Musicals for young people: a new wave

With the glorious rise of school-based musicals, you may have noticed an uptake in students humming down the corridors or joining the school choir. Hattie Fisk investigates why this new wave of musicals has begun, and asks what impact it can have on the engagement of music in schools.

Scott Folan and Blake Patrick Anderson in the London tour of Be More Chill

There is nothing like seeing yourself reflected on stage. Some of the most formative experiences for me came from watching West End productions of shows like Grease and wishing I could perform the role of Sandy. With new productions starring casts full of young people – in some cases with actual children performing (Matilda the Musical) – surely a new wave of inspired young people will follow? Brewing on this possibility, I spoke to some students, teachers and the creators behind these musicals to find out what this could mean for the future of student engagement with music and drama.

American composer, lyricist and playwright Joe Iconis, aside from having a great name, is best known for writing the music and lyrics to Broadway musical Be More Chill. Based on the novel by Ned Vizzini, the production follows the story of a ‘loser’ high-school student named Jeremy Heere who swallows a pill-sized Japanese computer, named Squip, that proceeds to live inside him, telling its host how to be ‘more chill’, in real-time.