Be More Chill's Tony Nominee Joe Iconis on Writing Himself into Characters, Tony Awards Fashion & More

Music and lyricist Joe Iconis just earned his first Tony Award nomination for his original score to Be More Chill, which is also the only nomination awarded to the new musical. "Truly, the nomination for me feels like a nomination for the whole show, which it is," Iconis said to Paul Wontorek in a recent interview on Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "It’s a little homegrown show created by artists who really care about the material. So many of the artists who first did it in 2015 are still doing it on Broadway. My nomination really feels like it’s a representation of the entire Be More Chill community."

Be More Chill has been a fan-favorite ever since its debut at Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 2015, and that fan-fueled love was made obvious by its 12 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards nominations. To Iconis, one of the keys to success is working with people you care about. "My dream has always been to have a show I care about on Broadway with people I love and that’s happening right now," he said. "When I first started making theater, I decided I wanted to make theater with people who I cared about as human beings. The work lended itself to personal connection which is how I met the human being who is currently my wife, Lauren Marcus, who is in Be More Chill. My best friends in the whole world are in Be More Chill. It's my favorite thing in the whole world."

Although Iconis is loving having his first show on Broadway, he is already deep into new works. "Broadway Bounty Hunter and Love in Hate Nation are totally original musicals," Iconis said. "I like to think that people can hear a song and kind of tell its me, but I want my shows to sound different from each other. I never understand when someone writes a bunch of musicals that all sound the same. The writing should reflect the actual characters that inhabit the stories. I relate to all of [the Be More Chill] characters. Every character I've ever written is just a version of myself. I don’t know how to write anyone other than me."

Iconis is known for always looking dapper, just look at his outfit choice for his Spring Preview feature for proof, so he knows that he has to bring his A-game to the Tony Awards. "I'm 100 percent of the Tony nominees for Be More Chill, so I need to bring it," he said. "I'm going to wear something amazing. I don’t know what its going to be yet but its going to be beautiful and the perfect outfit for me to accept my Tony Award in."

Be sure to check out Be More Chill, now playing at the Lyceum Theatre.

Watch the full #LiveAtFive episode below!