Viral Musical Being Adapted for Film and Moving to Broadway

The recipient of a master's degree in military art and science from the School of Advanced Military Studies in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Dana Pittard is a former Army officer who serves as vice president of defense programs for Allison Transmission. Beyond his professional pursuits, Dana Pittard enjoys attending Broadway plays. 

When it debuted in 2015 as a regional production at New Jersey's Two River Theater, Be More Chill received little fanfare, but now the adaptation of Ned Vizzini's novel is going to be developed into a film. While there is no attached film studio for distribution yet, the film will be produced by 21 Laps and Berlanti Productions. The science fiction musical tells the story of an unpopular high school student, Jeremy Heere, who takes a pill that results in a smooth-talking devil residing on his shoulder. The production ran for only six weeks, following which a cast album of the show was released.

In 2017, the album went viral as it gained popularity primarily among young people. As of October, it has been streamed more than 150 million times. The show's composer, Joe Iconis, still isn't sure what led to the sudden increase in popularity, but the show does tackle a lot of major issues that affect young people such as anxiety, depression, and bullying. Its online success led to a limited Off-Broadway run in the summer of 2018, and it's scheduled to move to Broadway in February 2019.