In the early 1990s, struggling New York theater composer Jonathan Larson wrote and performed “tick, tick … BOOM!,” an anxiety-riddled rock monologue inspired by his failure to achieve artistic success before his 30th birthday.
Little did Larson know, he would become the toast of Broadway just a few years later with his 1996 musical “Rent.” But he didn’t live to see its success. He died of an aortic dissection three months before its opening night at age 35.
This summer, San Diego audiences can get a taste of Larson’s nascent talent at Cygnet Theatre, which opened a well-acted production of “tick, tick … BOOM!” on Saturday.
After Larson’s death, his theater friends and playwright David Auburn turned “tick, tick” it into a three-character play with dialogue that premiered off Broadway in 2001. The show’s score has the earworm melodies, emotional lyrics, urgent tempi and charged guitar riffs we came to know in “Rent,” but as a 90-minute piece of theater it feels choppy and unfinished, with only Larson’s alter ego, “Jon,” fleshed out.
I can’t ever seeing a professional production of “tick, tick … BOOM!” in San Diego, so it’s a rare treat to see it so well produced at Cygnet. Director Katie Banville and her three-member cast plumb the emotional depths of the show’s slim script, but on opening night, the sound was a little muddy at times and some of the singing sounded flat.
Starring in the central role of the self-absorbed Jon, AJ Rafael ably transmits the character’s skyrocketing anxiety and plummeting self-esteem. He’s also a very good pianist and he thoroughly embodied his character’s angst in the song “Why.”
Emma Nossal is the cast’s vocal standout as both Susan, Jon’s burned-out dancer girlfriend, and Karessa, an aspiring actress. Frequently cast locally in musical comedy roles, it’s nice to see Nossal show her versatility in drama, and her solo “Come To Your Senses” is the best-sung number in the show.
Leo Ebanks completes the cast as Michael, Jon’s gay roommate who gave up acting for a high-paying Madison Avenue job. Ebanks is understated in the role and offers nice vocal richness in his songs.
Music director Randi Rudolph conducts the onstage three-member rock ensemble from the keyboard, seamlessly filling in piano sections when Rafael must step away from his keyboard for dramatic breakouts in his songs. Yi-Chien Lee designed the meticulously detailed and grimy SoHo apartment set, Joshua Heming designed the evocative lighting, Regan A. McKay designed costumes and Salvador Zamora designed the sound.
There’s a haunting quality to ‘tick, tick … BOOM!” In the show, the character of Jon seems frantic and obsessive about the tick, tick, tick of the clock as he approaches his 30th birthday. Upon reflection, Larson’s days were truly numbered, even if he didn’t know it. As a show, it’s not perfect, but as a frozen moment in theatrical time, it’s fascinating to meet the man and his music before “Rent” arrived and he was gone.
‘tick, tick … BOOM!’
When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Aug. 4
Where: Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town San Diego
Tickets: $30 and up
Phone: (619) 337-1525
Online: cygnettheatre.com
