[MUSIC PLAYING] [APPLAUSE] [MUSIC PLAYING] ILANA LEVINE: Hey, everyone. This is incredibly exciting. I'm usually in a
tiny podcast studio. And it is really thrilling
to do these live events and get to be in the same
room as the people who listen to the podcast. As Alan so sweetly
announced that the podcast is doing really well,
but I'm always thrilled to have new subscribers. So it's called "Little
Known Facts" podcast, and you can find it
everywhere that podcasts are. I just want to take a
minute to thank all of you for being here, and to thank
Google for being the most generous host. We had an incredible
lunch today. We'll be back for dinner. We hope we will
see you out there. The reason I am so thrilled
to kick off this live podcast event at Google is because
the cast of "Be More Chill," the show of "Be
More Chill" is truly one of my most favorite
things on the planet. And after today, it
will certainly be yours. We're going to have a
conversation with them once they finish singing
for us, and you'll get to see why I've
fallen so deeply in love with this talented crew. Not just because they are
the most magnificent artists, but because they are the
most magnificent people. So we're going to start off. I'm going to welcome
Joe Iconis, who wrote the musical "Be More Chill." He's the lyricist
and the book writer. [APPLAUSE] And he is going
to go to the piano and welcome some of
the cast members, and tell you a little
bit about the songs that they're going
to be singing. And then you guys will have a
chance for a little Q&A later. Anyway, thank you
for spending time with us today, and welcome
to "Be More Chill." AUDIENCE: Woo! [CHEERING] JOE ICONIS: Hi, gang. Hello, everyone. Yeah, as Ilana said,
we're so excited to be hanging with you all on 15th
Street and beyond today. So "Be More Chill," for
those who don't know, is this musical that's about-- it's about a lot of things. It's about sort of
heavy issues, right? So it's about anxiety,
and depression, and our relationship
with technology. But it's sort of disguised
as a teen sci-fi comedy. And the actual
story is about kid named Jeremy, who's this really,
like, nothing-special kid. One might call him a nerd, but
he's not even full-blown nerd. He's kind of neither
here nor there. There's nothing
remarkable about this kid. And he finds out that there's
this thing called a squip. And what a squip is is, it's a
supercomputer inside of a pill. And all the people who
are popular in this world, they've all taken squips, right? So they take this
pill, the supercomputer implants in their
brain, and then this voice tells
them how to behave. And so Jeremy finds out, oh,
this is a thing that people do. I should take a squip. And the show is
kind of his journey. Throughout that, I
was really inspired by John Hughes, 1980s of
teen comedies like "Sixteen Candles" and "Pretty in
Pink," and also John Carpenter and 1980s horror movies. Sort of a mash up
of those two things. And so the show is populated
by these young people who kind of self-identify as
misfits, these people who feel like they don't quite fit in. And you're going to meet
some of them right now. And so the first character
you're going to meet is our leading lady,
Christine Canigula, who's played by the
incredible Stephanie Hsu. [CHEERING] Stephanie, do you want
to tell our friends a little bit about Christine? STEPHANIE HSU: Oh, OK. 'Sup, Google. So Christine Canigula is-- she is what I like to
call a "rare bird." She's a total weirdo, and
she is our love interest. She is the honey, the
apple of Jeremy here's eye. And she is a die-hard
theater nerd, and that is sort of
her guiding light as-- and philosophy of how life,
and change, and feminism work. I feel like that's a pretty-- JOE ICONIS: That
was a great setup. STEPHANIE HSU:
Thank you so much. JOE ICONIS: We're all
so ready for the song. STEPHANIE HSU:
Thank you so much. This is sort of her-- one of the first songs
that she sings that-- you know, so you get to
know her a little bit. [CLEARS THROAT] [MUSIC PLAYING] [SINGING "I LOVE PLAY
REHEARSAL"] [LAUGHTER] Um, you guys have a
really great cafeteria. [LAUGHTER] [SINGING "I LOVE PLAY
REHEARSAL"] [CHEERING] JOE ICONIS: Stephanie Hsu. The incredible Stephanie Hsu. So this next tune
is a song that's sung by our leading man, Jeremy,
and his best friend, Michael. And in this song,
these two guys are talking about a lot of
these heavy life issues that I was speaking of before. Jeremy has just found
out that there's this thing called a squip. He's debating whether or
not he wants to get it, and Michael is
essentially saying, why do you want to
change who you are? Just be cool with who you are. And they're having this very,
very, very intense conversation while playing a video game. And here to sing the song is
Mr. Will Roland and Mr. George Salazar. [APPLAUSE] Hey, gents. WILL ROLAND: Hi, Joe. GEORGE SALAZAR: Hi, Joe. JOE ICONIS: So Will's Jeremy. WILL ROLAND: I play Jeremy. JOE ICONIS: And
George plays Michael. GEORGE SALAZAR: I play Michael! WILL ROLAND: And we are
best friends in the show. And I think it's
important to know that during this
song, these two best friends are playing video games. GEORGE SALAZAR: Yeah. WILL ROLAND: Is that
important to know? JOE ICONIS: Yeah, of course. Yeah. WILL ROLAND: It's too late. They know. [LAUGHING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [SINGING "TWO-PLAYER GAME"] GEORGE SALAZAR: Yay! WILL ROLAND: Yay. [APPLAUSE] Ladies and gentlemen,
Ilana Levine! [LAUGHS] ILANA LEVINE: Stephanie's
going to join us up here. Joe, come sit with us. Don't you want to be
friends with these people? Like, don't you
immediately just want to spend all your
time with Jeremy, and Michael, and Christine? I guess the thing that is really
extraordinary, that I just want to briefly
tell you guys about, and then these beautiful
people can fill it in, the path to Broadway for "Be
More Chill" was extremely new, right? It kind of has
broken all the rules, in terms of why things become
part of the Broadway community. And this show became a
Broadway-beloved show because the internet. And you guys-- we're at
Google, so maybe you've heard of the internet
and things like Google, and just clicks and likes. Everyone, early on,
found the cast recording from this show that was
done at a regional theater. And there was a
moment where they thought it wasn't going
to get to continue. And the brilliant
Ghost Light Records came up with the idea, let's
record this wonderful musical in this teeny theater
in New Jersey. And somehow, the
megaphone that is now-- the internet, and I'm
going to tell one person, and they're going
to tell one person. Young people found
this cast recording, and they went insane to the tune
of like 300 million downloads at this point. Is that an accurate number? JOE ICONIS: 320, but yes. [LAUGHTER] ILANA LEVINE: And at 12:24
PM today, 322 million. JOE ICONIS: Exactly. ILANA LEVINE: So this is
just an extraordinary thing, and it's groundbreaking. And it's a show that is
on Broadway because we demanded that it be there. So that alone is just the most
beautiful part of this story. The reason I do my
podcast is that I just believe in community,
first and foremost. That is all I care about
at the root of who I am. And this show, and
Joe Iconis, who's sort of the leader of this
community of "Be More Chill" is so beautiful. Because not only is it
a show about all of us, and we can find
ourselves reflected in every single character that
you've written in the show, whether you're 35 or 17. WILL ROLAND: Which
of those am I? ILANA LEVINE: 17. WILL ROLAND: [INAUDIBLE] ILANA LEVINE: But it
is a group of people who are getting to do their
play together on Broadway, and you feel that every night. And that friendship is true,
and these relationships are all true. So that is all I will say. I know you don't want to
hear any more from me. But I just have to say out loud
that I'm in awe and in love with not just the show, but
the people who make the show. And that is why it's so special. GEORGE SALAZAR: We love you too. STEPHANIE HSU: We love you. ILANA LEVINE: Thank you. STEPHANIE HSU: Wait,
can I just say that-- ILANA LEVINE: Yeah. STEPHANIE HSU: This is-- I just feel like I really
want to share this, because I've never
thought of this before. But I don't know if y'all
remember "The Gray Album," which was JAY-Z and
the Beatles' mash-up. It was, like, very underground
and really, like, Napster. [LAUGHS] It was very Napster, and people
were-- it was the Napster, and people were making CDs
of it and passing it around. And so I feel like for the
first time, I've likened that-- in just hearing what
you were saying, likened that to the original
recording of the show, which is that for-- it wasn't "The Gray Album,"
but it was the "Be More Chill" original recording where
all these people were just, oh my god, you've
got to hear this. You've got to hear this. And they kind of resurrected it. JOE ICONIS: Yeah, yeah. I mean, and it's
something-- and the way that we got here-- you know,
I've talked a lot about it. And it's something that could
only have happened in 2018-- 2019, in the way
that it happened, because of social media. But the actual kernel of it
is the most old-school thing. The whole sensation
aspect of "Be More Chill" happened because people
just liked these songs. It was word of mouth. It was people just
telling other people. And I think that's what's the
most exciting thing to me, that it's a show that's on
Broadway because of technology, but also because it's
bones are-- it could not be more traditional. And that sort of mash-up is
what is exciting, I think. ILANA LEVINE: And I
also just want to say, I happen to love
musical theater, and not everybody does. And if you don't, please leave. [LAUGHTER] But it really is
something that I feel expresses so
much of what I love. And the thing that blows
my mind about Joe Iconis-- this is such a small thing,
but I just have to share it. When you get to the end of "I
Love Play Rehearsal," which is the greatest
anthem for anyone who cares about other
human beings, the very last moment of that song
is, "It's starting--", and we all think she's
going to say "now," right? That's the whole point of that
song, is she's getting ready. And she says "soon." And things like that
are what differentiate Joe Iconis from every
other person writing today. It's such a simple thing. And I can choose one
million of those. But it's this idea of you think
where he's going, and he starts someplace
super-familiar, but then gradually, he takes you
on a journey to something that is unexpected. That's a very innocent, sweet
moment where he does that. And then there are very
dark moments in the play, because the human condition
is both of those things. Everyone wants to have
a friend like Michael, and everyone wants
that relationship. And that he puts on stage
two men who can freely love each other in high
school, two guys, that's the world we want to live in,
where two guys can be "bros," but also have an intimacy and a
vulnerability with each other. So I'm not saying you
have to go see this show. I'm just saying you have
to go see this show. JOE ICONIS: I am. You have to. ILANA LEVINE: So George,-- GEORGE SALAZAR: Yeah? ILANA LEVINE: --tell
us a little bit about-- I thought since you guys play
characters in high school now, although you are a few
years past that in your life-- GEORGE SALAZAR:
Yeah, just a couple. ILANA LEVINE: Yeah, but close
enough that it's raw and real for you. GEORGE SALAZAR: Sure. [LAUGHS] WILL ROLAND: [LAUGHS] ILANA LEVINE: I
wanted to know, these are my questions for the
time we have together, what would your squip be,
if you could choose a squip? Not maybe to make you
popular, but if there was something like
that that you could swallow and have something
you want in your life? GEORGE SALAZAR: Yeah. ILANA LEVINE: But who
were you in high school? GEORGE SALAZAR: I was very
similar to the character that I play. I just cared so much more about
being accepted by everyone, and-- but there was, like-- but I loved my friends, and I
loved my friends really hard, in the same way that
Michael loves his friend, and loves his friends so hard. But I just cared so much
about being accepted, and wanted to be popular. And I wanted all those
things for myself. And now, it's so interesting. When we think about our
high school experience, every literal thing that
happens in high school felt so important. It felt so life or death. And I think Joe does a great
job of capturing that urgency and importance in our show. But yeah, I was nerdy. I became a theater kid. I was a nerdy theater kid. I was, like, very overweight. I was figuring out that I am
gay, so that was a lot of fun. And I also grew up
mixed-race, so I was having just constant
identity crisis in high school. I was not sure if I was Latino
enough, or Asian enough, or gay enough, or-- you know? So It was a complicated time
for me, but I figured it out, and I got past it. To answer your question
about my squip, it would hands-down be Danny
DeVito as Frank Reynolds from "It's Always
Sunny in Philadelphia." And not to take his
advice, but in fact, to try to block it out. But also to laugh at
the ridiculous ideas that he would be trying
to feed me in my brain. That would be a lot
of fun, I think. ILANA LEVINE: That
was so unexpected. GEORGE SALAZAR: It would
also probably drive me crazy. [LAUGHTER] ILANA LEVINE: Mr. Roland? WILL ROLAND: Oh, my-- I'm going to start
with the squip. ILANA LEVINE: Yeah. WILL ROLAND: My squip
would probably be-- it sort of changes, but I think
my squip today would probably be Jerry Orbach, who to me
is, like, the epitome of cool. For those of you who don't
have a great frame of reference for Jerry Orbach, he was on "Law
and Order" for like a million, years, but he also had
an incredible career as a musical theater
actor and film actor. And I just think he's
the coolest square in the history of
the world, which is who I would want to be. My high school experience,
I'm really lucky to say, was not at all like
Jeremy's experience. A lot of my-- the lessons-- what Jeremy
learns in our show is sort of the value of being
himself, and sort of stop-- he sort of learns to not care
so much what other people think. My big challenge in
high school was learning how to be kind and empathetic. I was kind of a bully. I might have been mean
to George in high school. Or maybe we would've
been best friends. I don't know. GEORGE SALAZAR: No, you probably
would have been mean to me. WILL ROLAND: But we still
would've been friends. We would've had one of those-- GEORGE SALAZAR: We'd laugh
about it years later. WILL ROLAND: Yeah, exactly. But we would not laugh about
it for a number of years. And I-- no, I just
had this moment where I sort of realized
one day, oh, I'm pretty clever and quick-witted. And I would just be
sitting somewhere, and I would just say
something about you that immediately popped
into my head that would make people laugh. And I took no consideration
of how it might hurt your feelings, and that was-- I was kind of an emotional
wrecking ball in that way, until like I had a-- I had an intervention. I had a mentor who I
respected deeply sort of sit me down and
be like, you know you're being a dick
to everyone, right? And I was like, what? And she was like,
no, you're very, very mean and mean-spirited
often, which was like-- it is a thing that
I think sometimes I had never even thought about. Like, I truly never realized how
horrible I was being to people. Which, I still sometimes
say the wrong thing, but I'm much more
aware of it these days. And I'm glad to be out
of the weeds in that way. But I have worked a
little bit of that-- a little bit that is
in our story, I think. A lot of-- when I talk about
the journey that Jeremy goes on, I talk about how he learns
to see other people. And he sort of learns that
the challenges that he face are, in fact, a lot more
universal than he ever thought. He starts off kind
of self-centered. He thinks the whole
world is out to get him, which is an incredibly
egotistical way to live, even if it's sort of
self-hating and self-loathing. But we're out of the
weeds there, so-- STEPHANIE HSU: [CHUCKLES] OK,
well I'll start with my squip. So I always say it's a
tree, because I learn all my lessons from nature. But I have graduated into
choosing a squip that's a person, because
people have been upset that I keep choosing a tree. [LAUGHTER] And so it's Jada Pinkett
Smith, because I'm obsessed with "Red Table Talk!" ILANA LEVINE: Me too. STEPHANIE HSU: I want someone-- she is so fierce, and she
not only knows strength, but she also knows
boundary, and joy, and play. She's fabulous. And "Red Table Talk," if
you haven't watched it, it's so good. This is not a paid
advertising, but it should be. ILANA LEVINE: It's a
multi-generational talk show. STEPHANIE HSU: Yes. ILANA LEVINE: It's her
daughter, her mother, and then they
bring other guests. And they talk
about real things-- STEPHANIE HSU: Really beau--
it's so, so beautiful. ILANA LEVINE: --in their
really pretty house in Bel Air at a red table. STEPHANIE HSU: Yeah,
they have a very-- they record in their house,
because they are the Smith family, and it's cool. So yeah, so I'm a person,
I can choose a person. OK. And then in terms of who
I was in high school, I actually think this
show and its trajectory has taught me so much. And the young people who
have flocked to the show have taught me so much. And I always say that I think
I've become more Christine Canigula than I've ever been. I remember being
in middle school and really wanting
to change the world. I remember distinctly
having that thought, and looking at my history book
and not seeing myself anywhere, and being like, well, I don't
want to build a railroad, so-- OK. [LAUGHS] And not really
understanding what that would even mean to change the world. And so when I was
in high school, I played basketball, and-- [CHUCKLES] ah! And I really resisted
being an artist too, because I thought,
well, surely that could have no capacity for
change, you know? And with this traject-- And Christine Canigula is
so convinced by theater, and its power and capacity
to change the world, and be in conversation
with the world. And it wasn't until this show
and it's following happened, and I started to meet
these young people, and we started getting fan
mail and letters about how much this show has
impacted their lives and healed them, that I
really understood that, wow, what you do and the art
that you make in the world actually does-- has great ripple
effects that most of us can't even experience or know. But the beautiful thing
about social media, and also theater,
particularly, is that there feels like a
different kind of intimacy than a TV star, because you
can go to the stage door and leave a letter, or
leave a note, you know? So I feel like doing the show
has actually retroactively done so much healing and
strengthening to my high school self, and deepening in my
present self, and inspired me. Especially with young
people in the world right now, we were just all taught
that we were so much smaller than we actually are. So even being here at
Google, it's just so wild. There's a cafeteria. I mean, is this [INAUDIBLE]? [LAUGHTER] No, but it really
feels like, oh, 2019. Even the concept of an
office is shifting, right? And there is a different
approach to an infrastructure of community. So that's-- yeah. But in high school, I
just played basketball and made out with people. GEORGE SALAZAR: You were
really tall in high school. STEPHANIE HSU: I was really
tall, and then I shrunk. That's a genetic thing. [GIGGLING] GEORGE SALAZAR: The Benjamin
Button of musical theater. STEPHANIE HSU: Yeah, yeah. WILL ROLAND: Stephanie's
56 years old. [LAUGHTER] ILANA LEVINE: Did you
expect that this show would be so impactful for
young people in the way that it has when you set out? JOE ICONIS: No. You know, I always
hoped that the show would connect with people. When I first wrote it-- and I wrote it with this
amazing collaborator, Joe Tracz. And when we first
started writing the show, it was always our
intention to write something that felt universal. To write something that was for
people of all ages, you know? It wasn't like, oh, we want to
write something specifically for teens. But we wanted to
write something that felt truthful to the
teenage experience. And when the show premiered
at this initial theater, it was this little
theater in New Jersey, and a regional theater. And so original
theaters tend to have an audience that's 60-plus. A 60-- an audience in their
60s for a regional theater would be considered young. And so-- that's not even a joke. That's the truth. And so the first audiences
that were really exposed to Be "More Chill"
were audiences who were decidedly not teenagers. And we always felt like, if this
show ever had the opportunity to be seen by young
people, we really felt like they
would connect to it. We felt like it would
have an effect on them. And so it's been so gratifying
and really mind-blowing to see just how many young people
have connected to it, and how deeply they've
connected to it. And what's so funny is, I talked
about it a little bit before, but we always wanted to write
this show that was about really heavy stuff, these
serious issues, and then sort of mask it as
this sci-fi comedy. And initially when we
started showing it to people, older people had
a really hard time of getting past the sort of
wacky sci-finess of the show, to get to the heart
of what it was about. And young people
immediately got to the heart of what it was about. Young people immediately
were like, oh, this is about stuff that I'm
going through right now. This is about anxiety
and depression. And then the crazy
sci-fi stuff was what came next for young people. And it was so amazing
to be like, oh, the future understands
completely what we're doing in a way that
their elders took a while to catch on. ILANA LEVINE: There's
a song that George, who plays Michael in the
show, sings, called "Michael in the Bathroom." And it basically takes you
through a complete nervous breakdown. What happens when you are
in a social situation, and you are hiding
out in the bathroom because you can't deal
with all the anxiety that comes with being at a party. And what's fascinating
about that song is, obviously, it's a
teen's perspective. But part of why that
song in particular also became an
anthem for the show is that it doesn't
matter how old you are. I literally posted on an
Instagram story me at a wedding with all these fancy
people, and then I was singing "Ilana
in the Bathroom" at this very adult thing. Because I think the reason the
show is resonating so well with grown-ups is that we're-- nothing really changes. This whole idea of "guys
like us are cool in college," it's a decision we make
at some point, like, "I'm not going to live with
this burden of feeling awkward anymore." And it takes an adult moment in
our lives to go, you know what? This is who I am,
and I'm going to find a community of people that
appreciates the things that makes me different. I think the thing that
has blown my mind-- and I'm just going
to say quickly, Will played Jared, a character
in "Dear Evan Hansen" that very much seems to me like a
perfect character for you to, play based on who you described
yourself as in high school, right? Jared doesn't quite learn
the lessons as elegantly as Jeremy gets to
in "Be More Chill." So it's kind of a
wonderful graduation, just watching my
friend in his career go from a part that
uses himself completely, and is a perfect fit, and they
kind of wrote that character on you as they got to know you. And then in "Be More
Chill," this character wasn't written
specifically for you, but it's like this perfect
graduation of the man that you've become by
the end of the play. WILL ROLAND: Thanks, Ilana. ILANA LEVINE: You're welcome. And-- WILL ROLAND: I'm enjoying
getting to act, too. [LAUGHTER] ILANA LEVINE: Yes, completely. What is really blowing
my mind, though, is remembering the "Dear
Evan Hansen" stage door and the "Be More
Chill" stage door is pandemonium, the number of
people who want to get close. And also, we're
living in a world now, whether it's because of
social media, or just the glory that is Joe Iconis. Now the creative
team behind the show is just as accessible and
exciting as the actors. So we're now living
in a world where Joe Iconis will get stopped on
the street as often as George, Stephanie, and
Will, which is just an extraordinary
thing, that everyone gets their appreciation. But what is worrying
me is these shows are so popular because there
are so many anxious teens in the world. And that with all of the forward
motion that we have, and we understand hormones, and we
understand why teens act like-- it upsets me that there
is still such a need for a show for people
to see themselves in. And I wonder what you
guys think about that. STEPHANIE HSU: Yeah. Well, first I want
to also say that-- something we haven't
mentioned yet is that this
musical is based off of a book that was written by
Ned Vizzini, "Be More Chill." And so the root of that too,
and that ennui and that anxiety is also very much in Ned's life,
but also in the book itself. Which is why, I think,
a testament to our show and how it approaches it is
that it is a sort of celebration of all the uncertainty
and the discomfort, as opposed to pulling you back
into the feelings of depression and anxiety. GEORGE SALAZAR: Mhm. STEPHANIE HSU: And I
will say, our show-- a lot of people
have been like, ugh, why are young people so
obsessed with the show? And I've been really processing
that recently and thinking to myself, maybe that's
not the right question that we're asking. Why are we not asking, why are
so many young people and adults really suffering and hurting? Why are we not asking-- why are we not doing
better at taking care of our young people, basically? [LAUGHS] JOE ICONIS: That shirt, yeah. ILANA LEVINE: What
does the shirt say? STEPHANIE HSU:
"Protect trans kids." JOE ICONIS: Protect
trans kids, yeah. STEPHANIE HSU: I
mean, that-- and so for adults to have
that sort of response to a show that is completely
expanding young people's hearts and minds, and
truly providing them medicine, that's
a tricky question. And so in response to
what you're saying, there are a lot of
shows right now, including TV, like "13
Reasons Why," which is very controversial
in how they depict depression and anxiety. And I think that ennui,
and sadness, and loss in this time and place in our
society that is really thick, it's real. And so instead of
wanting to kind of bustle our way through it,
let us consider it together, and make work that speaks
to it that will evolve us into another kind
of message that we will be needing to speak in
the next chapter, you know? But for us to pretend
like this isn't happening and that we're not going
through this sadness, especially with young people-- I mean, I as an adult am
looking around this world and being like, I
don't even know. I can't even imagine being 17,
16, 12 and being like, whoa, how is my world around
me not protecting me? You know? So yeah, it worries me too. And I think that
what this show does really well is that
it celebrates that, and it gives a place
of respite, and joy, and energy that can match
the cyclone inside your body. ILANA LEVINE: And
tremendous hope, right? STEPHANIE HSU: And
hope, and promise, yeah. ILANA LEVINE: I mean,
that's the celebration of the show by the end, is,
everybody feels the way you do. The people who seem
super-comfortable in their bodies-- GEORGE SALAZAR: Are not. [CHUCKLES] ILANA LEVINE:
There's a great scene in the show where the
squip, played beautifully by Jason Tam, who's just
sexy, and gorgeous, and smart, and talented. STEPHANIE HSU: Yeah, he's hot. ILANA LEVINE: Also, go
see the show for Jason. He's hot. I guess that's the shorter-- [INTERPOSING VOICES] ILANA LEVINE: --a truncated
way to describe him. There's a minute where he kind
of lets Will's character know what all these people
are really going through, because he can see
inside, and it's kind of this psychic ability. And it really does allow
everyone, even the cool jocks and the people who
don't have acne, they all have real
stuff going on. And I think that's been
a tremendously successful addition to this musical. JOE ICONIS: For sure, for sure. ILANA LEVINE: Yeah. JOE ICONIS: And that's the
idea, that no matter where we are in our lives, age,
whatever, we've all got stuff, you know? Everyone has their
own thing going on. It's just about figuring out
how to deal with it, for sure. ILANA LEVINE: But that's why
it's so fascinating to me, that people are still
surprised that other people are having a hard time. JOE ICONIS: Right, right. ILANA LEVINE: Like,
are you kidding me? How are you surprised? So I just wanted-- before you sing more,-- JOE ICONIS: Mhm. ILANA LEVINE: The other thing
is, the show's just hilarious. And the fact that you
can take these very deep, dark, real situations and
make us laugh so hard, and also just love
our neighbor so deep, it's really extraordinary. Joe has worked with
almost everyone in this show on Broadway for
a long time in different ways. JOE ICONIS: Yeah. ILANA LEVINE: There's something
called "Joe Iconis and Family," And just try to imagine
that, a group of people getting to go to
Broadway together who are friends in real life. And it happened. JOE ICONIS: It happened, yeah. ILANA LEVINE: So speak a
little bit, before we open it up to the audience,
how you've collected this merry band of geniuses,
harnessed that talent, and brought it to
us on Broadway. JOE ICONIS: For sure, yeah. You know, when I first
started out making theater, I just always loved
the idea of having a collaborative
community of artists. It always made sense to me. It's like, oh, this is how
I want to make musicals. I want to have a
group of people who have a shorthand, and
who have relationships, doing it together. When I first started
out, I didn't know how I was going to get that. [CHUCKLES] But it always
seemed like a great way to make art to me. And so I would do a do a
concert, I would do a show, and there'd be an actor
who I would vibe with. And I would just say, hey,
I really like you a lot. ILANA LEVINE: "I vibe with you." JOE ICONIS: Exactly, yeah. That would be so so
creepy if I literally said, "I vibe with you, actor." [LAUGHTER] And I would-- and then
the next thing I would do, I would ask that actor back. And that's kind
of how it started. And so now I find myself
with this group of people, and it's actors, and singers,
and writers, and directors who I've worked with for some
5, some 10, some 15 years. And we call ourselves
"The Family," and it's a very sort
of organic thing. And really, it's just
a group of people who all have similar ideas
about art and theater. And we're all people who
are really passionate. We're people who just
want to make good stuff. And I always say that
there's no eye-rollers. There's no one in the
group who's like, oh, I can't believe I have
to go to this thing. It's the opposite of that. It's people who, if we
weren't doing it on Broadway, we would be doing
it in a backyard, or in a garage somewhere. Yeah. And so now-- but the fact
now that we are doing it on Broadway is-- I just feel like it's the-- I mean, it's the greatest thing. It's always been my dream
to have a show on Broadway that I cared about, and this
is that, with all these people who I love. I didn't have to fire
everybody and hire, like, Hugh Jackman times 10, you know? STEPHANIE HSU: [LAUGHS] JOE ICONIS: Hugh
Jackman's not in the show. He would be great in it. ILANA LEVINE: Not this one. JOE ICONIS: Yes, not this one. The next one. Just wait till the next one. It's going to be-- yeah. ILANA LEVINE: They say the neon
lights are bright on Broadway. STEPHANIE HSU: Uh-huh. ILANA LEVINE: Have you
guys found that to be true? WILL ROLAND: We're the only
show with a real neon sign! ILANA LEVINE: There you go. GEORGE SALAZAR:
The coolest thing. STEPHANIE HSU: Oh,
I didn't know that. WILL ROLAND: Our neon
lights are actually bright. [INTERPOSING VOICES] STEPHANIE HSU:
Should've googled it. WILL ROLAND: Yeah, google it. STEPHANIE HSU: Didn't know. ILANA LEVINE: I wanted
to give you guys, if you are up for it-- are there questions
from the audience? AUDIENCE: Joe, you
mentioned earlier that you see a squip
as representing the dangers of technology. But looking at Jeremy's
journey, I actually sort of perceived the
squip more as the harm that the capitalist
and patriarchal society can impose upon us. And Jeremy sort of
embraces a more individual and collective synthesis by
projecting squip spoilers. JOE ICONIS: [LAUGHS] Yeah. AUDIENCE: And I
was curious if you could talk to those messages. WILL ROLAND: Can I
jump in that one? JOE ICONIS: Yeah. WILL ROLAND: Because I just love
this thing that Joe Tracz talks about all the-- maybe you were
going to say this, is that-- Joe Tracz talks all the
time about the squip as the story goes,
it sort of develops these megalomaniacal
world domination plans. And he compares it to
one of those chat bots that people get
to start spouting fascist and racist things. And I often talk about
the squip and its allure as the "lure of fascism." This idea that if you
behave a certain way, and follow a certain
set of rules, and ignore your feelings,
then you will be fine, and everything will be OK,
and we'll all fall in line. And I think part of what
Jeremy learns is the-- he embraces the grayness,
and the complicated nature of the world, and masculinity,
and all sorts of stuff, for me. What do you want to add? JOE ICONIS: Yeah,
yeah, definitely that. And I think that the show-- the show is not about
the evils of technology. I think the show is about our
relationship to technology. And I think that the
show's stance on it is that it's not that technology
is all good, or all bad. It's how you use it. It's about how you're
using these things that are popping up every day. And yeah, it's this
idea that the squip-- as the squip goes on,
he's learning more, but he's learning from people. He's learning from the human
beings who are behaving in this sort of selfish way. And that's how-- in
our story, that's how things get complicated. Because the squip, who's
just a learning computer, has learned from the people. And I think that's
the kernel of it. Yeah. It would be it would
be really silly of us if our show was like,
"technology is bad." Because it is
literally a show that is here because of technology. WILL ROLAND: Yeah. [LAUGHS] JOE ICONIS: You know? Yeah, thank you. ILANA LEVINE: Like
anything, right? Religion is beautiful, until you
start deciding yours is better than everybody else's. JOE ICONIS: Yep. ILANA LEVINE: So I think
there's something-- that was such an interesting question. Do you have a question? STEPHANIE HSU: [INAUDIBLE]. AUDIENCE: Yeah. I'm super-interested in
how you develop a show when you get to the point
where you've written it, and now you bring all the
actors in, and you're like, OK, now we're going to
put this together, and my ideas are wonderful. And then you find out stuff
maybe isn't, or maybe is. JOE ICONIS: Mhm. AUDIENCE: What is that
process like for you? JOE ICONIS: Yeah. The process of making a
new musical is pretty wild. There's so many people
who are involved. So it's me as the writer. So it starts with me. I worked with my
collaborator, Joe Tracz, and then at a certain
point, we're like, OK, we have enough script to involve
some actors and a director. And then you get
more and more script, and then it's, OK, we
have enough of a show to involve designers,
and a choreographer, and stuff like that. So it's this crazy thing
where you just kind of keep adding more human
beings to what starts as a very solitary thing. And for me, I happen
to be a writer who's obsessed with actors. I love writing around
specific actors. So my process is very-- I just want to get in
a room with actors, so I can hear them
perform these parts. And that's when the phase
2 of my writing happens. All of the-- these three people
are the most incredible actors, and I feel like
I would be a fool to not use them in the writing. And so there's stuff
that is in "Be More Chill" that's there because
of these human beings, because I want to use all of
the tools in their toolbox, and stuff like that. But I think it's specific
to every writer, you know? And I've definitely
worked with other writers who were very much like, no,
this is what the script is. I wrote it, and that's
what needs to be done. And that's just not my thing. But you definitely learn
stuff every step of the way. And then once you
have the show as cooked as you're
going to get it, then you add the audience, which
is like another collaborator, you know? And so then once the audience
starts reacting with the thing, it changes immediately. Stuff that you thought
makes perfect sense, it's clear that it's
baffling 900 people. Stuff that you thought was
not going to go over well is clearly being
loved by 900 people. It's really-- it's a
very amazing, unstable, and terrifying process. [LAUGHS] ILANA LEVINE: If you go
online and read more stuff about the show, it's had three
major productions so far. So they call the one in New
Jersey "Be More Chill 1.0," then at the Signature
Theater off Broadway, "Be More Chill 2.0." And now it's on Broadway,
and it's "Be More Chill 3.0." And there will be
world domination, and it will go on and
on, and world tour. JOE ICONIS: Yes, yes. ILANA LEVINE: But
yeah, you've had-- part of why plays
are brought out of town is there's opportunities
to tweak, to change without the "New York
Times" reviewing it, sort of in these safe places
to keep working on material. JOE ICONIS: Mhm. ILANA LEVINE: And then sometimes
you can come to Broadway, and it really doesn't matter
what any reviewers say, because it's just so good
that the people demand that it be there. JOE ICONIS: The people
demand it, yeah. ILANA LEVINE: Yes. One more question? AUDIENCE: Hi. Thanks so much for coming today. I'm a big fan of the show. I have a question for Will,-- WILL ROLAND: Oh. AUDIENCE: --because I'm also a
big fan of "Dear Evan Hansen." WILL ROLAND: Well, thanks. AUDIENCE: And I
was curious if you could talk a little bit
about the transition from "Dear Evan Hansen" to
starring in "Be More Chill," and to speak a little bit
about any shared themes or commonalities
between the productions. WILL ROLAND: I think-- well for me, the
biggest transition was that it turns out that
my job in "Dear Evan Hansen" was very, very easy. I didn't really realize it
at the time, but I was like, oh, I just have to talk
every couple minutes and put on a different short
sleeve shirt in-between scenes. And now I spend like 90 minutes
onstage in a drenched cardigan. So for me, it was
a lot about just living a healthier
lifestyle so that I could survive this process. That's my-- I used to be like-- every show, I'd be like,
let's go get a drink! And I'd be out like
seven nights a week. And now I'm out one
night every two weeks. But in terms of the
similarities between the shows, I think that they
share this sort of-- they're both, on their
surface, coming of age stories. And I think that that
is a very old story. Older than "Dear Evan Hansen,"
and older than musical theater, the story of a young person
who embarks on a journey to learn about themselves. And what is exciting
about both of these shows is that they really center on
a very contemporary experience, which is, I think, a lot
of why they've resonated with young people, especially. Because it's a really
universal issue we all have, where we just have
these voices, these doubts, these constant barrages
of feelings of inadequacy. But the thing that
I love so much is what makes them
different, which is that "Dear Evan Hansen"
takes this very earnest, very naturalistic, very
"play in a living room" approach to looking
at these issues. And that is very
effective in its own way. And the thing that I love
about being "Be More Chill" is that it takes this sort
of zany, subversive, sci-fi approach to everything. And what that does, I think,
is disarm audiences, in a way. You sort of go in being
like, oh, this poster's pink, and his head's dissolving. Oh, this play's going to be fun! And then you-- and you
sit down, and it is fun. But then when it gets to the
serious meat and potatoes of the themes of the story,
you are sort of primed in a different way. And it works on you in a
way that, I think, sort of-- I think when you go into
a play ready to be sad, you put your guards
up a little bit. And when you go in a
play ready to be joyous, you sort of open up
in a way, and you receive the content in a
way that just lives deeper. And I see the way that "Be
More Chill" ripples out, and the way that people
carry it through their lives. And I did nearly a thousand
performances of "Dear Evan Hansen," and I can
count on both hands the amount of times that
I saw people in costume, or people who had
really invested a lot of post-show time
back into the show. Whereas "Be More Chill," per
capita, the "engagement," as we say in the tech biz, the
engagement is much higher. The way in which people are
reflecting the content back at us is way higher than what
we saw at "Dear Evan Hansen." I think that has
to do with the way that the show works on people. And so I feel like I got
to make a huge upgrade, in terms of my own personal
sort of values on art, and how it can work on people. ILANA LEVINE: So just so
you know, as an aside, there's a podcast called "How
to Be More Chill" where you can hear really in-depth
conversations with all of the cast and creatives
beyond what we can do today. And I highly recommend
it, because it is really a deep dive into the
person behind the part, and then what makes the creation
of this particular musical so special. So if you want more of these
people, which of course we do, that's a way to get more in the
privacy of your own home, car, or subway. I cannot thank you guys enough. There's never enough
time, because there really are so many levels to this
show and the people who make it that makes it one of the most
unique gifts on Broadway. And I thank you for that. There is also a
whole other level of this show, which has to
do with familial tensions and relationships. There's a father at the
center of this play also, played by an actor named
Jason Sweettooth Williams, who isn't here today. But it is also a love story
between a father and son dealing with loss,
outside of what's going on in their high
school experience. And Mr. Joe Iconis is going to
grace us with singing the song and closing out
this event today. So first of all, thank you
all for being here and sharing this time with us. Thank you guys for being
remarkable in every way. Did I not say you would not just
fall in love with their talent, but their hearts? Cheer if you agree with me that
they are magnificent people. AUDIENCE: Woo! JOE ICONIS: Thanks, guys. ILANA LEVINE: Anyway,
Mr. Joe Iconis. And then we will be saying
goodbye when he's done singing. JOE ICONIS: So this is
a song that in the show is sung by Mr. Heere,
Jeremy's dad, and-- there it is. And Jeremy's dad, as
we've talked about, he is this adult character. He's one of the major adult
characters in the show. And in the show,
one of the things that we spend a lot of time
on is this idea that everyone is suffering, everyone's
going through their stuff. And so we obviously spend
the most amount of our time with these young people. But this song occurs in Act 2,
and it's sort of like a glimpse into what's going on
with Jeremy's dad's life. And the thing that you need to
know is that Jeremy's father, he's suffering from
depression himself. And he's gone through the entire
show without wearing pants. He's been unable
to put pants on, so it's a performance
that's exclusively done in tighty whiteys and a robe. And that's what
you need to know. Thank you for having
me at Ask Jeeves. [LAUGHTER] [MUSIC PLAYING] [SINGING "THE PANTS SONG"] Thanks. [APPLAUSE]
