I had the pleasure of attending the dress rehearsal of the annual UG Dramsoc/ GUMS collab musical Tick, Tick..Boom before it opened to sold out audiences on the Tuesday the 15th of November.
Tick, Tick.. Boom, which many may know from the Andrew Garfield film of the same name released back in 2021, follows the semi-autobiographical story of aspiring composer Jon Larson, who, on the cusp of his 30th birthday, starts to feel the pressures of time passing him by as he struggles to write the next great American musical that will launch his career in the theatre. Jon navigates love, friendship and pressure as he begins to rethink his place in the performing arts while trying to finish his sci-fi musical Suburbia.
Having loved the movie adaptation and been a fan of Larson’s work in RENT, I was excited to finally get the opportunity to see this show on stage and I was not disappointed.
Killian Cogan’s turn as Jon delivered a nuanced performance showing an incredible range in his embodiment of this multi-fasceted composer as well as his vocal range which matched this diverse score perfectly.
Cogan’s Jon was accompanied perfectly by Susan, Jon’s girlfriend, played by Saorla Fenton. While delivering an epic performance in this role that is sure to be remembered for years to come, Fenton shifted seamlessly between different roles throughout the show including Jon’s mother, his agent and artist Karessa Johnson.
The cast was completed by the incredible Samuel Tuohy who brought the complex, high-spirited but devastating Michael to life. Tuohy had to dig deep to deliver notably the most dramatic and emotionally driven character arc of this entire show and he did so with such flair and humility that it was difficult not to feel like you were on that journey with him. To add to his impressive performance, Tuohy also took on the roles of Jon’s Dad, his agent and my personal favourite, the office intern, overall bringing an incredibly delivered comic relief to the entire production.
As ‘Louder Than Words’ reached its final notes, two thoughts came to mind, the first, this show is incredible and the second, which I found myself uttering, whoever put these three actors together was a genius. Congratulations to the cast and production team behind Tick, Tick Boom! It will definitely be a show that will be remembered for years to come, this reviewer certainly will!
