Feature: TICK, TICK … BOOM at Garden Theater

No actors will be waiting in the wings when the curtain goes up on the Short North Stage's production of TICK, TICK ... BOOM Sept. 9, 10, and 11 at the Garden Theater (1187 North High Street in downtown Columbus).

The three-person cast of Joe Chisholm (Jon), Jenna Brooke Scannelli (Susan) and A.J. Lockhart (Michael) help bring to life the precursor to Jonathan Larson's Broadway blockbuster RENT. It's the smallest cast SNS has had for a show since its 2016 run of THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

"There's nowhere to hide (in the three-person cast)," Lockhart said. "You're the ensemble, the leads, and the supporting characters. As actors, you have to be more alive, more awake, and more ready at any given moment of the show."

"You're trying to fill a big stage with just three people," added Scannelli, who said the smallest cast she has ever worked with previously was 11-12 people. "On top of that, A.J. and I are playing multiple characters, so there's a lot of jumping back and forth between our title characters and the ensemble players. It's a great challenge, but it's also been great fun."

Adding to the list of obstacles for director Anthony C. Daniel and musical director Jonathan Collura is a shortened rehearsal schedule. TICK, TICK ... BOOM! has had less than two weeks to go from rehearsal to performance.

And yet, according to Lockhart, the actors felt like they were ahead of schedule going into the last week of practices.

"In our heads coming into this, we were all freaked out at the thought of having two weeks to do an entirely staged production," the Chicago native said. "The director, the musical director, and everyone have been working in such a harmonious way. (By the end of the Sept. 4 practice), we realized we've done a couple complete run-throughs of the show. It's already fully staged."

The three-show stand of this rarely performed musical has a dual purpose: a fund raiser for SNS and a lead-in for the company's production of RENT, which will run Oct. 6 to Nov. 6 at the Garden Theater.

TICK, TICK ... BOOM!, which was recently made into a Netflix film, is a thinly veiled autobiography of Larson's journey to RENT. In the show, Jon toils away on his attempt at writing the Great American Musical while waiting tables to survive. His girlfriend Susan dreams of something more than this hardscrabble existence while his best friend Michael is living the dream as a writer on Madison Avenue.

"A lot of people who aren't familiar with this show will find the similarities with TICK, TICK ... BOOM! and RENT," Scannelli said. "It's a very exciting way to lead into RENT. And if you are feeling stressed that your age is creeping up on you and you're not feeling as successful as you wish you would be, I think it's good to know there are other people out there that feel the same way."

Outside of the Netflix production and a few bootlegs on YouTube, Sept. 9's opener will be the first time Scannelli and Lockhart have seen a live production of the show.

"I've always known the music and I think the story is so beautiful," Scannelli said. "So I've known about it, but I've never seen a stage production of it."

"TICK, TICK ... BOOM! was the song I sang to get into college and RENT is the show that got me interested in musical theater," said Lockhart, who will be extending his visit to Columbus to play Tom Collins in the upcoming production of RENT.

"Both shows explored a lot of similar themes. Larson liked to deal with heavier things that (other artists) weren't talking about. As an actor, I love people to come in expecting one thing, and while they're in their seats, go on a totally different ride than what they expected."

One can't escape feeling a bit of melancholy when one realizes the unfulfilled promise in Larson's own life. Larson died from an aortic dissection on Jan. 27, 1996, the day RENT was scheduled to have its first Off-Broadway preview.

Scannelli wonders what Larson could have achieved if he had more time.

"I would hope he'd be making more music and more shows," she said. "Honestly, I think he'd be traveling the country and speaking to audiences about his story and relaying his message to a younger crowd and inspiring them. I'm glad we get this chance to carry on his story and his beautiful work."

Show dates for TICK, TICK ... BOOM! are 7 P.M Sept. 9 and 10 and 2 p.m. Sept. 11. Tickets are $100 and may be purchased at www.cbusarts.com or by calling the CbusArts Box Office at 614-469-0939. Visit www.shortnorthstage.org for more information.

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