Review: TICK, TICK… BOOM! at The Carnegie

This past Friday evening on July 19th, The Carnegie in Covington, Kentucky opened their latest show of the 2024 summer theatre season. By the end of the night, this new production Jonathan Larson’s musical Tick, Tick… Boom! was met with a huge positive reaction. Written by the man who would go on to pen the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent just a few years later, Tick, Tick… Boom! takes a look at themes from Larson’s own life and presents them in a semi-autobiographical fashion. After Larson’s death in 1996, acclaimed playwright David Auburn reconstructed the original one-man show into a fully fledged, multi-character musical that went on to premiere Off-Broadway in 2001. As a result, the foreshadowing within the show is apparent when considering his future theatrical tour de force, as well as the heartbreak of his unexpected passing during the process of said project. 

With merely three actors (and a live band) performing the entirety of Tick, Tick… Boom!, each of them shine immensely through their impeccable vocals and their emotional connections. The central characters are fueled by a powerful desperation for success in an era and environment that seemingly fights against them at every opportunity. Patrick Earl Phillips, JT Langlas, and Annika Jonker portray Jon, Michael, and Susan respectively, with the latter two also playing an array of ensemble characters. While Jon is a direct reflection of Jonathan Larson himself, Michael and Susan are amalgamations of people within Larson’s life created to streamline different experiences he had during these pivotal years. Langlas balances Michael’s internal struggle of pursuing conventional success while struggling with his own mortality, while Jonker's Susan is torn between her relationship with Jon and a desire for a stable life separate from the roughness of the city.

However, it is Phillips’ portrayal of Jon that elevates Tick, Tick… Boom! supremely with his unwavering commitment to the role and his incredible intention for each minuscule detail. He also succeeds in the difficult task of embodying this version of Larson and all of his eccentricities that come with his personality and circumstances. Not only is he the main character of whom the show revolves around, but he also acts as the play’s narrator that frequently breaks the fourth wall to share his inner, non-diegetic thoughts to an outside entity. Going beyond a shallow monologue to set a scene, he uses action to emphasize what he is thinking at any time, maintaining sincerity and passion throughout his journey. As the show is essentially a series of diary entries come to life in this chapter of Jon’s story, he fluidly transitions in and out of straight reenactments and the fantasy worlds of musical numbers, demonstrating how he sees the world through his musically inclined mind.

Set in New York City circa 1990, the plot is focused on Jon, who is faced with both an upcoming workshop presentation of his major musical creation SUPERBIA and his 30th birthday. During this time, Jon is dealing with the insecurity of having yet to achieve prominence as a professional writer as he enters a new stage of life. The concept regarding the importance of one’s 30s and all the pressure around the age bracket is not new by any means, and it is fascinating how this feeling connects across time and generations. People instinctively have intrusive thoughts and expectations of what their lives should look like by a certain point, and this show explores the struggles of not only the feeling of disappointing one’s current and past selves due to a lack of progress or success, but also what happens when people begin to reevaluate their goals and values. In the case of Jon and Susan’s long-standing relationship, the two begin to clash and disconnect, and they have to realize for themselves what’s necessary to have in their lives in order to achieve personal fulfillment and potential happiness.

It could be argued that the portrayal of existentialism within the very specific setting of Tick, Tick…Boom! is one of the biggest indicators to the outcome of any of its productions. While every rendition should explore a variety of different directions, the core basis remains the same. Beyond the performers masterfully carrying out the bestowed script and score and the creative team exceeding in its duties in developing the artistic designs, director and choreographer Lindsey Augusta Mercer triumphed in formulating a show for The Carnegie that felt relevant and relatable to the audience, all while staying true to the period it was set in. She leaned into the hard subjects with nuanced humanity, and even with a large amount of the show’s content being used as a personification of fear and anxiety, she still finds the humor within. From the point of the titular ticking noise haunting the theatre at the beginning of the show, she captivates the audience and lets them live vicariously through the characters’ joy, heartache, distress, and growth all in the span of 100 minutes.

Tick, Tick… Boom! continues its limited run at The Carnegie through Sunday, July 28th, 2024. To learn more about the show and to purchase tickets, visit thecarnegie.com or click on the link below.

Photo credit: Mikki Schaffner

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