For any musical theatre fan, Jonathan Larson is a familiar name. After his unexpected death in 1996, the world embraced his modern, raw take on the AIDS epidemic through song in the renowned show “RENT.”
Larson’s legacy lives on in “tick, tick… BOOM!”, the Nov 2021 film adaptation of Larson’s musical with the same name. It is a semi autobiographical aspiring account of Larson’s struggle to become a successful composer in New York City. Initially written as a solo work that first debuted in 1990, the rock monologue was transformed into a powerhouse trio by playwright David Auburn after Larson’s sudden death.
This is a movie about a musical about writing a musical. At first it sounds confusing, but it simply follows Larson’s creation of the musical “Superbia.” Scenes jump back and forth from the first workshop of this musical and the process of getting there, one of the first movies to ever do so.
Avid member of the theatre community Izzy Klinkenberg is one of many who went into the movie only knowing little about Larson. “My knowledge of Larson before watching the movie was only that he was the creator of the Broadway musical ‘RENT’ and that his passing was right before the opening,” she said.
This movie introduces what Larson was able to do in such a short time.
From the first chord progressions of the upbeat opening number “30/90,” viewers can experience the rock feel, leaving avid “RENT” lovers to immediately recognize it is a work of Larson’s. Song after song, he leaves his stamp on each melody.
Although based on Larson’s real life in the 90s about a true story that started in 1990, the movie still feels relevant. The next songs in the movie, “Boho Days” and “Real Life,” depict the struggles of trying to make it in the theatre world.
“Boho Days,” although short, leaves a catchy tune to hum for hours after the credits roll. The song focuses on the passion and determination to achieve dreams rather than sulking in the many “no’s” artists living in New York tend to encounter.
The next song and diner scene is a theatre geek’s fantasy. With the outstanding number of cameos by Broadway legends Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Joel Grey, André DeShields and Brian Stokes Mitchell – to name a few – the song “Sunday” is a start-and-stop-and-rewind-to-watch-again number.
Larson’s “Sunday” pays homage to Stephen Sondheim who wrote what some would call the original “Sunday” from “Sunday in the Park with George.” Director Lin-Manuel Miranda cleverly shoots the scene to reflect the blocking from “Sunday in the Park with George.”
This is another moment where theatergoers turn speechless. Miranda has been able to revamp this recognizable, elegant scene and make it something a new generation of theatre fans can identify.
One track that completely wows viewers is the heart-wrenching song ”Why,” sung by Andrew Garfield who plays Larson. Garfield is not known as a singer, never before playing a role which required it, but he exceeded audience expectations. Miranda cast Garfield purely based on his track record and extreme physical resemblance to Larson without having heard him sing.
The raw emotion needed to sing “Why” requires an experienced actor. Set after Larson discovers that his childhood best friend, Micheal (based on Matt O’Grady), is HIV positive, Manuel stages Garfield on a plain dark stage with a piano. It is classic and simple, only using what is required for a show-stopping actor to excel in a number like this.
Despite rejection from producers, Larson continued to write.
Upon encouragement by Sondheim, Larson finally took the advice of “try writing about what you know.” First, he wrote the one man version of “tick, tick… BOOM!” about his experiences as a writer in New York City which was followed by “RENT,” the first of its kind, a rock musical which brings to light the tragedies of the AIDS epidemic.
The best writers write with what they were experiencing, and Larson truly became one of the best with his small selection of published work.
As the credits start to roll, real videos of Larson working in the diner and performing “tick, tick… BOOM” start to play.
Klinkenberg commented, “The movie was able to depict Larson’s life in his 30s perfectly. He was a genuinely talented artist, but his struggle to get one of his own shows on Broadway was a struggle.”
Unlike Klinkenberg who was familiar with Larson before watching the movie, senior Lauren Anderson chose to watch this movie on a whim even though she has never been involved in theatre herself. “I chose to watch the movie just because, but after watching it, I am intrigued to learn even more about Larson’s life and listen to more of his work,” she added.
Constantly moving, doing and writing, Larson’s character in the movie is driven by the tick of time. At almost 30 years old, he is trying to beat the clock to become successful. This is tragically ironic as he does not get fame until after his death.
In the movie, Larson says, “I’m running out of time.” At this time, he never would have imagined his one man show would become a groundbreaking movie on Netflix and his creation of “RENT” would be as influential as it is today.
This is not just a movie musical, it is a tribute to the life and talent of Larson. Who knows what he would have contributed to the theatre community if only he had more time.
