"Tick. Tick...Boom!" presented by Onstage in Bedford

TICK.TICK...BOOM!

 

                                                                    play program



A Dear Friend and The Travelling Toe recently attended the Sunday matinee performance of "Tick.Tick...Boom!",  presented by Onstage in Bedford.  The theater is a small community theater that presents a variety of plays and musicals and this is their 31st season.

On Stage In Bedford


"Tick.Tick...Boom!" was written by Jonathan Larson.  Does his name sound familiar?  He is the Tony-Award and Pulitzer Prize winning composer for his ground breaking musical "Rent".  He sadly passed away before he could realize that his dream would be such a success.

 

JONATHAN LARSON

Jonathan Larson wrote the book, lyrics and music for "Tick.Tick...Boom!"

This particular play was first produced off-off Broadway in 1990. The tick, tick, boom plays in the lead character Jon's head, as he sees himself as a ticking bomb ready to explode.  He is an aspiring musical theater composer and feels under pressure to achieve the success he has believed that he could.  But he is having some major traumas in his life and can not seem to concentrate on his music.  First of all his 30th birthday is coming up and he had hoped to be very successful before that timeline.  His live-in girlfriend, Susan, wants to move out of NYC and start a "real" life somewhere else and eventually have children. Jon's roommate and childhood friend, Michael, has left his acting career and is now with a successful advertising firm.  Michael tries to get Jon to give up musical theater for a secure future. 

So, Dear Reader, what does Jon do?  Does Susan leave him to achieve her own dreams?  Does Michale finally tell Jon the secret he is hiding?  Does Jon stay in NYC and achieve fame as he has so longed for?  The Travelling Toe will not spoil the ending for you just in case you even have the opportunity to see this play.

The cast consists of only 3 players and they were exceptionally:

Trey West as Jon

Marcus Jauregui as Michael

Nikki Cloer as Susan


Off to the side of the stage was a small back-up band for the musical numbers in the play:


Kristin Spires                 keyboard
Russell Mirabelli            guitar
Eric Putnam                   bass    
Mark Howard                 drums


The play is performed in 110 minutes with no intermission.

We both thought the acting, singing, the band and the stage setting were excellent.  With small community theaters you often get a big bang for your buck.