tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)

Have you ever felt nostalgia for a life you haven’t lived? For any aspiring artist, Tick, Tick… BOOM! might do that. Like disconnected shards of a half-remembered dream on a Sunday afternoon in July. An honest look at the anxiety that preys on the mind of a man turning thirty, with nothing to show for his time on this Earth during his ‘golden years’, it’s also a much-coveted look into the mind of the man who revolutionized Broadway as we know it. With some observational commentary on the AIDS epidemic and the genocide against the LGBT community in the 1990s, it’s a rock musical, a little all-over-the-place, but is extremely endearing for any fan of the musical genre. For those unaware, Tick, Tick… BOOM! is the unfinished semi-autobiographical musical written by Jonathan Larson about his inability to become the next Stephen Sondheim, although some would say he did, even if it’s after his death. Lin-Manuel Miranda first saw the musical Tick, Tick… Boom! in 2001, and that story personally inspired him. The musical is about the week leading to Larson’s 30 birthday, during which he staged his first-ever workshop, for a dystopian rock musical he had been working on for the last eight years, and how he wrote the song which Sondheim himself had asked him to. Larson wrote this after the mentioned rock musical, but it wasn’t until 2001 that it was first performed. As Jonathan Larson, Andrew Garfield is literally explosive! His lanky frame is constantly in motion, bringing the vibes of the songs to life with clinical precision. The man is moody, obnoxious, talented, sad, exhausted, lively, charming, and bustling with the drama club kid energy. Garfield wears his emotions on his sleeve here, beautifully bringing to life the man’s vulnerability. The dance to the impromptu 'Boho Days' song, or the dramatized exasperation during the opening number as he sits at his piano, are a testament to the man’s versatility, largely under-appreciated, despite an Oscar nomination for Hacksaw Ridge. His vocal abilities are also a pleasant surprise, as he seamlessly captures the essence of every piece, with his infectiously energetic voice.