Broadway Beat

Let’s talk Tick, Tick, BOOM! 

Recently, the musical Tick, Tick, BOOM was released onto famed streaming platform, Netflix. It was released November 12th, to be exact. The musical released on to Netflix is loosely based on the autobiographical musical with the same title by Jonathon Larson. If you don’t know, Jonathan Larson is the acclaimed playwright of Rent. He sadly passed away in 1996, just before Rent’s first off-Broadway preview, but nevertheless his work is widely acclaimed and loved by many. Tick, Tick, BOOM! was worked on by Lin Manuel Miranda (who also makes an appearance during the movie). The movie also features well known actors, such as Andrew Garfield, Vanessa Hudgens, and Jordan Fisher.  The storyline follows Jon’s life as he’s struggling to make a name for himself in the theater world and working to get the play he’d been working on for eight years funded. 

As a Rent fan, I was really looking forward to Tick, Tick, BOOM!, but frankly, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I thought  and was looking forward to it being a recorded version of the full Tick, Tick, BOOM! Musical, but instead it was pieces of the musical stitched together with clips and flashbacks to Jon Larson’s early struggles. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it was well thought out and the execution was on point. But I think that the expectation I had set for myself made me not enjoy it. That being said, while I wasn’t a huge fan, the music was really catchy and the music was definitely my favorite part of the show. 

My overall consensus was that Tick, Tick, BOOM! was not my favorite and I probably won’t be re-watching it. Although, I would definitely give it a try if you like Jon Larson and are interested in learning more about his early writing years, and no matter what, the soundtrack is definitely worth a listen.