Interview: Asuka Kimura of TICK, TICK... BOOM! at Nutley Little Theatre

Nutley Little Theatre presents, “Tick, Tick… BOOM!,” by Jonathan Larson, directed by L.A. Mars with musical direction by Hannah Elarmo.

“Tick, Tick… BOOM!,” is the musical that paved the way for Rent. The show tells the story of an aspiring composer named Jon, who lives in New York City in 1990. In the moments before his 30th birthday, Jon worries that he has taken the wrong path in life.

The story is semi-autobiographical, and Larson began to perform the piece as a solo work in 1990. After his death, it was revised and revamped by playwright David Auburn and premiered Off-Broadway in 2001.

I had the opportunity of interviewing one of the show's actors, Asuka Kimura who portrays Susan.

Please tell us about yourself.  

I’m a Japanese actor based in New York. I moved here when I was 21 to pursue career in acting after failing in love with musical theatre.

Please tell us about your involvement in theater. 

I’ve been a various performer since I was little but I started working in theater when I was 17. I’ve always loved performing on stage but I was never sure that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life until I visited New York and saw Waitress the musical. After that it made a career in theatre tangible. 6 months later I packed up and moved to New York!

Is there anyone in particular who inspired your career? 

My brother has been my biggest inspiration. He’s a voice actor in Japan and I grew up watching him perform. He was my first acting teacher and he was the one who gave me my first opportunity to act on stage. 

What have been some challenges in your acting career? 

When I moved here I didn’t speak any English. I remember walking into my first English class and I introduced myself “My name, Asuka”. I definitely needed a lot of support from a lot of people to get where I am right now to be able to do a show in a whole different language.

Tell us a little bit about your role in Tick, Tick…Boom!

She is the character with the most patience out of all of the characters that I’ve played.

She is in a relationship with a man who chooses work over her and she has to decide whether to continue to wait or choose herself.

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You can follow Asuka's journey on Instagram @sunshine_potatogirl_

The cast:

Performance dates of Sept. 8th, 9th, 10th, 21st, and 23rd (the 2pm performance) will be featuring Niko Lento, Asuka Kimura, and Cooper Mendonssa.

Performance dates of Sept. 15th, 16th, 17th, 22nd, and 23rd (8pm performance) will be featuring Tom Kiely, Betty Mack, and Micheal Johnson.

The crew:

L.A. Mars, Director

Hannah Elarmo, Musical Director

Erin Sabat, Stage Manager

Lisa Geerhart, Stage Manager

Laura Anthony, Intimacy Coordinator

Set Design, Ciara Helber

Set Build, Alex Oleksij

Tickets are on sale now: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/75541

For more information check us out at nutleylittletheatre.com and follow Nutley Little Theatre on Facebook: @NutleyLittleTheatre and Instagram: @NutleyLittleTheatreNJ for updates.

Photo: Courtesy of Asuka Kimura

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