Long before she was jumping through the multiverse or getting Oscar nods, Stephanie Hsu was a high schooler in New Jersey. Well, a fictional one. If you were online in 2017, you probably remember the absolute fever dream that was the Be More Chill explosion. It was this scrappy musical that basically died after its regional run, only to be resurrected by teenagers on Tumblr who decided it was the greatest thing ever written.
At the heart of that chaos was Hsu’s performance as Christine Canigula. Honestly, she didn't just play the role; she kind of redefined what a "leading lady" could look like in a Broadway musical. She wasn't the polished, untouchable ingenue. She was a "weird bird" in a lime green dress who was obsessed with Barbra Streisand and high school play rehearsals.
The Christine Canigula Factor
Most people know the plot of Be More Chill: geeky Jeremy Heere swallows a supercomputer pill (the SQUIP) to become cool and win over his crush. That crush is Christine. But in the hands of Stephanie Hsu, Christine wasn't just a "prize" to be won. She was a hurricane of frantic energy and genuine conviction.
Think about the song "I Love Play Rehearsal." It’s a masterclass in character acting. Hsu managed to make "high-strung theater geek" feel like a superpower rather than a punchline. She leaned into the awkwardness. She made the choice to be loud, strange, and unapologetically enthusiastic. It’s a performance that feels even more relevant now that we’ve seen her range in Everything Everywhere All At Once. You can see the seeds of that chaotic, brilliant energy right there on the stage of the Lyceum Theatre.
Why Stephanie Hsu Broke the Ingenue Mold
In interviews during the show's run, Hsu was pretty vocal about how she didn't fit the "typical" Broadway mold. She’s a 4-foot-11 Asian American woman. Historically, that's not who gets cast as the romantic lead in a teen-centric musical.
✨ Don't miss: Why ASAP Rocky F kin Problems Still Runs the Club Over a Decade Later
"I know how ingenues have been portrayed: tall, skinny, and blonde. But that's not real." — Stephanie Hsu, Broadway Direct
That’s why her version of Christine resonated so hard. For a lot of fans, seeing Stephanie Hsu in Be More Chill was the first time they saw someone who looked like them—or acted as weird as them—getting to be the center of the story. She wasn't the "mean girl" or the "quiet best friend." She was the girl Jeremy was willing to risk his brain for, and she was doing it while wearing purple tights and talking about Dead Poets Society.
From Red Bank to Broadway: A Timeline
The journey of this show is honestly ridiculous. It started at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, back in 2015. Hsu was there from day one. After that run, the show basically went into hibernation. It should have been over.
But then the cast recording hit the internet.
🔗 Read more: Ashley My 600 Pound Life Now: What Really Happened to the Show’s Most Memorable Ashleys
Suddenly, kids were tagging Hsu in fan art. They were showing up to her other Broadway gig (SpongeBob SquarePants, where she played a literal computer) and asking her to sign Be More Chill scripts. By the time the show moved Off-Broadway in 2018 and eventually to Broadway in 2019, the hype was unsustainable.
It’s easy to forget that while she was playing this quirky teenager on stage every night, she was also filming her role as Mei in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. That’s a wild amount of range to maintain simultaneously. One minute she's a 1950s firebrand in NYC, the next she's a 2010s high schooler singing about how "a guy that I'd kinda be into" probably isn't the protagonist.
The Legacy of "A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into"
One of the best moments in the show—and arguably Hsu’s best vocal performance—is "A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into." It’s such a relatable, messy song. It captures that specific teenage feeling of trying to figure out your own feelings while someone else is breathing down your neck.
Hsu brought a level of agency to the role that wasn't necessarily on the page of the original Ned Vizzini novel. She made Christine someone who knew what she wanted, even if what she wanted was "to be more than just a background character in someone else's life."
💡 You might also like: Album Hopes and Fears: Why We Obsess Over Music That Doesn't Exist Yet
What Most People Get Wrong
There's a misconception that Be More Chill was just a "meme musical." While the internet certainly helped, the performances—especially Hsu’s—had real weight. She wasn't just playing for laughs. There's a scene toward the end where the SQUIP tries to take over her mind, and Hsu's physical acting there is actually terrifying. It showed a darker, more dramatic side that many people didn't expect from a show about a glowing blue pill.
Looking back, Stephanie Hsu’s time in Be More Chill was the perfect launchpad. It proved she could carry a massive, high-pressure production while maintaining a distinct, quirky identity. She didn't have to "normalize" herself to fit into Broadway; she made Broadway adjust to her.
How to Revisit the Performance
If you missed the show during its run, you can still catch the vibe through the Original Broadway Cast Recording. It’s available on all major streaming platforms. Pay close attention to her tracks; the nuances in her delivery are what made that version of the show so special.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Listen to the 2019 Broadway Cast Recording: Compare her performance in "I Love Play Rehearsal" to the 2015 regional version. You can hear how she evolved the character to be sharper and more self-assured.
- Watch her "Stage Door" interviews: There are dozens of fan-uploaded clips from the Lyceum Theatre days. They show just how much she cared about the community that built the show.
- Check out her later work: If you loved her energy in Be More Chill, watch her in Joy Ride or Everything Everywhere All At Once. The DNA of Christine Canigula is in every "weird" choice she makes as an actor.
Stephanie Hsu’s run in Be More Chill wasn't just a job; it was a cultural moment that proved theater geeks and "weird birds" belong in the spotlight. Whether she's on a Broadway stage or a movie screen, that energy hasn't changed. She's still the girl who loves the rehearsal as much as the performance.