Each day passes. It’s an inevitability. For Jonathon Larson (Andrew Garfield), each day passing is like a ticking against the clock. Another day older, another day longer before a dream is achieved. For some, each passing day may not make an impression, time flows along at the same pace for everyone, but for Jonathon Larson, who died just months before his 36th birthday, the ticking of the clock is a time bomb.
Jonathon Larson is responsible for the massive Broadway hit “Rent” which debuted in New York City in 1994. The day before it went off-Broadway, Larson died suddenly and never was able to see the heights his musical, that was years in the making, was able to reach. Who is Jonathon Larson and what did he give to musical theater? "tick, tick...Boom," directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, shows us the life of a beloved talent that we lost too soon.
Living in New York City in early 1990s, Larson is anxiously awaiting, or nervously avoiding, the looming date of his thirtieth birthday. Turning 30 in 1990, which inspired one of my favorite songs, and early opener, 30/90. Larson becomes desperate to finish his first musical “Superbia” which has taken him eight years to finally finish. Scrambling to pull together the missing pieces and debuting the musical in front of a live audience full of Broadway Producers, Larson finds out that they are all impressed with his talent, but can’t wait to see what’s next. Not really what you want to hear after you’ve poured your heart and soul, not to mention, dedicated eight years of your life to a musical that will never see the light of day.
At first, Larson considers giving it all up, temporarily deciding that an apartment on the Upper East Side with central heating and parking is much better than wasting the next eight years of his life struggling to come up with another idea. After consulting with his closest friend, Michael (Robin de Jesus), he refocuses his purpose and realizes that the concept of time is not something that everyone has the luxury to extend.
After learning that his friend Michael is HIV positive, Larson becomes inspired and starts a new idea, a modern musical that exists outside the Broadway-like tropes that we have seen a million times before. Determined for his music to reach the Broadway stage, Larson begins a new play, "tick., tick...Boom!" and then a few years later, he turns to a side-project that he had been working on over the years, "Rent." Rent” debuted on Broadway in 1994 and received four Tony Awards and was adapted into a hit movie in 2005. "Rent" ran on Broadway for 12-years and the original cast included now world-renowned performance Idina Menzel, who made her Broadway debut in Larson's "Rent."
"tick, tick...Boom!" shows the struggle and determination Larson had to create a lasting legacy that helped change the landscape of modern Broadway Musicals for future generations. Without his sacrifices, we may not have come to know and cherish "Hamilton" by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also directed the movie adaptation.
“tick tick…Boom!” is a marvelous musical experience that makes you realize you are never too old to achieve your dreams and if it leaves us with anything, it’s that each day is precious and if you aren’t living your life the way to imagine it to be, change your destiny before time runs out. Worth the watch and worth the discussion.
Andrew Garfield is a knock-out in the titular role of Jonathon Larson. We already know he can act, but he proves that he can also sing. I would love to see him nominated in the Lead Actor Category at the Oscars next year. In Miranda's directorial debut, it would also be lovely to see some representation here as well, but it is already a crowded category this year.
Movie Score 7.5/10
And that’s the stich.
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