Tick, Tick... Boom! (styled as tick, tick... BOOM!) is a musical by
Jonathan Larson. It tells the story of an aspiring composer named Jon, who lives in
New York City in 1990. Jon is worried he has made the wrong career choice to be part of the
performing arts. The story is
semi-autobiographical, as stated by Larson's father in the liner notes of the
cast recording – Larson had been trying to establish himself in theater since the early 1980s.
Larson began to perform the piece as a solo work in 1990. After his death in 1996, it was revised and revamped by playwright
David Auburn as a three-actor piece and was premiered
Off-Broadway in 2001.[1] Since then, the show has had an
Off West End production, a
West End production, an American national tour, two Off-Broadway revivals, in 2014 and 2016, and numerous local and international productions.
The show was first performed as a workshop between September 6 and September 9, 1990 by
Jonathan Larson at the
Off-Broadway playhouse
Second Stage Theater under the title Boho Days. Larson revised the developing piece following the Second Stage workshop, changing the title to Tick, Tick... Boom!, and presented with him as performer in November 1991 at the
Village Gate (produced by Larson's college friend Victoria Leacock), and then later in 1992 and 1993 in the "O Solo Mio" fests at
New York Theatre Workshop.[2] Larson performed the show as a "rock monologue", a new form of theatre for the time. The performance attracted the attention of a young producer named
Jeffrey Seller, who became a fan of Larson's work. In 1995, he saw the New York Theatre Workshop production of Larson's musical Rent and convinced his fellow producers to bring it to
Broadway.
After Larson's death in 1996, Leacock asked
David Auburn, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof, to reconfigure Tick, Tick... Boom!. He restructured the monologue into a three-actor musical,[3] with one actor playing Jon and the other two actors playing Michael and Susan, as well as all the other roles in the show. Also, the script and score were streamlined and edited. This revised version of the piece premiered
Off-Broadway at the
Jane Street Theater on May 23, 2001. Auburn received credit as "Script Consultant".[1]
Plot
Jon is an aspiring
composer for
musical theater, who lives in
SoHo, New York. The year is 1990, and as his 30th birthday approaches Jon is worried about his aging and lack of achievement ("30/90"). Michael, a friend of Jon's since childhood, gave up acting to pursue a more lucrative career in
marketing. Susan, Jon's girlfriend, is a dancer who teaches
ballet to "wealthy and untalented children". On the roof of his apartment building, Jon reveals that he is nervous about an upcoming workshop of his newest musical, SUPERBIA. When Susan comes to join him, he comments on her dress and how beautiful it makes her look ("Green Green Dress").
The next morning, Susan asks Jon about the possibility of leaving New York. Jon is torn between following his dream of composing and opting for security and family in a different career ("Johnny Can’t Decide"). His reverie is cut short when he remembers his day job as a waiter in a SoHo diner ("Sunday").
After work, Michael picks Jon up in his brand new
BMW to show Jon his new apartment. Michael exults at the thought of a life of luxury ("No More"), and pressures Jon further to consider changing his career path. He agrees to accompany Michael to work the next day and visit a brainstorming session at his firm. Back at home, Jon plans to spend the remainder of the evening composing, but is interrupted by a call from Susan ("Therapy").
At Michael's office, the brainstorming session involves naming a cooking fat substitute through a convoluted process. Jon sees the futility of the process and his unwillingness to cooperate gets him removed from the meeting. As Jon drives Michael to the airport for a business trip, they argue about the meeting. Michael tells Jon that the life Susan wants doesn't sound bad, and that he wishes his job could give him the chance to settle down ("Real Life").
After dropping Michael off, Jon goes to a rehearsal for SUPERBIA, but not before stopping to get a snack of
Twinkies ("Sugar"). At the market, he spies Karessa Johnson, one of his actors for SUPERBIA. She reveals a similar weakness for Twinkies, and this leads to a sudden friendship between the two. After the rehearsal, Susan sees Jon and Karessa walking together and becomes jealous. Jon begs Susan to stay and be with him. Despite this, she leaves for home, and Jon thinks about what may have happened to make her behave this way ("See Her Smile").
The next morning, Jon arrives early at the theater for the workshop of SUPERBIA. Karessa steals the show with her performance of “Come to Your Senses”. Jon gets many congratulations, but no offers to produce the show, and so, in his eyes, the workshop has been a failure. Jon visits Michael and tells him that he is through with music. Michael says that while he enjoys how he makes a lot more money now, he finds the job to be banal and unrewarding. The two argue, and Jon yells at Michael for not understanding fear or insecurity. Michael responds by telling Jon that he is HIV-positive. Shocked, Jon leaves quickly and wanders through
Central Park until he finds himself at the closed
Delacorte Theater. He finds an old rehearsal piano and begins to play it while collecting his thoughts. Jon ponders on whether the amount of sacrifice required for his career in music is worth it, and whether those telling him to "have it all, play the game" are right ("Why"). Ultimately, he realizes that he will only be happy as a professional composer, no matter what hardships that may bring.
The next morning is Jon's thirtieth birthday party ("30/90 Reprise"). He sees Susan, who is getting ready to leave. She gives him his birthday gift: a thousand sheets of blank manuscript paper. They agree to write to each other, and she leaves. The phone rings, and the caller is Jon's idol,
Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim leaves Jon his contact information so they can meet and discuss SUPERBIA. Jon realizes that he is surrounded by friends and that his talents are finally being recognized.[4][5]
Characters
Jonathan (also called: Jon, Johnny) Voice Type:Tenor
Michael (also plays: Jon's Dad, Executive, Temp, Market research guy, Counter guy, Rosa Stevens) Voice Type:Baritenor
Susan (also plays: Rosa Stevens, Jon's Mom, Secretary, Judy Wright, Karessa Johnson) Voice Type:Mezzo-soprano
Musical numbers
"30/90" – Jon, Michael, Susan
"Green Green Dress" – Jon, Susan
"Johnny Can't Decide" – Jon, Susan, Michael
"Sunday" – Jon and Diner Patrons
"No More" – Michael, Jon
"Therapy" – Jon, Susan
"Times Square"
"Real Life" – Michael and Company
"Sugar" – Jon, Karessa, Counter Guy
"See Her Smile" – Jon and Company (including a reprise of "Real Life")
"Superbia Intro"
"Come to Your Senses" – Karessa
"Why" – Jon
"30/90 Reprise" – Jon
"Louder Than Words" – Company
Notes
"No More" features a sample from Movin' On Up, the theme song of the television series The Jeffersons
"Sunday", Jon's song at the diner, is based on the Act I Finale from the
Stephen Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George; Larson conceived it as a humorous homage to Sondheim, one of his largest influences.[6]
In "Johnny Can't Decide", all the characters are referring to themselves in third-person, just like George in the song "Lesson #8" from Sunday in the Park with George. In the monologue version of the musical, only Jon did this.
Another reference to Sondheim is present in the song "Why". Not only mentioning West Side Story in the lyrics, the song utilizes the same tritone made famous in the West Side Story song "
Maria".
"Why" contains fragments of several other songs: "Yellow Bird", "
Let's Go Fly a Kite" from the film Mary Poppins, "Cool" and "Tonight – Quintet" both from West Side Story, and "Come to Your Senses" from Larson's Superbia.
On the cast recording, there is an additional song cut from the final version of the show, "Boho Days". This track is one of the few recordings of Larson's voice publicly available. It was extracted from a demo tape recorded by Larson during the development of Tick, Tick... Boom![7]
On the 1989 demo album of Tick, Tick... Boom!, one track is "Why", performed by Larson himself. In this recording, in place of "Come to Your Senses" is a fragment of "LCD Readout" and “Too Cold to Care”, which also come from Superbia.
A
California production ran at the Rubicon Theatre Company in
Ventura, California, from November 19, 2005, through December 18, 2005. Scott Schwartz directed,
Brent Crayon as Music Director, with a cast including Andrew Samonsky as Jon,
Wilson Cruz as Michael, and Natascia Diaz as Susan. The production moved to the
Coronet Theatre,
West Hollywood, California, through July 16, 2006, with Tami Tappan Damiano as Susan.[14]
2005 Canadian premiere
A
Toronto production was mounted by Acting Up Stage Theatre Company at the
Poor Alex Theatre in 2005. The director was Mario D'Alimonte, and the cast consisted of
Dean Armstrong as Jon, Michael Dufays as Michael, and Daphne Moens as Susan.
2009 London West End premiere
Tick, Tick... Boom! had its
West End premiere in a limited engagement at the
Duchess Theatre from May 13–17, 2009, forming part of the 2009
Notes from New York season. Directed by Hannah Chissick, the cast comprised Paul Keating as Jon,
Julie Atherton as Susan, and
Leon Lopez as Michael.[15]
Tick, Tick... Boom! was revived in October 2016 at the Acorn Theater at
Theatre Row, starring
Ciara Renée, Nick Blaemire, and
George Salazar.[17] Previews began on October 4, the show opened on October 20, and it closed on December 18, 2016. It was directed by Jonathan Silverstein, the
Artistic Director of Keen Company.[1]Lilli Cooper took over the role of Susan on November 22, 2016.[18]
The Hungarian production opened on July 23, 2003, on the open-air stage of
Pécs,
Hungary. It was directed by Tamás Balikó, the director of the National Theatre of Pécs, with musical direction by Zoltán Bókai. The cast was Attila Németh as Jon, Lilla Polyák as Susan, and István Fillár/Tamás Gregorovics as Michael.
The production moved to the National Theatre of Pécs, where it opened on November 4, 2003, with new cast members: Bernadett Tunyogi as Susan and Attila Csengeri as Jon. The production closed on February 26, 2004.
2007 Danish premiere
A
Danish production played in 2007, starring Mads Æbeløe Nielsen as Jon, Thomas Bay Pedersen as Michael, and Christina Elisabeth Mørkøre as Susan, and directed by Jens Frausing. A recording of the Danish production was released in 2007.
2008 Mexican premiere
Starring Marco Anthonio as Jon, Natalia Sosa as Susan and Beto Torres as Michael, this production opened at
Teatro Rafael Solana on February 20, 2008.
2008 Canadian premiere
Ignition Theatre produced the production in May 2008 at The Matchbox in
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. It starred Joel Crichton as Jon, Wilmari Myburgh as Susan, and Curtis Labelle as Michael. The production ran from May 15 to 24.
2009 Westport production
The production at the
Westport Country Playhouse in
Westport, Connecticut ran from June 23 through July 18. It was directed by Scott Schwartz, who directed the original off-Broadway production, and starred Colin Hanlon as Jon,
Wilson Cruz as Michael, and Pearl Sun as Susan.
2009 Manila premiere
A
Philippine production ran for three weeks in August 2009 at the
Ateneo de Manila University. It was staged by Blue Repertory, the university's college-level musical theater group, under the direction of Bea Garcia.
The German premiere of the musical opened on March 11, 2010, in
Kerpen near
Cologne. It was directed by Barbara Franck and Marco Maciejewski with musical supervision by Philipp Polzin. Jon was played by Oliver Morschel and Daniel Wichmann, Michael by Sascha Odendall and Joshua Vithayathil, and Susan by Marina Schmitz and Michaela Berg. The songs were performed in English, with scenes done in German.
2010 London Fringe production
The Union Theatre performed Tick, Tick... Boom! in April 2010, featuring Leanne Jones, Ashley Campbell, and Adam Rhys Davies. It was directed by Damian Sandys.
2011 Spanish premiers
A
Spanish production ran at Teatro Lara, Madrid, from July 14 through 22, 2011, under the direction of Pablo Muñoz-Chápuli and starring Jorge Gonzalo as Jon, David Tortosa as Michael, and Laura Castrillón as Susan.
2011 London revival
Tick, Tick... Boom! opened in
London at the
Africa Centre on October 14, 2011, directed by Simon Carnell, the cast featured Samuel Haughton as Jon, David Adams as Michael, and Katrina Boyd as Susan.
2012 Argentinian premiere
The 2012 Argentinian production of Tick, Tick... Boom! ran at the Maipo Kabaret Theatre under the direction of Nicolás Roberto and starred Andrés Espinel as Mike, Natalia Cesari as Susan, and Paul Jeannot as Jon.
2014 Dutch premiere
Tresore Productions performed at various theatres in The Netherlands from March 3 – May 3, 2014, under the direction of Koen van Dijk, starring John Vooijs as Jon, Renée van Wegberg as Susan, and Sander van Voorst tot Voorst as Mike.
2018 Czech premiere
The Czech premiere of the musical was performed at Theatre Na prádle Prague under the direction of Martin Vokoun and starred Peter Pecha as Mike, Lucia Jagerčíková as Susan, and Tomáš Vaněk as Jon.
2018 Hong Kong premiere
A Cantonese production was performed in Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre Theatre by theatre company
Musical Trio in 2018.
2018-2019 Brazilian premiere
A
Portuguese production ran at Teatro FAAP in
São Paulo from October 30, 2018, to January 31, 2019. It was directed by
Leopoldo Pacheco and Bel Gomes and starred Bruno Narchi as Jon, Thiago Machado as Michael, and Giulia Nadruz as Susan.
2019 Taiwan premiere
A production ran at the New Taipei City Arts Center in October 2019, featuring New York actor Matthew Bauman as Jon,
Anthony Neely as Mike, and Ting-Fang Liu as Susan. Produced by the Tainaner Ensemble, the production was directed by New York director Darren Cohen.
2021-2024 Shanghai production
A Chinese production ran in Gong Stage from April 2, 2021 to April 11, 2021, then from June 22, 2021 to June 27, 2021. Cast included Yi-bin Zheng, Qi-sheng Ye, Zhen-kai Xia as Jon, Li-Tong Hsu, Hao-yu Chen, Hao-ran Liu as Susan, Ze Zhang, Le-tian Wang, Wei-gang Zhao as Michael. Produced by Cmusicals.
Then in 2022, a long-term prodution ran in Strand Theatre from January 14, to September 12, which was once interrupted by 2022 Shanghai COVID-19 outbreak.
In 2024, Shanghai revival opened in Gong stage on April 12, 2024, the cast featured Er Mao and Meng-nan Qian as Jon, Jing-yuan Liao and Guo Hong as Susan, Jia-ming Tang and Ji-wen Xu as Michael. The revival production closed on April 21, 2024.
2022 Swedish premiere
Produced by Fourth Wall Productions in Malmö and directed by Swedish director Helena Röhr. Jon played by Filip Vikström, Michael played by Erik Espinoza and Susan played by Kim Bergkvist.
2023 Australian premiere
Produced by StoreyBoard Productions and directed by Tyran Parke. Jon played by Hugh Sheridan, Michael played by Finn Alexander and Susan played by Elenoa Rokobaro.
2023 Israeli premiere
Directed and translated by Roi Dolev, who will also star as Jon, with Inbal Zoashnin as Susan, and Snir Weiller as Michael. Performances are scheduled for October and November 2023 in Haifa and Tel Aviv.[20]
2023 Austrian premiere
Will be played at the Volskoper (Vienna, Austria), directed by Frédéric Buhr and starring Jakob Semotan as Jon, Juliette Khalil as Susan and Oliver Liebl as Michael. Performances for now are scheduled between November 2023 and February 2024.[21]
2024 Kennedy Center production
Directed by
Neil Patrick Harris, who previously played Jon in the London premiere, starring
Brandon Uranowitz as Jon,
Denée Benton as Susan and
Grey Henson as Michael, running from January 26 through February 4 as part of the
Kennedy Center's Broadway Center Stage series. Unlike most productions, the show includes an ensemble.[22]