The Cape Playhouse presents TICK, TICK… BOOM! Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson. Directed by Eric Rosen. Costume Design by Demario D. Simmons. Lighting Design by Paul Miller. Sound Design by Jeff Sherwood. Projections Design by Steve Arnoczy. At The Cape Playhouse, Dennis Village, Cape Cod, MA, through June 15, 2024.
By Linda Chin
Since its inception in 1927, The Cape Playhouse in Dennis, MA, the longest-running professional theater in the country, has attracted world-class talent to Cape Cod. The New York Times has referred to it as the “Place Where Broadway Goes to Summer,” and the summer of 2024 is no exception.
For the opening show of the 98th season – his first as Artistic Director, Eric Rosen has selected tick, tick…Boom!, a musical by the late composer Jonathan Larson. Theatergoers unfamiliar with this show title, which ran off-Broadway in 2001, or the film adaptation directed by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2021, are likely familiar with RENT. Set in New York City in 1990, Tick, Tick…Boom! is the semi-autobiographical story of a young composer who dreamed not only about breaking into the industry but changing the face of musical theater.
Rosen also directs this three-hander, and to portray the aspiring composer Jon, his girlfriend Susan, and his BFF Michael, has cast a trio of Broadway triple threats. Actors Andy Mientus, Krystina Alabado, and Larry Owens, whose resumés also include film and TV credits, join the ranks of theater veterans who’ve graced the historic stage, including Julie Andrews, Bernadette Peters, Olympia Dukakis, Henry Fonda, Betty White, and Ginger Rogers.
Tick, tick…Boom! captures the artistry and angst that consume Jon as he balances waiting tables, his personal relationships, and writing the great American musical. The tick, tick refers to the unrelenting sounds in one’s head to reach goals by a certain time, based on deadlines that are self-imposed or the biological clocks that are our fate.
The musical does not follow the typical formula for a successful musical: two acts, with a kickass opening number and a meaty cliffhanger closing the first act. Ninety minutes in length with no intermission, tick, tick… Boom! includes 13 musical numbers, 3 actors performing 10 roles, and an onstage four-piece band with keyboards, drums, bass, and electric guitar. The first song in the show, titled 30/90, refers to Jon’s (Andy Mientus) musings about turning the big 3-0 the following week.
Susan (Krystina Alabado) is a professional dancer who spends her time teaching ballet to wealthy parents’ talent less children. She wants to get married, leave the city, and move with Jon to Cape Cod (the audience is delighted with this sentiment). Their relationship has its share of sweet encounters and communication issues. A “split-stage” scene with the pair talking on corded phones (and getting their wires crossed) from their respective apartments is a showstopper. Alabado also covers other acting roles, such as Jon’s agent, with terrific comedic timing.
Michael (Larry Owens), whom Jon has known since childhood when they attended camp in Cape Cod (again, these words are music to the audience’s ears), gave up his dreams of being an actor and is working in advertising. They were roommates, but Michael has moved to a new apartment with amenities—a walk-in closet, a parking spot for his BMW, and a doorman, described in a beautiful rendition of “No More.”
On his 30th birthday, Jon has a workshop on the musical he’s been working on for over a decade. Industry people, his friends and family attend, and he even gets a call from his hero, Stephen Sondheim. For the three friends, life in general is good and can be ticking along like clockwork, but it can change in a flash. In the show’s most heartbreaking scene, Michael tells Jon that he’s tested positive.
Tick, tick,…BOOM.
Under the direction of Eric Rosen, music director Andy Robinson, and choreographer Paul McGill, this musical’s riveting score raises the roof. The performers are terrific storytellers, and I foresee bright futures for them. The heartwarming messages of building your life around things, people, and places you love will resonate and stay with you. For tickets and information, go to: https://www.capeplayhouse.com/
