tick, tick...BOOM!
THE WASHINGTON POST
Review
This article was published in THE WASHINGTON POST, August
14, 2008 (Fairfax Extra Section, pg VA10). It is reprinted here because it
was not published on WashingtonPost.com. Several requests have been made
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'Tick, Tick... BOOM!' Puts Focus On the Biological Clock of a Man
By Michael
J. Toscano, Special to The Washington Post, Thursday, August 14, 2008; Page
VA10
“Tick, tick…BOOM!” is that rare look at a young person’s angst and anxiety
that doesn’t seem stale to those of us who passed that way some time ago. It’s a
vaguely rock-oriented musical focusing on the introspection that frequently
accompanies an approaching milestone birthday, in this case the 30th, when
ambitions remain unfulfilled and hard choices have to be made. The show is
onstage in a tightly directed, energetically performed Elden Street Players
production.
The story behind the show adds considerable poignancy and vividly underlines
its themes. “Tick, tick…BOOM!” was written by Jonathan Larson, the creator of
the mega-hit “Rent,” who died unexpectedly at age 35, just as “Rent” was about
to open. “Tick, tick, BOOM!” is a posthumous reconfiguring of some of Larson's
earlier work, a deeply autobiographical look at his struggle to make it as a
writer of Broadway musicals. The “tick, tick” refers to the passage of time, the
“boom” to things he fears falling in on him during a “pre-mid-life crisis.”
The show is set in 1990, when Larson was working on a one-man “rock
monologue,“ as he called it, titled “30/90.” That’s the name of one of the
songs, based on his age and the year. After “Rent” won the Tony Award and the
Pulitzer Prize, the late writer became a hot commodity, so Tony Award-winning
writer David Auburn (“Proof”) reworked “30/90” for a trio and re-named it.
Elden Street newcomer John Loughney plays Jon, whose 30th birthday is looming
in one week. Loughney is backed up by the familiar and always reliable Josh
Doyle as best friend Michael and Kristen Garaffo as girlfriend Susan. Doyle and
Garaffo also play a number of other characters who populate Larson’s life, often
in amazingly rapid succession.
Each is quite well cast, skillfully capturing the essence of these people,
this time and place. Loughney has an engaging, low-key presence and explores
without whining Jon’s fear of professional failure, commitment to his pressuring
girlfriend, and aging. The theme of living life to the fullest achieves full
expression with his pleasantly ironic performance.
Doyle brings plenty of character-driven nuance to the role of Michael, who
has given up acting and achieved success in the corporate world. Michael could
easily be portrayed as a one-dimensional stereotype, but Doyle provides several
layers of character, nicely summed up in his duet with Loughney, “No More.”
Garaffo provides considerable warmth as Susan, who wants Jon to chuck the New
York show-biz scene and join her in married life in Connecticut. Garaffo plays
off the two male characters adeptly, her voice negotiating the pop tunes and the
rock numbers ably. Her big moments come in the high-powered rock anthem “Come to
Your Senses,” in which she exudes sincerity while blowing the roof off the
Industrial Strength Theatre. That song was written for another show, “Superbia,”
which is part of the storyline here.
The character of Jon makes much of wanting to write musicals that are based
on “hard rock,” but many of the songs seem more like rock-flavored pop. It’s a
bit hard to tell, though, because all that could be plainly heard opening night
was the drumming, which overpowered the guitar, bass, and keyboard.
Director Todd C. Huse’s handiwork is evident in the cohesive character
development, one of his trademarks. And he must have used a whip in rehearsals
to train Doyle and Garaffo to make instantaneous costume and personality changes
go so smoothly.
Lorraine Magee’s choreography is organic and character-based, unique for the
sentiment in each song and aiding in storytelling. The set from Kevin King makes
efficient use of the shallow performing space, with multiple levels and a blocky
column at one side. It opens up to several compartments, with the four musicians
hidden behind it.
Running 90-minutes without intermission, “tick, tick…BOOM!” has something to
say to most of us, whether we’re approaching 30 or beyond.
“Tick, tick…BOOM!” continues through August 23, performed by Elden Street
Players at Industrial Strength Theater, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon. Showtime
Fridays and Saturdays is 8 p.m. Performances are also scheduled for this Sunday,
August 10, at 3 p.m., Sunday August 17 at 7 p.m. ; and Thursday August 14 and
Thursday August 21 at 8 p.m. For reservations, call 703-481-5930. For
information, visit www.eldenstreetplayers.org
© 2008 The Washington Post Company
