Tick, Tick...Boom | That Production Company

ETHAT Production Company's performance of Jonathan Larson's Tick, Tick...Boom! was such a lovely night of theatre. An autobiographical musical, the story explores authentic portrait of a struggling artist Jon (who we now know as the composer of critically acclaimed bohemian musical Rent) and his ambition for creative work to be 'noticed' by his peers, as well as his longing to break out into the industry and the field in which his passions lie.

Jackson McGovern brings to life Jon's plethora of emotions in such a heartfelt and exceptional way; from his broody nature, to his insecurities about himself and his work, to his anxieties about his future and his love for the ones closest to him. As an audience, we believed McGovern in his often confrontational, interior monologues and felt what he felt from our seats. Actor Stephanie Long was extraordinary as Susan, another struggling artist who's, in some mays, finding different outlets through which to achieve her dreams. I found her character very relatable to my own individual journey in the theatrical world and found that her story was just as powerful as Jon's. Josh Whitten soared as Michael, a character who gave up on his artistic dreams but didn't let it get his heart, whose bubbly, optimistic nature was infectuous. All three actors had such beautiful chemistry and played off of each other with such ease and warmth.

I loved the way director and designer Timothy Wynn, transformed the stage through the movement of a chair or changing the colour of the light from one place to the next, from the balcony to the front seat of Michael's luxurious car. The use of warm and cool lighting against the New York skyline projected onto the back of the stage was exquisite and the band hidden (but heard) behind the projection sounded equally as exquisite.

This work is real. It's honest and it's guaranteed to resonate with you, whether it be the battle to make a dream come true or letting that dream go. Or maybe it will inspire you to do what you never dared imagine. After all, isn't that what happened to Jon?

Rating: 4 stars