TICK, TICK…BOOM! – Review

2021 could be remembered as a pivotal year in the history of movie musical adaptations. Of course, this synergy has been happening since cinema began to talk (which leads to the singing and the sounds of dance) over 90 years ago. Perhaps after being cooped up for much of last year, Hollywood has enlisted Broadway to get folks back to the multiplex. IN THE HEIGHTS kicked off the Summer film cinema, while DEAR EVAN HANSON stirred up lots of discussion, but very little box office. We’ll see Steven Spielberg’s take on a true stage classic WEST SIDE STORY in a few weeks. But what can tide the film song and dance fans till then? How about a flick that combines the talents of two Tony-awarding winning titans of the last thirty or so years? Yes, it’s a musical, but it’s also a biography (perhaps an autobiography, too). So what happens when you mix Lin-Manuel-Miranda with Jonathan Larson? Well, stand back before it goes TICK, TICK…BOOM!

And that’s the title of the intimate off, off-Broadway show/review that’s the framing device for this profile of Larson (Andrew Garfield). He’s on the tiny stage with a four-piece band along with two singers (who are also good pals) Karessa (Vanessa Hudgens) and Roger (Joshua Henry) as he tells of his life just months away from his 30th birthday (a biggie). He’s paying the rent (that show came a little later) by “slingin’ hash” as a server at the trendy Moondance Cafe in the Big Apple. Oh, his home is a cramped, falling-apart, sixth-floor walk-up. Luckily he’s got big dreams as he spends his post and pre-diner time creating the songs for his big stage musical, a futuristic fantasy/romance called “Superbia”. Even better, he’s getting love and encouragement from his dancer/girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp) and his childhood pal, an aspiring actor turned very successful advertising exec Michael (Robin de Jesus). Unfortunately, Jon becomes too focused on the looming date for his creation’s workshop/showcase. And he has other options that aren’t as much of a gamble. Susan’s mulling over a teaching gig in the Berkshires (so far from NYC) and hopes Jon will join her. And Michael wants to help him get into the lucrative commercial jingle biz, even though he’s in need of emotional support from his BFF. It’s a choice between “fear and love”, as some encouraging words from Mr. Sondheim fuels Jon’s passion. But will that keep him going as the bills pile up?

Garfield proves to be one of our most versatile young actors by making a very successful dive into (for him) uncharted waters: song and dance. Despite his lengthy credits, singing was not an asset, something he can now amend on his resume. He performs with confidence, but he also captures the yearning of an aspiring, almost starving artist. We can see in his intense stare, that Jon is trying to take in everything and anything that can inspire and enhance his work. It’s to such a degree that others think he’s distracted, or, as girlfriend Susan believes, composing during interactions. But Garfield also gets the euphoria of the perfect blend of words and melody, which makes his agonized staring into the white void of his Commodore personal computer (ah, the 90s) worth it. Here a former Spider-Man seems more like Plastic-Man as Jon is mentally stretched between the “love and fear”. or really “glory and security”. This superb performance sends Garfield into the stratosphere. Luckily he works ver well with his main scene partners. Shipp is an ethereal beauty as the graceful Susan, but we see her shift from adoration to frustration in dealing with Jon’s career “waffling”. The latter is even more pronounced with de Jesus as Michael who’s caught between art and commerce. Unlike Jon, he can better straddle and even separate himself from the two worlds. He knows Jon will keep trying, while his dreams were dashed by too many dismissive “thanks yous” that cut him off in mid-song. Plus he conveys the heartbreaking of wanting so badly to share his fears with a life-long “brother” who can’t spare the space in his mind. MJ Rodriguez and Ben Ross are Jon’s cheerleading “work family” at the diner. We must also praise Hudgens’s musical “chops” who electrifies in a spirited exhausting duet with Garfield, “Therapy”. A couple of TV and screen vets score in smaller roles. Judith Light is Jon’s elusive agent Rosa who surprises him with a brutal, but needed, “wake up” call. And Whitford plays the acclaimed stage legend as a song “god’ who strolls casually down from Mount Olympus to fire a revitalizing bolt of encouragement toward Jon as he starts to wander from his path (he’s the mentor we dream of).

Miranda takes to filmmaking with the same energy and confidence that he brought to “boards’ on Broadway. The story’s flow is never disrupted by the bouncing between the stage review and the flashbacks to Jon’s struggles. The scenes flow from conversation to musical numbers naturally, never feeling forced or awkward. Much credit must go to screenwriter Steven Levenson who captures the clash between worlds (art and business) while giving us a harsh glimpse into the creative “clusterf*#k” (again that blank void that must be filled). As a bonus, we get some scathing satire directed at the current state of the stage when one number is set against an ever-changing backdrop of theatre posters (with titles like” The Mediocre Musical Stage Version of the Mediocre Movie”, “Song You Already Know”, and, maybe my fave “White Couple Arguing About Marriage”). Ouch, but so deserved! As scathing as that scene is, there’s also a lovely “love letter” to “stage show-biz” in the big number “Sunday” which showcases a dizzying array of true “Broadway Legends” (“look there’s….and there’s…”). Such infectious joyous moments help offset the sense of loss we get from the real story. The tunes don’t sugarcoat the reality, instead they give more focus on the fights and friendships. So, what happens when Miranda meets Larson? It’s an explosion of cinematic delight that follows the TICK, TICK…BOOM!

3.5 Out of 4

TICK, TICK…BOOM! is now playing in select theatres and begins streaming exclusively on Netflix beginning Friday, November 19, 2021