Life in the theater – a look back and look forward to TICK, TICK…BOOM!

by Rachel Lampert

Early in the musical, Jonathan, the central character, describes the relentless feeling of a tick, tick of a clock, and then a distant boom. When I heard that line, I thought—I remember that feeling—the angst of waiting to be recognized as an artist and the fear it might never come. The compulsive, undeniable need to create and make work, plus the combination of gnawing self-doubt, over-achiever zeal, and the desperate fight to not wallow in all of it. My hindsight makes me shake my head and wonder what all the fuss was about, but back then, in my late 20s, looking to my 30th birthday milestone, it was tough. Career-wise, nothing was coming soon enough.

Those feelings are at the core of this musical. Jonathan is bursting with energy, having so much to say and wanting to say it in the competitive, capricious world of life in the theater — it is beautifully presented. But show-biz-hopefuls aren’t the only ones who face this moment.

The play celebrates the universal rite of passage to adulthood. I imagine many in KTC’s audience share a memory of arriving at this complex life juncture when we began to see that hopes and dreams may or may not be realized. It was a time when we were focused on ourselves and our futures and wanted control in a world where control was impossible—the only things that might make a difference were hard work, diligence, maybe brilliance, and old-fashioned luck.

I look forward to Forager Theatre Company’s production of TICK, TICK…BOOM! reimagined for KTC for so many reasons. First, for the reasons above—watching a young artist caught in the storm of becoming the creator they are meant to be. Second, because I love this immersive version of the show, it takes the energy of the original work and pushes it forward into the hands of today’s theater artists and audiences who want more than sitting back as observers but want to be in the action. The staging is constantly inventive, and the choreography is delightful. Third, I love that Kitchen Theatre Company can host another company’s work and offer them the chance to reimagine and further develop it. Fourth, because I love the sound of music in our space and can’t wait for a whole band to be playing and this terrific cast to be singing. Lastly, and sadly, because TICK, TICK…BOOM! and RENT were the only musicals of Larson’s that were fully produced before his untimely passing. Knowing his work, I wonder what the maturing artist would have given us and the American musical theater cannon. We can see the extraordinary development in composers like Sondheim; we can only imagine with Larson.

Whether you are like me, well into your third act, in your mid-life second act, or at the last scene of your first act about to turn thirty, together, we are in for another important conversation.