Be More Chill
Griffin Theatre Company at Stage 773

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended

"...The entire cast achieves a nice balance between sketch comedy and genuine emotion. Berry's direction, swift and confident, taps into the dire humor and heartfelt devastations of high school, played out on a terrifically simple but evocative set by Brandon Wardell. For a couple of hours inside the theater, at least, teenage hormones and histrionics rule the day."
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Nina Metz

Chicago Sun Times- Recommended

"...This is a little show that will certainly appeal to those in the full throes of high school trauma (it should probably tour the nation's middle schools). It also might elicit a knowing (retrospective) chuckle from any parent who at one time or another was convinced their adolescent child had been abducted by aliens and implanted with a chip straight out of the devil's software arsenal."
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Hedy Weiss

Daily Herald- Highly Recommended

"...Much of the show's success rests on the slender shoulders of the disarming Cohen, a 20-year-old Northwestern University student. His intuitive performance (an impressive professional debut) grounds the show. We've seen this kid in this situation countless times before, but Cohen draws us in and makes us care anew."
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Barbara Vitello

Time Out Chicago- Somewhat Recommended

"...Chill comes off as above-average fare for urban teen audiences. Though some parents might blanch at the sporadic sex, drugs and profanity, those elements are pretty PG and certainly nothing that Sebastian—the teen I brought to the show, who thoroughly dug it and felt it accurately depicted his world—hadn’t seen before."
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Craig Keller

Chicago Reader- Recommended

"...Outlandish yet grounded in the harsh realities of high school, Jonathan Berry's lively production for Griffin Theatre avoids both the corny and the ultra-arch. As Jeremy, Northwestern undergrad Jake Cohen sweetly conveys the confusions and longings of adolescence."

Zac Thompson

NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended

"...Massolia's script retains large chunks of Vizzini's snappy and authentic teenage vernacular that gives the piece a lot of its punch, and Barry's perky production is appealing in its youthful exuberance, optimism and ability to effectively harness the raw talent of its mostly young and fresh cast."

Fabrizio O. Almeida

Windy City Times- Recommended

"...The ensemble of actors acquit themselves gamely, lending depth and vulnerability to characters aged either above or below their portrayers' years, though Edward Paul steals the show in the role of the squip—personified as a black-clad commando with the voice of Keanu Reeves, the body language of an Elvis impersonator and the ethics of Instant Seduction-guru Ross Jeffries."
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Mary Shen Barnidge

EpochTimes- Not Recommended

"...This company, under the direction of Jonathan Berry tries to show us a glimpse at what it is like to be a high school nerd and what lessons one can learn about being cool, that it must come from within and be real, rather than through technology. While this book may have won many awards, as a play it is slow and kind of boring. Perhaps, it should be looked at again and the author might take a stab at adapting it for stage as it is his concept and probably his life (not counting the pill) being immortalized."

Al Bresloff

ChicagoCritic- Recommended

"...The cast of mostly youthful actors conveys the attitudes and foibles of contemporary teens nicely. Jake Cohen, nerd-in-all, still keeps our attention as the nicest un-cool guy. Younger audiences will enjoy this show—teens will have strong reactions to the show."
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Tom Williams