Be More Chill became an internet sensation long before it arrived on Broadway, thanks to its avid social media following and the success of its original cast album. The recording has been streamed more than 200 million times. A new Broadway cast album is in the works.

The lead character’s transformation comes about after he swallows a grey, oblong pill with a swig of green Mountain Dew. The capsule is actually a Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor (SQUIP) which enters his body and communicates directly with his brain. In other words, he gets “squipped.”

The musical premiered at Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ, in the spring of 2015. The show’s Off Broadway production opened in the summer of 2018 before transferring to Broadway. The piece is based on a 2004 young adult novel by Ned Vizzini.