

As he stays razor focused on preparing for the event, workshopping by day and writing by night, the lights go out around him when his apartment’s power is cut off on the eve of the showcase.
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We meet Larson just days before a showcase performance for potential producers of his, as it turns out, prophetic futuristic musical, Superbia, where folks spend their days absorbed by watching the lives of the elite play out like a TV show on their media devices. Yet to see his work produced, he’s plagued by thoughts of the early in life success of musical theatre artists such as his hero Stephen Sondheim, and can already hear the notes of Happy Birthday beginning to mockingly loom over him and time ticking away until he turns 30 in 1990, leading to one of the film’s urgent, thumping rock musical numbers 30/90, beautifully performed by with an agitated gusto by Garfield. Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson, in TICK, TICK…BOOM! Photo Credit: Macall Polay/NETFLIX © 2021.Īndrew Garfield plays Larson as his twenties are rapidly coming to a close.

Miranda’s impressive feature directorial debut, adapted from the autobiographical musical by the late Rent composer and writer Jonathan Larson, is an invigorating, life-affirming, and deeply moving hymn both to musical theatre and more broadly to all creative people, as well as a celebration of Larson’s life and legacy. Afterall, no one would say so no to Miranda.After over a year of binging Netflix in my tiny East Village apartment it felt a little Alanis Morissette ironic that my first trip to a Broadway theatre since last March wasn’t to see a live theatre production, but for the New York premiere of a Netflix film, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tick, tick…BOOM! As it turned out, it made for a perfect return to theatreland.

For theater buffs there are dozens of theater cameos, many composers play themselves and there are several Broadway stars in at as well. Vanessa Hudgens and Joshua Henry play two of Larson’s collaborators who play parts in the workshop presentation.

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Sondheim provided a voice-over for a message on Larson’s voicemail in the movie shortly before he died. Judith Light plays his eccentric agent Rosa Stevens and Bradley Whitford, in a small part, plays Stephen Sondheim. He can barely pull off being a supportive friend to Michael (Robin de Jesus) who gave up his acting dreams to be a successful advertising executive and was recently diagnosed with HIV. A dancer, she has artistic dreams of her own, and is woefully dissatisfied with her relationship with Larson, who is too consumed with his work to be anyone’s romantic partner. Conversely if you are an artist, or have loved an artist, tick, tick…Boom! is a brilliant, realized experience of what being an artist is.Īlexandra Shipp plays Larson’s poor put upon girlfriend, Susan. This is an intimate, immersive musical, focusing on the artistic process, and although it has some “bigger” numbers, those looking for a traditional “big” show may not enjoy it. Energetic, intense, tortured, vulnerable and defeated, but tenacious and irrepressible, Garfield can also sing, and his natural charisma doesn’t hurt either. The workshopped musical is called, Superba, and to my knowledge still hasn’t been produced.Īndrew Garfield who just won the Golden Globe for his performance here, does an excellent job as the passionate, messy, but hugely talented Larson. tick, tick…Boom! takes place before Larson wrote rent and focuses on the period when Larson was preparing for a crucial workshop production for possible backers at the famous off-Broadway theater, Playwright’s Horizon. If he hadn’t tragically died right before it opened off-Broadway. Jonathan Larson won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony, for the trailblazing musical Rent, which played on Broadway for 12 years and would have made him a fortune in royalties. Andrew Garfield plays the dedicated, hardworking young Jonathan who will sacrifice anything for his art. It is an intimate, tumultuous, glorious journey of the struggles of a young artist who feels the pressure of turning 30, unaccomplished, undiscovered, and of course poor. It is based on the late Jonathan’s Larson’s autobiographical musical. Tick, tick… Boom! is Lin Manuel Miranda’s feature film directorial debut.
