''Tick, Tick... Boom!'' (styled as ''tick, tick... BOOM!'') is a musical by

Jonathan Larson Jonathan David Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer, lyricist and playwright, most famous for writing the musicals ''Rent (musical), Rent'' and ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'', which explored the social issues of mult ...

. It tells the story of an aspiring composer named Jon, who lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1990. Jon is worried he has made the wrong career choice to be part of the

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

. The story is

semi-autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, as stated by Larson's father in the liner notes of the

cast recording A cast recording is a recording of a stage Musical theatre, musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the ...

– Larson had been trying to establish himself in theater since the early 1980s. Larson began to perform the piece as a solo work in 1990. After his death in 1996, it was revised and revamped by playwright

David Auburn David Auburn (born November 30, 1969) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director. He is best known for his 2000 play ''Proof'', which won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play and Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He also wrote the scree ...

as a three-actor piece and was premiered

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in 2001. Since then, the show has had an

Off West End Off West End refers to theatres in London which are not included as West End theatres. The term is a relatively recent one, coined after the similar American term "off-Broadway" (though without the same strict definition). It is usually used synon ...

production, a West End production, an American national tour, two Off-Broadway revivals, in 2014 and 2016, and numerous local and international productions. A

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

, directed by

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper, and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals '' In the Heights'' and ''Hamilton'', and the soundtracks for the animated films '' Moana' ...

and starring

Andrew Garfield Andrew Russell Garfield (born 20 August 1983) is an English and American actor. After his breakout role in '' Boy A'' (2007), he came to international attention with the supporting role of Eduardo Saverin in the drama ''The Social Network'' ...

in the lead role, was released by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

in November 2021. It was generally well received by critics, and Garfield received a nomination for the

Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...

for his performance.

History

The show was first performed as a workshop between September 6 and September 9, 1990 by

at the

playhouse

Second Stage Theater Second Stage Theater is a non-profit theater company that presents work by living American writers both on and off Broadway. It is based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and is affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Founded in 1979 ...

under the title ''Boho Days''. Larson revised the developing piece following the Second Stage workshop, changing the title to ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'', and presented with him as performer in November 1991 at the

Village Gate The Village Gate was a nightclub at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Streets in Greenwich Village, New York. Art D'Lugoff opened the club in 1958, on the ground floor and basement of 160 Bleecker Street. The large 1896 Chicago School structu ...

(produced by Larson's college friend Victoria Leacock), and then later in 1992 and 1993 in the "O Solo Mio" fests at

New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theater noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it h ...

. Larson performed the show as a "rock monologue", a new form of theatre at the time. The performance attracted the attention of a young producer named

Jeffrey Seller Jeffrey Seller (born 1964) is an American theatrical producer. He is known for his work on ''Rent'' (1996), '' Avenue Q'' (2003), '' In the Heights'' (2008), and ''Hamilton'' (2015), as well as inventing Broadway's first rush ticket and lotte ...

, who became a fan of Larson's work. In 1995, he saw the New York Theatre Workshop production of Larson's musical ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' and convinced his fellow producers to bring it to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

. After Larson's death in 1996, Leacock asked

, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

'', to reconfigure ''Tick, Tick... Boom!''. He restructured the monologue into a three-actor musical, with one actor playing Jon and the other two actors playing Michael and Susan, as well as all the other roles in the show. The script and score were streamlined and edited. This revised version of the piece premiered

at the Jane Street Theater on May 23, 2001. Auburn received credit as "Script Consultant".

Plot

Jon is an aspiring

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

for

musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, moveme ...

, who lives in

SoHo SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

, New York. The year is 1990, and as his 30th birthday approaches Jon is worried about his aging and lack of achievement ("30/90"). Michael, a friend of Jon's since childhood, gave up acting to pursue a more lucrative career in

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

. Susan, Jon's girlfriend, is a dancer who teaches

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

to "wealthy and untalented children". On the roof of his apartment building, Jon reveals that he is nervous about an upcoming workshop of his newest musical, '' SUPERBIA.'' When Susan comes to join him, he comments on her dress and how beautiful it makes her look ("Green Green Dress"). The next morning, Susan asks Jon about the possibility of leaving New York. Jon is torn between following his dream of composing and opting for security and family in a different career ("Johnny Can’t Decide"). His reverie is cut short when he remembers his day job as a waiter in a SoHo diner ("Sunday"). After work, Michael picks Jon up in his brand new

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

to show Jon his new apartment. Michael exults at the thought of a life of luxury ("No More"), and pressures Jon further to consider changing his career path. He agrees to accompany Michael to work the next day and visit a brainstorming session at his firm. Back at home, Jon plans to spend the remainder of the evening composing, but is interrupted by a call from Susan ("Therapy"). At Michael's office, the brainstorming session involves naming a cooking fat substitute through a convoluted process. Jon sees the futility of the process and his unwillingness to cooperate gets him removed from the meeting. As Jon drives Michael to the airport for a business trip, they argue about the meeting. Michael tells Jon that the life Susan wants doesn't sound bad, and that he wishes his job could give him the chance to settle down ("Real Life"). After dropping Michael off, Jon goes to a rehearsal for ''SUPERBIA,'' but not before stopping to get a snack of

Twinkie The Twinkie is an American snack cake, described on its packaging as "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling". It was formerly made and distributed by Hostess Brands. The brand is currently owned by Hostess Brands, Inc., in turn currently own ...

s ("Sugar"). At the market, he spies Karessa Johnson, one of his actors for ''SUPERBIA.'' She reveals a similar weakness for Twinkies, and this leads to a sudden friendship between the two. After the rehearsal, Susan sees Jon and Karessa walking together and becomes jealous. Jon begs Susan to stay and be with him. Despite this, she leaves for home, and Jon thinks about what may have happened to make her behave this way ("See Her Smile"). The next morning, Jon arrives early at the theater for the workshop of ''SUPERBIA.'' Karessa steals the show with her performance of “Come to Your Senses”. Jon gets many congratulations, but no offers to produce the show, and so, in his eyes, the workshop has been a failure. Jon visits Michael and tells him that he is through with music. Michael says that while he enjoys how he makes a lot more money now, he finds the job to be banal and unrewarding. The two argue, and Jon yells at Michael for not understanding fear or insecurity. Michael responds by telling Jon that he is HIV-positive. Shocked, Jon leaves quickly and wanders through

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

until he finds himself at the closed

Delacorte Theater The Delacorte Theater is a 1,800-seat open-air theater in Central Park, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is home to the Public Theater's free Shakespeare in the Park productions. As of September 2023, it has been closed for renov ...

. He finds an old rehearsal piano and begins to play it while collecting his thoughts. Jon ponders on whether the amount of sacrifice required for his career in music is worth it, and whether those telling him to "have it all, play the game" are right ("Why"). Ultimately, he realizes that he will only be happy as a professional composer, no matter what hardships that may bring. The next morning is Jon's thirtieth birthday party ("30/90 (Reprise)"). He sees Susan, who is getting ready to leave. She gives him his birthday gift: a thousand sheets of blank manuscript paper. They agree to write to each other, and she leaves. The phone rings, and the caller is Jon's idol,

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

. Sondheim leaves Jon his contact information so they can meet and discuss ''SUPERBIA''. Jon realizes that he is surrounded by friends and that his talents are finally being recognized ("Louder than Words").

Characters

* Jonathan (also called: Jon, Johnny) Voice Type:

Tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

, A₂–A₄MTI Licensing Synopsis and Vocal Ranges
/ref> * Michael (also plays: Jon's Dad, Executive, Temp, Market research guy, Counter guy, Rosa Stevens) Voice Type:

Baritenor Baritenor (also rendered in English-language sources as bari-tenor or baritenore) is a portmanteau (blend) of the words "baritone" and "tenor". It is used to describe both baritone and tenor voices. In ''Webster's Third New International Dictionar ...

, B₂–G₄ * Susan (also plays: Rosa Stevens, Jon's Mom, Secretary, Judy Wright, Karessa Johnson) Voice Type:

Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

, A₃–D₅

Musical numbers

* "30/90" – Jon, Michael, Susan * "Green Green Dress" – Jon, Susan * "Johnny Can't Decide" – Jon, Susan, Michael * "Sunday" – Jon and Diner Patrons * "No More" – Michael, Jon * "Therapy" – Jon, Susan * "Real Life" – Michael and Company * "Sugar" – Jon, Karessa, Counter Guy * "See Her Smile" – Jon and Company (including a reprise of "Real Life") * "Come to Your Senses" – Karessa * "Why" – Jon * "30/90 (Reprise)" – Jon * "Louder Than Words" – Company Notes *"No More" features a sample from "Movin' On Up", the theme song of the television series ''

The Jeffersons ''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985. Lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes, ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history ...

'' *"Sunday", Jon's song at the diner, is based on the Act I Finale from the

musical ''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting '' A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La G ...

''; Larson conceived it as a humorous homage to Sondheim, one of his biggest influences. *In "Johnny Can't Decide", all the characters refer to themselves in the third-person, just like George in the song "Lesson #8" from ''

.'' In the monologue version of the musical, only Jon did this. *Another reference to Sondheim is present in the song "Why". Not only mentioning ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'' in the lyrics, the song utilizes the same tritone made famous in the ''West Side Story'' song "

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

". *"Why" contains fragments of several other songs: "Yellow Bird", "

Let's Go Fly a Kite "Let's Go Fly a Kite" is a song from Walt Disney's 1964 film ''Mary Poppins'', composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. This song is performed at the end of the film when George Banks (played by David Tomlinson), realizes that his ...

" from the film ''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

'', "Cool" and "Tonight – Quintet" both from ''West Side Story'', and "Come to Your Senses" from Larson's '' Superbia''. *On the cast recording, there is an additional song cut from the final version of the show, "Boho Days". This track is one of the few recordings of Larson's voice publicly available. It was extracted from a demo tape recorded by Larson during the development of ''Tick, Tick... Boom! *On the 1989 demo album of Tick, Tick... Boom!, one of the tracks is "Why," performed by Jonathan Larson himself. In this version, instead of "Come to Your Senses" - which was added after Larson's death - there are excerpts from "LCD Readout" and "Too Cold to Care," both originating from Superbia. These two songs underwent the most extensive rewrites in Superbia’s development, which is why Larson chose to feature them in "Why."

Productions

Original Off-Broadway production

The revamped musical premiered

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at the Jane Street Theater on May 23, 2001, and closed on January 6, 2002. Directed by Scott Schwartz, with choreography by Christopher Gattelli, the cast was

Raúl Esparza Raúl Eduardo Esparza is an American actor. Considered one of Broadway's most prominent leading men since the 2000s, he is best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance as Bobby in the 2006 Broadway revival of ''Company'' and for his te ...

as Jon, Jerry Dixon as Michael, and Amy Spanger as Susan.

Molly Ringwald Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, writer, and translator. She began her career as a child actress on the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and '' The Facts of Life'' (both 1979–1980) before being nominated for ...

and Natascia Diaz later replaced Spanger as Susan, and

Joey McIntyre Joseph Mulrey McIntyre (born December 31, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the youngest member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. He has sold over one million records worldwide as a solo artist and work ...

replaced Esparza as Jon. The production received seven

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

nominations, including Outstanding Musical, and won the

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town news ...

for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical; Esparza won an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

for his performance. The original cast recording was released in 2001 by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

Broadway. The off-Broadway production was imported to

Seoul, South Korea Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

briefly, with McIntyre, Dixon, and Diaz making up the cast.

Subsequent productions

;2003 American national tour A touring production of the show was directed by Schwartz, with

Christian Campbell Christian Campbell (born May 12, 1972) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Gabriel in the film '' Trick'' and Greg Ivey in the television series ''Big Love''. On stage, he has performed as Jimmy Harper in the musical ''Reefer Madn ...

as Jon,

Nikki Snelson Nikki Snelson (born Nicole Snelson) is an American actress, who works mainly in stage musicals. Biography Snelson is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, and received her training at the Boston Conservatory. Snelson’s first major role on Broadwa ...

as Susan, and

Wilson Cruz Wilson Cruz (born Wilson Echevarría; December 27, 1973) is an American actor known for playing Rickie Vasquez on ''My So-Called Life'', Dr. Hugh Culber on '' Star Trek: Discovery'', and the recurring character Junito on '' Noah's Arc''. As a g ...

as Michael. The tour performed in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

West Palm Beach West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 47,741. The city is located immediate ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

joined the tour for its Boston run. Planned stops in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

and

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

were canceled, in part because of the Iraq War discouraging ticket sales for a show with its title. ;2005 London ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'' opened in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

at the

Menier Chocolate Factory The Menier Chocolate Factory is a 180-seat Off-West End theatre, which comprises a bar and theatre offices. It is located at the rear of a former 1870s Menier Chocolate, Menier Chocolate Company factory at 53 Southwark Street, a major street i ...

on May 31, 2005, running until August 28, 2005. Again directed by Scott Schwartz, the cast featured

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...

as Jon, Tee Jaye as Michael, and Cassidy Janson as Susan.

took over the role of Jon from Harris later in the run. ;2005 California A

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

production ran at the Rubicon Theatre Company in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. It is a coastal city located northwest of Los Angeles. The population was 110,763 at the ...

, from November 19, 2005, through December 18, 2005. Scott Schwartz directed, Brent Crayon as Music Director, with a cast including Andrew Samonsky as Jon,

as Michael, and Natascia Diaz as Susan. The production moved to the Coronet Theatre,

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

, California, through July 16, 2006, with Tami Tappan Damiano as Susan. ;2005 Toronto A

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

production was mounted by Acting Up Stage Theatre Company at the Poor Alex Theatre in 2005. The director was Mario D'Alimonte, and the cast consisted of

Dean Armstrong Dean Armstrong (born April 24, 1973) is a Canadian actor. Early life Armstrong was born in Owen Sound, Ontario. He attended Queen's University at Kingston, Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and graduated with degrees in theater arts and e ...

as Jon, Michael Dufays as Michael, and Daphne Moens as Susan. ;2009 West End ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'' had its West End premiere in a limited engagement at the

Duchess Theatre The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych. The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 ...

from May 13–17, 2009, forming part of the 2009 Notes from New York season. Directed by Hannah Chissick, the cast comprised Paul Keating as Jon,

Julie Atherton Julie Atherton is a British actress, singer and director. She is best known for originating the role of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in the West End production of ''Avenue Q''. and playing Sister Mary Robert in the first UK tour of ''Sister ...

as Susan, and

Leon Lopez Leon Lopez (born 30 August 1979 in Liverpool) is a British actor, television and film director, singer-songwriter and occasional model, best known for playing the role of Jerome Johnson in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside'' from 1998 to 2 ...

as Michael. ;2014 Encores! Off-Center

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama, and the New York City Center 55th Street Theater) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street (Manhattan), 55th Street between Sixth Avenue, Six ...

's ''

Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...

Off-Center'' series produced a revival of ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'' starring

as Jon,

Karen Olivo KO, formerly named and credited on stage and screen as Karen Olivo until 2022, (born August 7, 1976) is an American stage and television actor, theater educator, and singer. In 2008, KO originated the role of Vanessa in '' In the Heights'' on Br ...

as Susan, and

Leslie Odom Jr. Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (; born August 6, 1981) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical ''Hamilton'', which earned him ...

as Michael. Performances were June 25 through 28, 2014. Oliver Butler directed. ;2016 Off-Broadway ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'' was revived in October 2016 at the Acorn Theater at Theatre Row, starring

Ciara Renée Ciara Renée Harper (born October 19, 1990) is an American actress and musician. She is best known for her roles on Broadway as The Witch in '' Big Fish,'' the Leading Player in '' Pippin'', Jenna in ''Waitress,'' and Elsa in '' Frozen.'' She pl ...

, Nick Blaemire, and

George Salazar George Ernest Salazar (born March 7, 1986) is an American actor and singer. He is known for his work on and off-Broadway theatre, Broadway. He made his Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of Stephen Schwartz (composer), Stephen Schwartz's ''Godsp ...

. Previews began on October 4, the show opened on October 20, and it closed on December 18, 2016. It was directed by Jonathan Silverstein, the

Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

of Keen Company.

Lilli Cooper Lilli Cooper (born March 4, 1990) is an American actress and singer. Cooper's acting credits are mostly in the theatre industry; her on-stage debut was in 2006's ''Spring Awakening'' at the age of 15. Currently, her only two on-screen roles wer ...

took over the role of Susan on November 22, 2016. ;2024 Kennedy Center Directed by

, who previously played Jon in the London premiere, starring Brandon Uranowitz as Jon, Denée Benton as Susan and

Grey Henson Grey Henson (born July 2, 1990) is an American actor, dancer, and singer. He originated the role as Damian Hubbard in the Broadway production of ''Mean Girls'', for which he earned a nomination for a 2018 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured R ...

as Michael, running from January 26 through February 4 as part of the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

's Broadway Center Stage series. Unlike most productions, the show includes an ensemble.

Other productions

;2003 Hungary The Hungarian production opened on July 23, 2003, on the open-air stage of

Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. It was directed by Tamás Balikó, the director of the National Theatre of Pécs, with musical direction by Zoltán Bókai. The cast was Attila Németh as Jon, Lilla Polyák as Susan, and István Fillár/Tamás Gregorovics as Michael. The production moved to the National Theatre of Pécs, where it opened on November 4, 2003, with new cast members Bernadett Tunyogi as Susan and Attila Csengeri as Jon. The production closed on February 26, 2004. ;2007 Denmark A Danish production played in 2007, starring Mads Æbeløe Nielsen as Jon, Thomas Bay Pedersen as Michael, and Christina Elisabeth Mørkøre as Susan, and directed by Jens Frausing. A recording of the Danish production was released in 2007. ;2008 Mexico Starring Marco Anthonio as Jon, Natalia Sosa as Susan and Beto Torres as Michael, this production opened at Teatro Rafael Solana on February 20, 2008. ;2008 Canada Ignition Theatre produced the production in May 2008 at The Matchbox in

Red Deer, Alberta Red Deer is a city in Alberta, Canada, located midway on the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. Red Deer serves central Alberta, and its key industries include health care, retail trade, construction, oil and gas, hospitality, manufacturing and educati ...

, Canada. It starred Joel Crichton as Jon, Wilmari Myburgh as Susan, and Curtis Labelle as Michael. The production ran from May 15 to 24. ;2009 Westport The production at the

Westport Country Playhouse Westport Country Playhouse is a not-for-profit regional theater in Westport, Connecticut, Westport, Connecticut. It was founded in 1931 by Lawrence Langner, a New York theater producer. Langner remodeled an 1830s tannery with a Broadway-quality ...

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...

ran from June 23 through July 18. It was directed by Scott Schwartz, who directed the original off-Broadway production, and starred Colin Hanlon as Jon,

as Michael, and Pearl Sun as Susan. ;2009 Philippines A

Philippine The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

production ran for three weeks in August 2009 at the Ateneo de Manila University. It was staged by Blue Repertory, the university's college-level musical theater group, under the direction of Bea Garcia. ;2010 San Francisco Theatre Rhinoceros presented the play at the Eureka Theatre from February 9 through 28, 2010. ;2010 Germany The German premiere of the musical opened on March 11, 2010, in

Kerpen Kerpen (; Ripuarian: ''Kerpe'') is the most populated town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). It is located about 20 kilometres southwest from Cologne. As of 2023, Kerpen has a total population of 67,627. Division of ...

near

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

. It was directed by Barbara Franck and Marco Maciejewski with musical supervision by Philipp Polzin. Jon was played by Oliver Morschel and Daniel Wichmann, Michael by Sascha Odendall and Joshua Vithayathil, and Susan by Marina Schmitz and Michaela Berg. The songs were performed in English, with scenes done in German. ;2010 London The Union Theatre performed a fringe production in April 2010, featuring Leanne Jones, Ashley Campbell, and Adam Rhys Davies. It was directed by Damian Sandys. ;2011 Spain A

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

production ran at Teatro Lara, Madrid, from July 14 through 22, 2011, under the direction of Pablo Muñoz-Chápuli and starring Jorge Gonzalo as Jon, David Tortosa as Michael, and Laura Castrillón as Susan. ;2011 London ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'' opened in

at the Africa Centre on October 14, 2011, directed by Simon Carnell, the cast featured Samuel Haughton as Jon, David Adams as Michael, and Katrina Boyd as Susan. ;2012 Argentina The 2012 Argentinian production of ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'' ran at the Maipo Kabaret Theatre under the direction of Nicolás Roberto and starred Andrés Espinel as Mike, Natalia Cesari as Susan, and Paul Jeannot as Jon. ;2014 The Netherlands Tresore Productions performed at various theatres in The Netherlands from March 3 – May 3, 2014, under the direction of Koen van Dijk, starring John Vooijs as Jon, Renée van Wegberg as Susan, and Sander van Voorst tot Voorst as Mike. ;2018 Czech Republic The Czech premiere of the musical was performed at Theatre Na prádle Prague under the direction of Martin Vokoun and starred Peter Pecha as Mike, Lucia Jagerčíková as Susan, and Tomáš Vaněk as Jon. ;2018 Hong Kong A Cantonese production was performed in Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre Theatre by theatre compan
Musical Trio
in 2018. ;2018 Brazil A Portuguese production ran at Teatro FAAP in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

from October 30, 2018, to January 31, 2019. It was directed by

Leopoldo Pacheco Leopoldo is a given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese form of the English, German, Dutch, Polish, and Slovene name, Leopold. Notable people with the name include: * Leopoldo de' Medici (1617–1675), Italian cardinal and Governor o ...

and Bel Gomes and starred Bruno Narchi as Jon, Thiago Machado as Michael, and Giulia Nadruz as Susan. ;2019 Taiwan A production ran at the New Taipei City Arts Center in October 2019, featuring New York actor Matthew Bauman as Jon, Anthony Neely as Mike, and Ting-Fang Liu as Susan. Produced by the Tainaner Ensemble, the production was directed by New York director Darren Cohen. ;2021 Shanghai A Chinese production ran in Gong Stage from April 2, 2021 to April 11, 2021, then from June 22, 2021 to June 27, 2021. Cast included Yi-bin Zheng, Qi-sheng Ye, Zhen-kai Xia as Jon, Li-Tong Hsu, Hao-yu Chen, Hao-ran Liu as Susan, Ze Zhang, Le-tian Wang, Wei-gang Zhao as Michael. Produced by Cmusicals. Then in 2022, a long-term production ran in Strand Theatre from January 14, to September 12, which was once interrupted by 2022 Shanghai COVID-19 outbreak. In 2024, Shanghai revival opened in Gong stage on April 12, 2024, the cast featured Er Mao and Meng-nan Qian as Jon, Jing-yuan Liao and Guo Hong as Susan, Jia-ming Tang and Ji-wen Xu as Michael. The revival production closed on April 21, 2024. ;2022 Sweden Produced by Fourth Wall Productions in Malmö and directed by Swedish director Helena Röhr. Jon played by Filip Vikström, Michael played by Erik Espinoza and Susan played by Kim Bergkvist. ;2023 Australia Produced by StoreyBoard Productions and directed by Tyran Parke. Jon played by Hugh Sheridan, Michael played by Finn Alexander and Susan played by Elenoa Rokobaro. ;2023 Israel Directed and translated by Roi Dolev, who will also star as Jon, with Inbal Zoashnin as Susan, and Snir Weiller as Michael. Performances are scheduled for October and November 2023 in Haifa and Tel Aviv. ;2023 Austria Will be played at the Volskoper (Vienna, Austria), directed by Frédéric Buhr and starring Jakob Semotan as Jon, Juliette Khalil as Susan and Oliver Liebl as Michael. Performances for now are scheduled between November 2023 and February 2024. 2023 Poland The production at Nova Scena of ROMA Musical Theatre in Warsaw opened on November 18, 2023 (as an open-ended run), directed by Wojciech Kępczyński, translated by Michał Wojnarowski. The opening night featured the cast of Marcin Franc as Jon, Maciej Dybowski as Michael and Maria Tyszkiewicz as Susan (the alternating cast includes Maciej Pawlak, Piotr Janusz and Anastazja Simińska respectively). Music direction is by Jakub Lubowicz. ;2024 San Diego A Cygnet Theatre production Will be played at the Old Town Theatre (San Diego, CA), directed by Katie Banville and starring

AJ Rafael Arthur Joseph Rafael (born March 12, 1989), known professionally as AJ Rafael, is a Filipino-American singer-songwriter, YouTuber, and TikToker. Born in Moreno Valley, California, he graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2010. Rafael st ...

as Jon, Emma Nossal as Susan and Leo EBanks as Michael. Performances are running from July 3 through August 4. Music direction by Dr. Randi Ellen Rudolph. ;2024 Singapore Produced by Sight Lines and directed by Derrick Chew, Preston Lim (Jon), Ryan Ang (Michael), Vanessa Kee (Susan) star alongside Beatrice Jaymes Pung and Eric Larrea as the ensemble cast. Performances run from July 5 to 14 at KC Arts Centre. ;2025 Portugal Produced by Ultraproduções and directed by Bernardo Raposo, a Portuguese production ran from March 7 to April 6, 2025 at the Auditório Santa Joana Princesa in Lisbon, starring Miguel Cruz as Jon, David Gomes as Michael and Sara Madeira as Susan.

Casts

Film adaptation

A film adaptation of ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'', directed by

, was produced by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

Brian Grazer Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer. He founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion. Grazer was personally nominated for four Acad ...

and Julie Oh. The screenplay is written by

Steven Levenson Steven Levenson (born May 1984) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for ''Dear Evan Hansen''. Early life Levenson was raised in Bethesda, Maryland. He was raised in a Reform Jewish f ...

. The film was Miranda's feature-length directorial debut. It premiered at

AFI Fest The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

on November 10, 2021, followed by a limited theatrical release in the United States on November 12, 2021, before being released by

on November 19, 2021. The film stars

as Jon opposite Robin de Jesús,

Alexandra Shipp Alexandra Shipp (born July 16, 1991) is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence for portraying singer Aaliyah in the Lifetime television film '' Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B'' (2014) and Kimberly Woodruff in the film ''Straight Ou ...

Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Anne Hudgens ( ; born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After making her feature film debut in '' Thirteen'' (2003), Hudgens rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in the ''High School Musical'' film series (200 ...

, and

Joshua Henry Joshua Anthony Charlton Henry (born September 2, 1984) is a Canadian-American actor and singer of stage and screen. He is best known for starring as Billy Bigelow in the third Broadway revival of ''Carousel'' and as Haywood Patterson in Kand ...

.Derschowitz, Jessica
"''Tick, Tick… Boom!'' review: Jonathan Larson's story shines in a musical that sings from the heart"
''Entertainment Weekly'', November 19, 2021

Awards and nominations

Original Off-Broadway production

References

External links

*
''Tick, Tick... Boom!''
at the Music Theatre International website
Raul Esparza
– ''Downstage Center'' interview at American Theatre Wing.org, April 2005 {{Jonathan Larson 2001 musicals Biographical musicals Monodrama Musicals by Jonathan Larson Musicals inspired by real-life events Musicals set in the 1990s Off-Broadway musicals West End musicals