It’s categorized into a group of more modern, teen shows. I get to see myself in these characters more than I do in Tracy Turnblad or Annie.  The characters in Be More Chill are real teenagers living in now. I see my inner theater nerd in Christine Canigula, or my inner geek and anxiety inside Michael Mell. It’s still growing too, which means I get to watch people theorize, and see it move from Off-Broadway to Broadway.

Going to see it has made me a generally overall happier person. I know I can one day be on a stage like that. Like in the show, that the loudest voice in my head can be my own. It’s inspiring, to see the characters get better. Since I see myself in the characters, I know I can get better too. It gives me hope. A strong message in the show is that that you control your own life, and it shows me that I can.

If this hasn’t explained why my first Broadway trip was my favorite theater experience, a part of it was because I felt like I belonged. To quote that show, “I don’t always relate to other people my age, except when I’m on the stage.” Be More Chill is something that I can enjoy with my friends, with the people at the stagedoor who made me feel welcome, and with all the fans, everywhere. It’s my favorite theater experience because I felt it in my heart, and it made me feel truly happy.