Theater Review (Westport, CT): tick...tick...BOOM! by Jonathan Larson - Page 2

All the while Jon rails against having to make any choice at all, preferring instead to invoke the spirits of Peter Pan and the Wizard of Oz in a bid to stay forever in his pre-30 state of youthfulness.

Despite the deep themes and undercurrents of universal truths about growing up in a world full of choices, tick…tick…BOOM! is still filled with laughs and humorous moments. This is musical comedy, after all. We can laugh at some of the characters that fill Jon’s life: his caricature of an agent with whom he has such little contact that he mistakes her for an elderly woman attending one of his workshops; his obsession and reverence for Stephen Sondheim, who is not only an idol but such an ideal that Jon cannot even say his complete name out loud.

The hidden and not-so-hidden tributes to Sondheim are especially amusing to musical theater insiders and to those familiar with Larson’s admiration of the Broadway icon. tick…tick…BOOM! revolves around the birthday of the main character, similar to Sondheim’s Company. Larson has also included a musical homage to Sunday in the Park With George with the song “Sunday,” where Jon sings about, belittles, and arranges the diner patrons in an artistic rendering reminiscent of the staging of the song of the same name from the Sondheim classic. At the end of the show, the character, Jon, receives a congratulatory voice mail message from the real Stephen Sondheim. Of course, Larson had Sondheim’s permission to include the bit, a testament to the mentor relationship that the two shared.

Other highlights in tick…tick…BOOM! are the song “Therapy,” in which Jon and Susan argue about the state of their relationship, with clever lyrics designed to say so much without really coming right out and saying anything, and “Come to Your Senses,” which is a showstopper in Jon’s workshop musical, SUPERBIA.

Of course, it’s the actors who bring Larson’s songs to life in this production. The cast is headed by Colin Hanlon as Jon, who aptly portrays Larson’s enthusiasm, his exuberance for music, and his frustrations with the uncertainty of success in such a way that the audience is instantly drawn in and rooting for the realization of his dreams.

Wilson Cruz plays Michael, Jon’s best friend and advocate, who at first tries to persuade Jon to join the corporate world in order to live the good life, but through some tragic circumstances of his own ends up arguing for Jon to continue as a composer. Pearl Sun plays Susan, Jon’s girlfriend, who is tired of New York and wants to settle down near a beach. Although their love was apparent, I never believed that Susan had a chance of convincing Jon to make the change. Cruz and Sun also play all of the other minor characters, with Sun providing a knockout performance of “Come To Your Senses.”

Luckily for the world, Larson chose not to settle for a more certain life. With tick…tick…BOOM!, the composer seems to have finally found his true voice in song, composing from the heart and creating a story based on his own experience which in turn continues to resonate with the experiences and life choices of audience members everywhere. We can feel the author’s presence in tick…tick…BOOM!, share his pain, and begin to see the stirrings of the genius that will lead to the creation of Rent.

Article Author: CindyC

Cindy's interests include books, music, charitable work, musical theater, the arts, Hugh Laurie, and House. She is now a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle.

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