BWW Previews: TICK, TICK ... BOOM! at Out Of The Box Theatre Company

Jonathan Larson is most well-known for writing RENT, the classic rock musical from the 1990s that defined the era in musical theatre. Larson tragically died in his thirties, leaving a very small body of theatrical work, including only three shows--one of which is the upcoming production from Out of the Box Theatre Company, Tick, Tick... Boom!. The origins of RENT are evident in Tick, Tick...Boom!, a show about similar subject matter: the early-adult bohemian lifestyle of starving artists in New York City who have their eyes set on creating a legacy-making work of art. The show was written as a one-actor piece for Larson and was reworked into a three-person musical after Larson's death by David Auburn and Stephen Oremus.

Presented this month at Center Stage Theater, Tick, Tick... Boom! has the bones of an autobiography: the main character is a musical theater writer named Jonathan (played by Nikko Arce) who's trying to get his foot in the door in the New York City theater scene. He's turning 30, his friends are moving up in their careers, and he's learning to manage expectations and reality in his life's endeavors. Tick, Tick...Boom! is about that relatable feeling of dissatisfaction and the urge and ambition to make changes for the better.

Besides Jonathan, there's Michael (the best friend; played by Carzie Carter) and Susan (the girlfriend). Says Samantha Eve, who both directs the show and plays Susan, "Jonathan is juggling his "survival" job with his creative passion. Michael has abandoned his artistic career in pursuit of something more practical and financially secure on Madison Avenue. Susan is tired of the 24/7 hustle that comes with living in New York and is considering leaving the city. They all represent different paths, fellow artists and friends that are making choices in their lives leading them toward adulthood in varying directions. All three are contending with the well-known struggle of balancing art and life in their own way. It's something every artist I know has struggled with."

Eve is also the artistic director of Out of the Box. "Jonathan Larson was ahead of his time," she says. "He was trying to write musicals with a contemporary rock sound--real rock--at a time when that just wasn't being done. He was using musical theatre as a vehicle to focus on real life issues and subjects that would resonate with his audience. RENT opened on Broadway in 1996. That year, other Broadway musicals included A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Big, Once Upon a Mattress, State Fair, and The King and I. All entertaining shows in their own right, but no one was doing what Larson was doing...Larson walked so contemporary musical theatre could run."

Tick, Tick...Boom! has also gained popularity thanks to the recent film starring Andrew Garfield. Out of the Box's production is a more intimate version than the film, with only three actors and a more streamlined, figurative approach to the look and feel of the stage. This is Out of the Box's first production since 2019, and the team is excited to be back in the theater!

Don't miss Tick, Tick...Boom! April 29, 30, and May 1 at Center Stage Theater.

Out of the Box Theatre Company presents:
Tick, Tick...Boom!
directed by Samantha Eve

April 29-May 1
Center Stage Theater

TICKETS

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