Tick Tick Boom

If you want to see something new, something sometimes different, then make your way along to the ‘best’ little theatre in Fenland and you are bound to have a good evening’s entertainment. You can usually be sure of meeting friends and acquaintances from the surrounding Am Dram scene as well as knowing some or all of the cast or production team.

I feel like justified in typing Tick Tick BOOM, so I have, this musical is basically an autobiographical story of composer Jonathan Larson, the little known composer of the musical Rent. I’m afraid I have cribbed from the programme as so few people know this show, this ‘is more than just a musical – it is a heartfelt, deeply personal story about chasing dreams, facing uncertainty and discovering what truly matters in life’. It is a story with ‘themes of ambition, doubt, friendship and time slipping through our fingers. It reminds us to listen to that inner ticking, not with fear, but with purpose’.

BOOM. This is how the performance went, for 90 plus minutes Joseph Tierney as Jonathan Larson virtually never left the stage except for a jacket change. This was a tremendous performance, not only with great vocals but with emotion displayed in both song and dialogue, in interaction with his fellow cast members and his movement on stage, through body language and facial expressions. He could play the piano too, this was a highly charged and emotional performance and deserved the applause he received.

Playing opposite Joe were Harry Bird as his childhood and longtime best friend Michael and Melissa Middleton as his girlfriend Susan. Both of these actors had great onstage chemistry with Joe, Harry showed the same level of emotion as he stood face to face with Joe, as they argued and bickered. His vocals were great and the character of Michael clearly shone through, his love for Jonathan, great acting skills, I much enjoyed the scene in the BMW, great timing from both and then the break of emotion when he told Jonathan he was ill (this was the era of the outbreak of HIV/Aids epidemic in America), a well portrayed character, I loved their duet of ‘No More’. Melissa’s role was a similar tour de force, a very well-drawn character clearly in love with Jonathan and they had some tender and loving moments, I loved the duet ‘Green Green Dress’ and her rendition of ‘Come to Your Senses’ was great. Melissa had a great stage presence with a real interaction with her fellow cast.

There were some great touches with the ensemble performing throughout, bringing the story more to life, I enjoyed the telephone sequence, the sequence in the workshop and the appearances of the character of his Agent (don’t know the actors or characters name). The ensemble bought these scenes to life, they added to the vocals and there was some great and imaginative choreography well performed and together with good directing of business in the company numbers brought the whole stage alive.

The video sequence with Ollie, Finley and Rowan representing the childhood friendship of Jonathan and Micheal brought that friendship alive and was a very clever touch well filmed and played.

This was mainly a black box stage with props and furniture brought on and off as required, very smoothly and efficiently by the ensemble. There were appropriate posters and paperwork doted around the walls together with a long musical stave with notes, which I hope were representing the score of SUPERBIA that Jonathan was writing. There was a keyboard stage right used by Jonathan but the music came from a small band on stage left led by musical director Amy Power also playing Bass. Keyboard Sam Ashby, Guitar Jaz Hunter and Drums Debbie Bennett giving excellent sound. Sound throughout was excellent as was the straight forward lighting plot. Costuming was very appropriate for the various characters that the ensemble portrayed as well as the three principals.

This was a lively and very entertaining production, the directing team of Frankie Penfold, Amy Lockwood, Amy Power and Dance Captain Eva Crofts should be justly proud of this production.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.