Everything is new at Theatr Clwyd, with a sparkling £50m refurbishment nearing completion and Kate Wasserburg installed as the Artistic Director, on a gorgeous Friday evening in June all feels very positive for the future of the creative industries in this beautiful part of North Wales. As the final touches were completed, the press night audience arrived to the sight of unfinished landscaping and the smell of fresh paint throughout the building, whilst in the auditorium Tick, tick… Boom! provided a joyous paean to the necessity of creativity in life and a cracking start to the new era at Theatr Clwyd.
Wasserburg chose wisely with the first show of her tenure, Tick, tick… Boom! is a relatively easy show to mount, with a cast of three and minimal set and props required for its staging. In addition, it has been rarely performed in the UK since it was reimagined following Larson’s premature death in 1996, ensuring a real sense of anticipation in the wider theatrical world for this production. The simple revolve mounted with a flat set (Amy Jane Cook) acting as Larson’s grimy boho New York apartment may lack some immersive depth, but it perfectly conveys the treadmill that Jon (Ryan Owen) finds himself on as the ticking clock counts down to the explosion of his impending 30th birthday.
Before the titular Boom!, Jon has set himself the unenviable task of writing the definitive piece of musical theatre for the 1990s, his rock musical ‘Superbia’ holds all his hopes and dreams for the future as he struggles to find success and validation from audiences, critics and his peers. His girlfriend Susan (Christina Modestou) is supportive but craves security, urging him to quit NYC for a more pastoral existence, whilst his best friend Michael (Tarik Frimpong) has already left the peripatetic acting world to pursue a lucrative but unsatisfying career in market research.
The above storyline closely mirrors the life of creator Jonathan Larson before his 1996 monster hit RENT went on to redefine musicals for a generation and placed him -sadly posthumously -in the theatrical Hall of Fame. It is easy to categorise Tick, tick… Boom! as an early try out for RENT, with some of the songs displaying similar genetic codes and the setting and subject matter being closely related. Both cover the creative struggles of bohemian artists living in 90s New York; both cover the emerging AIDS epidemic and its catastrophic effect on the gay community and both use guitar rock mixed with traditional musical theatre styles. However, to compare the earlier work to the later masterpiece does it a tremendous disservice, as proven with this production it can stand alone, channelling his influences into something more taut and spare, a line drawing rather than a fully blown portrait, but just as compelling.
Chief amongst Larson’s influences is Stephen Sondheim and watching this musical live for the first time I was struck with the similarity, not to Larson’s later RENT, but to Sondheim’s ‘Company’ and especially his masterful ‘Merrily We Roll Along’. The thought obviously occurred to Wasserman too, hanging a poster of ‘Merrily’ on the wall of Jon’s apartment and the love letter to Sondheim from Larson is at the heart of this wonderful piece. The structure of the songs follows the lyrical dexterity and tortuous rhyming which is his trademark, culminating in a marvellous version of ‘Sunday’ complete with Seurat umbrellas and lyrics bemoaning the mundanity of working in a diner; a sumptuously superb feast for any Musical Theatre geek.
With a cast of just three, performances have to be meticulous, the large Clwyd stage offering no hiding place, and we were blessed to have a cast at the top of their game. Tarik Frimpong brings the awkward angularity of Michael to life, comfortably uncomfortable with this newly minted success but scared witless that his AIDS diagnosis will take it all away (Real Life). Christina Modestou as Susan shows the dilemma facing many in the creative industries to choose security over happiness, her plea to Jon falling on deaf ears and causing their relationship to rupture (Come to Your Senses). In the role of Jon, Ryan Owen initially betrayed first night nerves with a tentative opening but quickly displayed humour, pathos and a gorgeous vocal, most notably at the conclusion with the wonderful ‘Why’. In addition to sparkling individually the chemistry between all three cast members was worthy of note with duets and trios beautifully timed and choreographed (Lucy Cullingford). Whether it was the comedy of ‘Therapy’ or the rock refrain ‘No More’, each spoke to the audience and added depth to the respective character arcs.
This production has a cast, crew and creative team working at peak and if subsequent shows at the revamped Theatr Clwyd maintain this standard of excellence then the future here is very bright indeed. Any fans of RENT will love it; any fans of Sondheim will love it; any fans of quality Musical Theatre will love it.
Verdict: Tick, tick… Boom! is a superb musical that sends shivers down your spine and tugs at your heartstrings.
Reviewer: Paul Wilcox
Reviewed: 6th June 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Playing until 28th June, https://www.theatrclwyd.com/event/tick-tick-boom