Tick, Tick… Boom! Review: A Musical Masterpiece!

Many of us know the hit Broadway musical Rent, and if not know the song 525,600 Minutes from the show. Jonathan Larson, the creator, was unable to ever see his musical on Broadway because he passed away the day it was expected to have its first off-broadway preview performance. However, as we all know, the story behind the greatest accomplishments are often grand-scale stories in themselves.

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Tick, Tick… Boom! was Larson’s one-man musical (eventually three) he wrote before Rent that was an autobiographical performance about the writing of his first “failed” musical Superbia. Lin-Manuel Miranda and screenwriter Steven Levenson have created a musical masterpiece that will delight even the most hesitant Broadway viewers, such as myself.

First and foremost, Andrew Garfield, who plays Johnathon Larson, lights up the screen and portrays the work ethic and relationship struggles of starving artists in New York City. Watching Garfield sing after telling Lin-Manuel that he didn’t know if he could is like watching the smartest kid in class saying that he thinks he failed a test when he actually got a 100%.

It is a funny story to hear this after watching the film but regardless Andrew Garfield is superb as Larson and should win the Oscar this year without a doubt. Garfield’s ability to play eccentric characters with energy and emotion is evident throughout Tick, Tick… Boom!

The niche industry the film focuses on feels distant from those who lack the experience of trying to make it in a major NYC industry but the universal theme of failure makes for a strong emotional experience that pulls at the hearts of all audience members. The amount of time we spend with the character Johnathon, and see his constant battle with trying to make the next greatest American musical while maintaining relationships with his best friend and girlfriend who have their own paths to follow, leaves the audience feeling the burnt-out emotions Larson feels.

The film’s narrative structure succeeds in jumping around between the present and the past events depicted in the musical that Jonathan Larson is performing throughout the film. It takes a skilled filmmaker and writer to tell a story where the audience is already aware of the ending. The journey to get to this conclusion is what must shine through and intrigue audience members, which is exactly what Tick, Tick… Boom! does.

I greatly appreciated the focus on the story at hand rather than creating a story that leads up to the conclusion we all know, Larson’s eventual creation of the hit Broadway musical Rent. The thirteen-year journey that Larson had to go through just to “succeed” displays the importance of resilience and determination even when there is little chance of success. Larson’s story is a universal yet unique one that was told beautifully on screen.

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As someone who is not the biggest Broadway lover, Tick, Tick… Boom! thawed at my cold broadway heart in ways I would have never imagined. Watch ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ on Netflix here.

‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ Rating – 4.5/5

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