text by Ren Aguila
Tick, Tick…Boom! first came to my attention in an article on Jonathan Larson I read two decades ago. It was a semi-autobiographical piece written by Larson that was conceived as a “rock monologue” and staged in 1990. When it was being promoted, the story goes, he and his close friend Victoria Leacock would send three-part faxes to New York news outlets. The first part was “TICK,” the second was “TICK,” and the third was “…BOOM!” Some outlets called to see whether they were sending bomb threats. The play’s explosive name conceals a story of a struggle concerning a consuming passion.
Larson passed away before finishing this semi-autobiographical piece, and Leacock asked David Auburn, who worked on the stage version of Proof, to work on the piece. He revised it into a three-hander, which premiered in 2001 off-Broadway. When Santi Santamaria, 9 Works Theatrical’s executive producer, spoke with us before the press launch of their production of this play, he said that the play enjoyed a reputation among thespians who knew about it. They could apparently relate to the musical’s story of someone whose anxiety over something in which he invested a lot of time was so great that it could either explode in his face or become something wonderful, all before he turns 30. Jon, a composer, has a musical called Superbia that could be the next great American musical or be the contents of many a producer’s waste bin. Yes, Superbia was a working title for this little play called Rent.
The cast for this production of Tick, Tick…Boom! brings together three actors who have distinguished themselves in various ways. Jef Flores, who plays Jon, was the 2015 Gawad Buhay winner for male lead performance in a play for This Is Our Youth and has appeared most recently in Anton Juan’s revival of Godspell. This will be his second three-hander in as many years. Tanya Manalang, who plays several female characters in the production, was last in Miss Saigon’s West End production as Kim and in the final run of PETA’s Rak of Aegis. Ariel Reonal, who also plays several male characters, recently appeared in another 9 Works production, American Idiot and was also in Miss Saigon on the West End.
Director Robbie Guevarra expressed his excitement over the play’s staging. He was notably excited about the challenge of working with a bare set and using lighting to denote changes in location. He was also excited about the material, which like many in the theater world, he could relate to. He even argued that some, if not all of the material, could fit into Larson’s more popular production, Rent. As for the author, if the opening song “30/90” was enough to make him feel that it was dusty in the room, he is excited to catch the play when it opens. The play premieres on October 1 and runs till the 23rd .
Director Robbie Guevarra expressed his excitement over the play’s staging. He was notably excited about the challenge of working with a bare set and using lighting to denote changes in location. He was also excited about the material, which like many in the theater world, he could relate to. He even argued that some, if not all of the material, could fit into Larson’s more popular production, Rent. As for the author, if the opening song “30/90” was enough to make him feel that it was dusty in the room, he is excited to catch the play when it opens. The play premieres on October 1 and runs till the 23rd .
