Director
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tribute to the life
of Broadway wunderkind Jonathan Larson and his play, Tick, Tick…Boom!, forms the basis of this musical drama that covers
the events before his play Rent set
the entertainment world on fire.
It’s
1990 as gay rights and AIDS are affecting lives, and Larson (Andrew Garfield)
is a struggling playwright pushing thirty whose life is upended as he works on
a new musical to impress an audience of industry movers. Measuring himself against great artists who
achieved fame at an early age, the clock is ticking to accomplish his dream. He
has an abundance of energy and love, but does he have enough for his friends,
namely his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp), an aspiring dancer, and his best
friend Michael (Robin de Jesús), who gave up his dream of acting for Wall Street?
On the eve of the premiere, he struggles to compose one more, key song as time is running out for him.
This is Larson’s
story before he won the Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and universal acclaim. Akin
to A Chorus Line, it’s about the
thrill and disappointment of mounting a show with the pressures, sacrifice, and
emotional toll of the creative process. Larson’s
life is informed in his music as he incorporates his own experiences and
inspirations, while the energetic songs are imaginatively presented as an
organic outgrowth of the story. Watch for Broadway cameos galore especially
in the euphoric, diner song, “Sunday”.
This
personal valentine to stage musicals carries an emotional heft (and a
spectacular performance by Garfield who also sings) and concludes with a somber
epilogue, a tribute to a bright, creative beacon. A must
for fans of the Great White Way.
***1/2 of **** stars (add ½* for Garfield fans)
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