tick, tick…Boom! was a hidden gem in the musical theater cannon… until its release on Netflix last year. The work was originally conceived as a solo performance piece for late composer Jonathan Larson (of Rent fame), but was expanded to a three character musical in 2001, before its big screen debut last year. Second Generation Theatre presents the heartfelt rock musical this month, and surprisingly, both the director and the leading actor have deep connection to the piece.
“I was fortunate enough to be cast in the role of Jon about 15 years ago,” shared director Louis Colaiacovo. “And this time around, I’m able to see a group of exciting young talent in the Buffalo Theatre community who love each other just as much as the cast that I was originally involved in.”
One of those actors is Sean Ryan, who appeared in the Netflix film. “I was a featured dancer for one of the scenes, so I got to be a part of that movie process, which was really, really cool. And now I get to do the staged version of the show and play Jon…. Getting to see Lin Manuel Miranda and Andrew Garfield work together was just the most inspirational part of being a part of that process, because they’re both so incredible and they’re so passionate about what they do and it just made me want to do better and be better and give my all in every production that I do.”
Ryan is no stranger to Larson’s writing, having appeared on the tour of the musical Rent. “I got to do a lot of research about Rent and Jonathan [Larson] writing Rent and I got to meet his family, which was super, super awesome. That helped a lot with this process…getting ready to play Jon in Tick, Tick..Boom! Getting into his head and seeing where he was coming from with everything that he did. And it’s just been awesome getting to step into his shoes.”
Colaiacovo feels the musical is for everyone. “tick..tick..BOOM! is the story of a promising young composer who is coming to terms with whether or not he should give up on his dreams…. this is a story about somebody turning 30 and having that block of whether or not being a successful artist by the time that you’re 30 [is] anything worth giving credence to… I don’t think it’s a show just for a younger crowd. I think that this is a story that can relate to everybody. I think everybody has a dream that maybe they put on the back burner, but it’s never too late… the story behind this serves every generation: young, old and everything in between.”
Those that enjoyed the film of Tick, Tick…Boom!, may be pleasantly surprised by the stage play. “I think people will be surprised to see that there’s only three of us on stage” said Ryan. “The audience will definitely be surprised to see how talented [the ensemble is] and how they are able to completely change their characters in a matter of seconds and tell the story.”
Building on the legacy of Jonathan Larson, Colaiacovo knows the piece will resonate with audiences, saying, “There are so many young artists out there who don’t necessarily believe in the talent that they have, they are choosing to lock that talent away and not necessarily explore it or enjoy it or celebrate it. So, the fact that we have a group of young, exciting talent in the show, hopefully, that will be a green light for other artists who are maybe debating taking the plunge and maybe going out to an audition or maybe working a little bit more towards becoming a professional artist in our community. So I think that hopefully this will be a green light for emerging artists to join this amazing community that we’re all very fortunate to be working in.”
Tick, Tick…Boom! presented by Second Generation Theatre plays at the Shea’s Smith Theatre May 19- June 4, 2023.
Second Generation Theatre
Shea’s Smith Theatre
May 19 – June 4
Tickets