Tick, Tick… Boom!
Tick, Tick… Boom!
By Jonathan Larson
Directed by Wade Hair
Musical Direction by Justin Scarlat
Starring Rob Guest, Krystal Gillette and Domino Thomas
Breakthrough Theatre, Winter Park, FL</strong>
“Write what you know” they say, and Jonathan Larson took that to heart as a beginning composer: He wrote this heartfelt play about a beginning composer trying to write his first musical. Well, the writing part isn’t so hard, it’s that bit about getting everyone else enthused and ready to toss money at you that takes real work. But Jon (Guest) plinks away, he’s nearly 30 and his GF Susan (Gillette) would prefer the coast of Massachusetts to the crummy quarters of Bush-era NYC. Just to rub it in, Jon’s longtime friend Michael (Thomas) has a six figure job plugging Olestra and can now afford a BMW, fine clothes and an apartment with a real bathroom. A pivot point looms, Jon’s new musical has a workshop possibly arranged by his emotionally distant agent Sylvia (Pilar Rehert). It’s make or break time, and Jon clings to his dreams as the rest of his world slips away.
Shorter and snappier than his more salable show “Rent,” “Tick, Tick…” holds some great music. While Ms. Gillette stole the show with here booming rendition of “Come to Your Senses” Mr. Thomas and Mr. Guest held their own against her. They have a wonderful guy duet in “No More” while opener “30/90” puts everyone to good use. Larson keeps stopping the song preventing it from getting real Broadway momentum but it’s message about getting older and not necessarily wiser or richer or happier resonates. Along with Ms. Pilar, Mike Thibodeau bats clean up in a number of roles, his best work is as the grocery clerk juggling Twinkies in “Sugar”, possibly one of the best songs every written about good food that’s bad for you. Even by Breakthrough’s normally high musical standards this is a well sung musical thanks to the cast and musical director Scarlat. The stage is simple with just an obsessive number of clocks on the back wall indicating the passage of time. It’s not “Rent” (thank goodness) but it’s a tight little musical about wobbly romance and the desire to do something well enough to sell out, while still having the cred to claim you haven’t sold out yet.
For more information, please visit http://www.breakthroughtheatre.com or look them up on Facebook.
