SANTA ANA, CA—When watching Jonathan Larson's autobiographic musical TICK...TICK...BOOM!, one can't help but wonder if his premature death would have resulted in a different show altogether. Or perhaps, after a bit more retooling time that would have been extended to him following the success of his Rent legacy, would he have had the means and maturity to improve on this earlier offering? Putting those thoughts aside, what you're left with is a first-person musical account of a few select days in the life of a struggling artist putting his all into a stage show that could make or break his career. In Theatre Out's latest production (which plays through February 20 at the Empire Theater in Santa Ana), Larson's pre-Rent, briefly workshopped musical—this three-actor version hews closer to the re-jiggered 2001 off-Broadway staging where "script consultant" David Auburn's assistance came into play—is an interesting theater piece that's really more of an archival discovery from the vault of a brilliant musician rather than a staging of his definitive masterwork.
Larson's potential, which will be worshipped and adored later with his Pulitzer Prize-winning
Rent, is evident all throughout this single-act musical. Featuring a decent rock score that provides hints of the hit behemoth that will eventually come after it, TICK...TICK...BOOM actually contains a few pieces of music that's a bit more relatable, and—dare I say—more aurally pleasing than most of the second act of
Rent. Ultimately, though, this means less edgy material compared to what eventually propelled
Rent to cult status.
It's hard not to compare the two shows, primarily because the same living conditions—economic difficulties, inner artistic struggles, and even similarly-overbearing, answering machine lecturing parents—seem to exist in both musicals (not to mention the tragic realities of AIDS). Specifically with TICK...TICK...BOOM!, we have diner waiter/musical theater prodigy Jon (Ian Michael Stuart), who is apprehensive about turning 30 and anxious about hitting it big with his latest creation, a musical called
Superbia. He has a best friend, Michael (Kevin Cordova), who gave up the uneasy life of the theater for the more monetarily-rewarding corporate world (he's got the expensive car to prove it). He would want nothing more than for Jon to join him to reap the benefits. Jon is flanked on the other side by his dancer-girlfriend Susan (Andrea Dennison-Laufer), who desires nothing more than a relaxed, domestic life outside of the hustle and bustle of New York living.
Jon navigates a life where he seems to be surrounded by a not-so-supportive group of doubters and naysayers, including an absent agent and judgmental parents, played to expectedly hilarious stereotypes. But armed with the naiveté of semi-youth under the guise of artistic integrity, Jon plows on, hoping to silence that nagging sound of time ticking away.
TICK...TICK...BOOM!, at least in this revised incarnation, eschews Larson's original intent of a solo-acted "rock monologue" play in favor of two additional actors to portray every other role besides Jon. This provides the hardworking Cordova and Dennison-Laufer the opportunity for some really nice, lively moments: most notably Cordova playing Jon's father, and Dennison-Laufer doing fantastic work as Jon's agent, Michael's co-worker (leading a rapid-fire brainstorming session), and Karessa, an actress Jon casts in
Superbia. Ironically, though, when the two actors inhabit the two main roles they do play (Michael and Susan, respectively), they're a bit more passive. Dennison-Laufer (as Karessa) is particularly outstanding when she sings "Come To Your Senses," a song from Jon's
Superbia (coincidentally, the song truly
is featured in Larson's 1988 musical entitled—you may have guessed it—
Superbia).
Besides having the task of being on-stage for the play's entirety, Stuart puts in an excellent, impressive performance as Jon. Adept at both subtle, quiet moments and bombastic, grandiose circumstances, Stuart applies enough confidence and vulnerability to the role that the lead character's ultimately trivial life complaints seem less whiny, but rather, viable and important struggles the audience can connect with more readily. When Jon discovers his best friend's heart wrenching news later in the play (which assumably is this show's only discernible characteristic that qualifies it for Theatre Out's GLBT-centric lineup), Stuart is conclusively effective. His extraordinary musical delivery in the show's penultimate anthem "Why" is the show's true highlight.
As for the rest of the show's score, some songs are quite good ("Therapy," "Sugar," and the Sondheim-esque "Sunday" are standouts) while others ("Real Life," "Green Green Dress") are marginal at best compared to Larson's usual compositions. Theatre Out's particular production itself, while admirably staged by director David C. Carnevale in such a tiny space, is also hampered by it. The full in-house band, during the louder, rocking songs often drowns out the un-microphoned performers, rendering the majority of the lyrics and dialogue utterly inaudible (which doesn't pose much of a problem during the ballads, luckily). While surely an unfortunate happenstance, the flaw is not enough to completely mar an otherwise commendable production.
Photo: Ian Michael Stuart by Darcy Hogan for Theatre Out. -----
Approximate Running Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes with no intermission.
Ticket Information: $25.00 adult admission, $15.00 students with valid student ID.
tick...tick...BOOM! Remaining Performance Dates:Friday, January 29 @ 8:00 pm; Saturday, January 30 @ 8:00 pm; Sunday, January 31 @ 2:00 pm; Thursday, February 4 @ 8:00 pm; Friday, February 5 @ 8:00 pm; Saturday, February 6 @ 8:00 pm; Friday, February12 @ 8:00 pm; Saturday, February13 @ 8:00 pm; Sunday, February14 @ 2:00 pm; Thursday, February 18 @ 8:00 pm; Friday, February 19 @ 8:00 pm; Saturday, February 20 @ 8:00 pm.
Theatre Out's home is The Empire Theatre in the Artists' Village in downtown Santa Ana, located at 202 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA. Tickets are available online at
www.theatreout.com or by calling the Theatre Out Box Office at (714) 826-8700.
Visit
www.theatreout.com for more information.
Additional information about
tick...tick...BOOM! can be found online at
www.theatreout.com/ShowTTB.html
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