Ghostlight Records To Release “BE MORE CHILL” OBC
Ghostlight Records has announced it will record a new cast album of the hit Broadway musical sensation BE MORE CHILL. The show’s Original Broadway Cast Recording will be produced by Kurt Deutsch, Joe Iconis, and Charlie Rosen, and co-produced by Ian Kagey and Emily Marshall for release later this Spring. BE MORE CHILL is now playing at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street, NYC). The album will be recorded March 17-19.Featuring a score by Joe Iconis, the new album will feature the Broadway cast of BE MORE CHILL: Will Roland (Dear Evan Hansen, The Black Suits) as Jeremy; George Salazar (tick, tick… BOOM!, Godspell, The Lightning Thief) as Michael; Stephanie Hsu (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Christine; Gerard Canonico (Spring Awakening, Groundhog Day) as Rich; Katlyn Carlson (Dirty Dancing, The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin) as Chloe; Tiffany Mann (Waitress, Jerry Springer the Opera) as Jenna; Lauren Marcus (The Humans at St. Louis Rep, Company at Barrington Stage) as Brooke; Britton Smith(Shuffle Along, After Midnight) as Jake; Jason SweetTooth Williams (Freaky Friday, Benny and Joon, Bloodsong of Love) as Mr. Heere-Mr. Reyes-Scary Stockboy; and Jason Tam (NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” KPOP) as The Squip.
BE MORE CHILL features music and lyrics by Joe Iconis (NBC’s “Smash,” The Black Suits, Broadway Bounty Hunter) and a book by Joe Tracz (The Lightning Thief, Netflix’s “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”) based on the cult sensation novel by Ned Vizzini. Stephen Brackett (Buyer & Cellar) directs and Chase Brock (HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) choreographs. BE MORE CHILL features musical direction by Emily Marshall and music supervision and orchestrations by Charlie Rosen (Prince of Broadway, Honeymoon in Vegas).
When BE MORE CHILL opened on Broadway earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal called it “one of the strongest new musicals of the past decade. Not since Hamilton has a musical opened on Broadway that is so closely in tune with contemporary pop-music style.” Rolling Stone hailed it as “a wow of a musical shaking things up on Broadway. Talk about universal! This joyful, roof-raising phenom is uplifted by the irresistible score of the mega-skilled Joe Iconis.” New York Magazine writes “It soars… witty, high-octane tunes, bang-up performances and shrewd comedy. It has a welcome edge to it that’s refreshing!” AM New York callsBE MORE CHILL “an exciting musical with an addictively catchy score and superb cast. It deserves a place in Broadway history.” NBC says BE MORE CHILL is “the toast of Broadway. A new musical that speaks to a new generation.”
Iconis said, “The original cast recording of Be More Chill changed my life. It was the launchpad for this entire crazy journey which has led myself and my collaborators all the way to Broadway. I couldn’t be more excited that the new material written for the show since our 2015 recording will finally be preserved, along with the performances of our brilliant current cast. I am so proud that a second cast recording will soon be able to sit beside our first beloved album in the CD carrying cases, LP shelves, and hard drives of Be More Chill fans everywhere.”
What if popularity came in a pill? Would you take it, no questions asked? In BE MORE CHILL, achieving that elusive “perfect life” is now possible thanks to some mysterious new technology-but it comes at a cost that’s not as easy to swallow. What could possibly go wrong? Blending the contemporary with retro sci-fi, this thrillingly exciting, comically subversive, and deeply felt new musical takes on the competing voices in all of our heads. And ultimately proves, there’s never been a better time in history to be yourself-especially if you’re a loser…geek…or whatever.
The 2015 Two River Theater original cast album from Ghostlight Records was one of the driving forces that inspired a passionate community of BE MORE CHILL fans around the world, driving the musical to its New York debut production. Fans from all 50 states (plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico), and from 33 countries on six continents have flocked to New York to see BE MORE CHILL. The musical had already amassed an unprecedented following across various online platforms, with millions of fans from Brazil to Japan to New Jersey sharing fan art, streaming the album (over 300 million worldwide streams to date), and talking about the show. Tumblr ranks BE MORE CHILL as the #2 most talked-about musical on their platform, following Hamilton.
Following up on the success of the 2015 album, a special edition BE MORE CHILL original cast recording on vinyl is now available. The 2-disc package features new illustrative designs, green and red colored discs, and a 16-page, 12 x 12 booklet with lyrics, production photos and a new liner note from Joe Iconis. The Be More Chill Karaoke (Original Cast Recording) album is also available from the label. The album’s seven tracks include fan favorites “More Than Survive,” “I Love Play Rehearsal,” “The Squip Song,” “Two-Player Game,” “A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into,” “Michael in the Bathroom,” and “The Pitiful Children.” To download or stream the Karaoke album click here. Performance rights for BE MORE CHILL are licensed by R&H Theatricals.
For more information about BE MORE CHILL, visit www.BeMoreChillMusical.com.
GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS has become the leading independent force in Original Broadway Cast Recordings – building a library of over 200 records over the past 19 years, featuring some of the most successful Broadway musicals and solo albums by Broadway’s brightest stars. Founded by Grammy Award winner Kurt Deutsch, Ghostlight has won Grammy Awards for The Band’s Visit, The Book of Mormon, In the Heights and Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. Ghostlight has also released solo albums from Patti LuPone, Kelli O’Hara, Sutton Foster, Billy Porter, and more. The label continues to support the new generation of musical theater composers and has developed extensive relationships with Jason Robert Brown, Michael John LaChiusa, and David Yazbek, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pasek & Paul, Tom Kitt, Joe Iconis, and Shaina Taub. Ghostlight Records is part of the Arts Music division at Warner Music Group.