Patch Talk: Jonathan Larson’s ‘Tick, Tick…BOOM!’ Hits Home With Passion

Subtle references to “Rent” abound in the three-man show, “Tick, Tick…BOOM!” on stage in Valrico for a final run this weekend.

The show is an autobiographical look at the passion that fueled the creative drive of Jonathan Larson, the American composer who penned the musical “Rent,” which won a Pulitzer and Tony Awards.

 "Rent" is based on the opera "La Boheme," by Giacomo Puccini, and stands as a rock opera look at a group of struggling young artists and musicians trying to survive in New York's unconventional Alphabet City, in the East Village, under the specter of HIV and AIDS. 

In that show, Larson's song, "One Song Glory," talks about finding "the one song before the virus takes hold." And because "time flies" and "time dies," to never end the search for that "one song to redeem this empty life."

Larson's musical turned out to be, for him, that "one song," a critical success that enjoyed a 12-year run on Broadway that ended on Sept. 7, 2008 with more than 5,000 performances.

But Larson didn't live to see his show become, at the time of its closing, the seventh longest-running musical on Broadway; he died suddenly, the day before opening night, Jan. 25, 1996, from an aortic dissection at age 35.

The show, “Tick, Tick…BOOM!” preceded “Rent,” as a one-man show Larson performed as a “rock musical,” and as an attempt to explain his drive to succeed as an aspiring composer, an aspiration he had held since the early 1980’s.

Enter Pedro Amaral, the actor portraying Larson in The Frenzie production of “Tick, Tick…BOOM!” The show also stars Justin Batten, as Michael, the friend with similar dreams of success in the performing arts, who along the way foregoes the dream for a dreamy job in marketing. Rounding out the cast is Kim Davis, as Larson’s girlfriend, who yearns for a life of married bliss and children as Larson holds fast to the hope he can succeed in theater.

Brandon Patch: Who is Jonathan Larson?

• Amaral: He’s someone who has all these ideas and he’s constantly coming up with new things and constantly getting shut down. But he’s very persistent.

Brandon Patch: Why see the show?

• Amaral: The show gives you insight into just how hard it is to get recognized artistically. This was a brilliant man. He spent years and years writing things that never went anywhere. It was either, “it’s too quirky for Broadway” or “It’s too weird for Broadway,” or “Broadway doesn’t like that much rock.” The show is about his struggle over compromise. Does he do what he has to do to get the show sold or does he persevere, stick to his guns, and see where it takes him?

Brandon Patch: Given Larson’s fame, was there an added pressure to portraying him on stage? This is, after all, the creator of “Rent."

• Amaral: “Tick, Tick…BOOM!" isn’t as well known as “Rent.” I don’t feel as pressured as I would have felt if I had been in “Rent.” Everyone knows “Rent.” The pressure for me, in this show, is that Jonathan Larson was brilliant, and you want to do justice to him, and to all the people who love his work.

Brandon Patch: The show’s message is in its title, isn’t it, a descriptor for the pressure behind his passion to succeed, or at least not give up?

• Amaral: It’s kind of like a bomb, a ticking time bomb in his head, where he feels like he has only a certain amount of time to get this done or his career will explode in his face. It’s, “Get it done now or never.”

Brandon Patch: Which sadly proved to be prophetic, no?

• Amaral: What happened with “Rent” is what he described in this show. He never got to see the fruits of his labor, which is really heartbreaking. He worked so hard and never got to see any of the aftermath, how well the show was received, because he died the night before its opening.

Brandon Patch: The show is a precursor for “Rent,” a show that also speaks to the passion of the heart versus the pull to give in, to compromise, or at least to let go, or ease up, and move on.  

• Amaral: In the show is Larson and his best friend, Michael. The two were actors who used to act together. Michael gets hired by a big market research firm and he’s making all this money, so he gives up acting. Susan is Larson’s girlfriend. She’s a dancer. She’s turning 30 as well and she’s just ready to settle down with him, move out of the city, move to Cape Cod and have children, a house and a steady income. He isn’t ready. He hasn’t accomplished what he set out to do. They love each other, but their goals are different. Their heads are in different places.

Brandon Patch: In other words, a struggle shared by so many people who start out on the same path but change, or at least adjust, along the way. What would you say to Larson today, if you had a chance?

• Amaral: I would thank him for sharing his gift with the world, as cheesy as that sounds. He really did have a gift. I’d say, "You did it.”  Yes, “You did it.” 

Brandon Patch: About this show in particular, how was the direction.

• Amaral:  Michael Mercer directed. He’s really good about making sure that you know exactly what it is you’re saying on stage. Making sure you’re 100 percent prepared. Finding nuances in the show that you, as an actor, might not even think of. Really, hell just say, “Think about a line like this . . .” and you, and it’s a good idea. And he’s very, very particular when it comes to the vocals. With three people [in the cast] there’s no room to hide. You either get the vocals, or you don’t. Your harmonies have to be 100 percent spot on, otherwise they’re wrong, and it’s very easy to see who’s wrong.

“Tick, Tick…BOOM!” under the direction of Mercer and assistant direction of Beverly Mercer, the co-founders of The Frenzie Life Theatre, ends its two-weekend run with performances June 24 and 25 at the James McCabe Theater in Valrico, at 506 Fifth Street. Show time is 8 p.m.

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