tick, tick...BOOM! follows Jon, an aspiring young theater writer who's waiting tables while creating what he hopes will be the next great American musical. Days before he's due to showcase his work in a make-or-break performance, he is feeling the pressure from everywhere: from his girlfriend Susan, who dreams of a life beyond New York City; from his friend Michael, who has moved on from his dream to a life of financial security. With the clock ticking, Jon is at a crossroads and faces the question everyone must reckon with: What are we meant to do with the time we have? The original stage version was first performed by Jonathan Larson in a workshop at Second Stage Theater under the title of Boho Days in September of 1990. He later revised it following that run, changing the title to tick, tick...BOOM!, and presented it with himself as a performer at the Village Gate over a year later.
When Larson’s follow-up show, Rent, went on to become a Broadway sensation shortly after he passed away, his college friend, producer Victoria Leacock, asked playwright David Auburn to reconfigure tick, tick...BOOM!. He restructured it into a three-person musical as well as streamlined and edited the script and score. Although he ended up getting credited as ‘Script Consultant’, giving Larson credit for everything else. The revised version premiered at Off-Broadway’s Jane Street Theatre on May 23rd, 2001 and closed on January 6th, 2002 after 215 performances. In the years since, tick, tick…BOOM! has been performed by many theatre companies all over the world. In 2021, a feature film adaptation directed by Lin-Maniel Miranda debuted on Netflix and received 2 Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Andrew Garfield’s performance.
Just before the show began, Theatre Raleigh’s producing artistic director Lauren Kennedy came on stage to not only introduce their production, but also two special guests. The first being the director, Amy Spanger, who happens to be no stranger to Jonathan Larson’s works. She previously played Maureen Johnson in the national tour of Rent and went on to originate the role of Susan in the 2001 Off-Broadway production of tick, tick…BOOM!. The second guest was Victoria Leacock, Larson’s college friend. She mentioned how his spirit remained present on opening night of this particular production.
Throughout this 90-minute intermission-less musical, there’s tons of thrilling moments on display. Under Spanger’s direction, all of the action is staged on a two-story set (with a four-piece band based on top) modeled after a New York City apartment in the 1990s. It’s all very neatly designed by Becca Fowler. The staging itself successfully keeps things very suggested, letting the audience figure out what it’s all supposed to represent in each scene. The choreography by Brian Shepard (Amy Spanger’s husband) is subtle, but solidly done. The lighting designed by Kiahana Toomer is absolutely dynamic.
A lot of the other thrills come from performances of the small, but effective cast of three. Ian Fairlee makes for quite a compelling Jon. He carries the whole show from start to finish while also narrating most of it well. Both of his fellow cast members memorably play multiple roles, yet they still have primary characters. Lawrence Dandridge is perfectly flamboyant as Jon’s gay best friend and roommate, Michael, a former actor-turned-market research executive. Ellie Barone is a standout as Jon’s girlfriend, Susan, a dancer who wants to get married and move out of NYC. Plus, they both share some heartfelt moments with Fairlee.
If you’re a Renthead who’s curious to learn about some of Jonathan Larson’s other works, I think this production is worth checking out. If you’re only familiar with the Netflix film of tick, tick…BOOM!, you’ll probably be amazed by how Lin-Manuel Miranda and company reimagined the stage version cinematically. Though if you’re on the verge of turning 30, you’ll likely find a lot to relate to in this musical. I myself just turned 30 last month, so I definitely related to a lot of what Jon went through at that age.
Theatre Raleigh’s production is currently running through April 21st. For more information, please visit:
https://theatreraleigh.com/tick-tick-boom/
When Larson’s follow-up show, Rent, went on to become a Broadway sensation shortly after he passed away, his college friend, producer Victoria Leacock, asked playwright David Auburn to reconfigure tick, tick...BOOM!. He restructured it into a three-person musical as well as streamlined and edited the script and score. Although he ended up getting credited as ‘Script Consultant’, giving Larson credit for everything else. The revised version premiered at Off-Broadway’s Jane Street Theatre on May 23rd, 2001 and closed on January 6th, 2002 after 215 performances. In the years since, tick, tick…BOOM! has been performed by many theatre companies all over the world. In 2021, a feature film adaptation directed by Lin-Maniel Miranda debuted on Netflix and received 2 Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Andrew Garfield’s performance.
Just before the show began, Theatre Raleigh’s producing artistic director Lauren Kennedy came on stage to not only introduce their production, but also two special guests. The first being the director, Amy Spanger, who happens to be no stranger to Jonathan Larson’s works. She previously played Maureen Johnson in the national tour of Rent and went on to originate the role of Susan in the 2001 Off-Broadway production of tick, tick…BOOM!. The second guest was Victoria Leacock, Larson’s college friend. She mentioned how his spirit remained present on opening night of this particular production.
Throughout this 90-minute intermission-less musical, there’s tons of thrilling moments on display. Under Spanger’s direction, all of the action is staged on a two-story set (with a four-piece band based on top) modeled after a New York City apartment in the 1990s. It’s all very neatly designed by Becca Fowler. The staging itself successfully keeps things very suggested, letting the audience figure out what it’s all supposed to represent in each scene. The choreography by Brian Shepard (Amy Spanger’s husband) is subtle, but solidly done. The lighting designed by Kiahana Toomer is absolutely dynamic.
A lot of the other thrills come from performances of the small, but effective cast of three. Ian Fairlee makes for quite a compelling Jon. He carries the whole show from start to finish while also narrating most of it well. Both of his fellow cast members memorably play multiple roles, yet they still have primary characters. Lawrence Dandridge is perfectly flamboyant as Jon’s gay best friend and roommate, Michael, a former actor-turned-market research executive. Ellie Barone is a standout as Jon’s girlfriend, Susan, a dancer who wants to get married and move out of NYC. Plus, they both share some heartfelt moments with Fairlee.
If you’re a Renthead who’s curious to learn about some of Jonathan Larson’s other works, I think this production is worth checking out. If you’re only familiar with the Netflix film of tick, tick…BOOM!, you’ll probably be amazed by how Lin-Manuel Miranda and company reimagined the stage version cinematically. Though if you’re on the verge of turning 30, you’ll likely find a lot to relate to in this musical. I myself just turned 30 last month, so I definitely related to a lot of what Jon went through at that age.
Theatre Raleigh’s production is currently running through April 21st. For more information, please visit:
https://theatreraleigh.com/tick-tick-boom/