Tick, Tick .... Boom!, ACT Hub, Dec 11-21 2024

 

(production photography: Janelle McMenamin, Michael Moore)

Jonathan Larson's 1990 musical was originally a monologue piece for him to perform off-Broadway while he waited for his other works to receive a further hearing. After his death in 1996 it was reconceived as a three hander and has received regular performances ever since for an audience who's interested in seeing what else he had up his sleeve besides "Rent". It's a very autobiographical show, dealing with his relationship with his girlfriend, his best friend, his art and the end of his late-late-twenties as he turns 30 in 1990, seeing the position of a not-quite-yet-emerging-artist with all the inherent anxieties, neuroses and troubles that implies.

For anybody who was of an age to recieve "Rent" when it first appeared it felt like a major breaktrough. Since then it's felt more and more of its time - fond of sloganeering, of superficial activism and with a lot of passion and fury but not necessarily a lot of thought through ideas. "Tick Tick" is that but moreso - it's the product of a young man with a lot to say and not necessarily the clearest viewpoint on how to say them - but for those who were around in the 90s it's nice to go back to a time when the worst you could say about the political world at large was that it was kinda boring. And Larson's songs definately show skill - whether the bouncy argument "Therapy" or the lyrical "Come to your senses" or the anthemic "Louder than Words", it's easy to take them to heart. The plot threads tying them together are a little thin (the character based on him acts like an entitled brat, and he really doesn't give a lot of space to his supporting cast, whether it be girlfriend or alleged best-friend), but the show exists to support the songs more than anything else.

Performing those songs are a powerhouse cast - Alexander Unkikowski sells the neuroses and the drive that sits inside Jon, driving him to be as frustratingly goddamn young as he is, naive and rageful and difficult. Dave Collins as best friend Michael has fun with the side bits of a tricky role - his big emotional moment comes out of almost nowhere and never really gets a payoff - but there's joy in his bond with Jon and in the various side roles that Collins gets to get into. Taylor Paliaga is similarly underwritten - her dilemma is stated but not really explored, but she sings powerfully and handles the mix of love and frustration well in performance. 

Nikki Fitzgerald stages on an adaptable set (complete with comfy spot for the band at the back) that stylishly captures the downtown new york vibe required. Musical Director Callum Tolhurst-Close brings together a tight band of keyboard, drums, guitar and bass to support the cast well, including nailing those all important vocal harmonies. Choreographer Nathan Rutups gets some playful movement into the show. Fitzgerald also lights the show with an eclectic pallet that captures mood well. Nathan Patrech and Lucy Van Dooren's sound design is remarkably well captured, not overpowering the small venue of the hub. 

This is a well-realised production of a show I'm not entirely in love with in this version (I did like the movie directed by Lin Manuel Miranda for Netflix, but the stage version kinda feels a lot more like a collection of songs rather than a coherent narrative) - worth it to see this cast and band in action.