tick tick…BOOM! to premiere in Melbourne

BEFORE RENT, THERE WAS tick, tick…BOOM!

Australian mainstage premiere of the revered pop / rock off-Broadway musical.

The Australian mainstage debut of tick, tick…BOOM! the much-loved autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, will take place at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre from 1 February 2023 before a limited season at QPAC’s Playhouse in Brisbane.

Just prior to the opening night of Rent, its creator and composer Jonathan Larson tragically passed away before the first public performance. But, before Rent, Larson had created another musical tick, tick…BOOM!  and just like his Tony Award-winning smash hit, it was another piece of genius left behind.

The year is 1990 and a promising young composer is grappling with a career as an artist, whilst staring down turning 30 in New York City. Whilst being torn between fear and love, he faces one of life’s greatest questions… What do we do with the time we have?

tick, tick…BOOM! is an endearing rock musical and a love letter to theatre and New York City alike.  It is a true hidden treasure of Broadway, that will inspire anyone who’s had to fight for what they want.

The show was recently developed into a film in 2021 by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Andrew Garfield as Larson, alongside Robin de Jesús, Alexandra Shipp, Joshua Henry, Judith Light and Vanessa Hudgens.

 It was named one of the best films of 2021 by the American Film Institute, and was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, and Best Picture at the 27th Critics’ Choice Awards. For his performance, Garfield earned numerous awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Jonathan Larson was a much-loved American composer, lyricist and playwright most famous for writing the musicals Rent and tick, tick…BOOM!, which explored the social issues of multiculturalism, substance use disorder, and homophobia. After his unexpected passing at age 36, he received three posthumous Tony Awards and a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Rent.

tick, tick…BOOM! first premiered Off-Broadway in 2001 and has toured extensively since including a US national tour, West End production, an Off-Broadway revival and numerous international productions.

Casting announcements for tick, tick…BOOM! will be made later in 2022.

tick, tick…BOOM! is produced by impresario Adrian Storey from StoreyBoard Entertainment (Chess the Musical, Barnum, Follies, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and directed by renowned director Tyran Parke (Chess the Musical, Barnum, Follies, Sunday in the Park with George) and with Musical Direction by Kohan van Sambeek (Cinderella, Aladdin, Wicked).

Storeyboard Entertainment presents:

tick, tick…BOOM!

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Season Details

Melbourne

Venue: Comedy Theatre
Dates: 1-5 February 2023

Brisbane

Venue: QPAC Playhouse
Dates: 4-5 March 2023