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Lin Manuel Miranda’s film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s Off-Broadway musical, “tick, tick… Boom!” is an excellent, eclectic musical ode to a passionate creator that the world lost too soon. Jonathan Larson died from an aortic aneurism at the age of 36, on January 25th, 1996, the night before his first ever Broadway hit, “Rent,” would be previewed. Larson never was able to see the success and inspiration that his play created. Miranda himself has cited “Rent” as one of the many life changing and career inspiring experiences that he had as a young composer.

What is “tick, tick… Boom!” anyway?

“tick, tick… Boom!” is an autobiographical musical written by Jonathan Larson that recounts his experiences attempting to successfully escape his life as a broke, paycheck-to-paycheck composer by finally selling and producing his potential Broadway hit, “Superbia.”

The Netflix film adaptation directed by Miranda, stars Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens and Joshua Henry. Garfield shines in his performance as Larson, winning the 2021 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Musical for his role. The star-studded and talented cast draws the audience in with their emotionally charged performances and infectious charisma. This is most prevalent on one of the soundtracks most joyful and simplistic songs, “Boho Days.”

One of the most visually engaging sets featured in the film occurs during the song, “Swimming.” Larson’s creative safe space was his local swimming pool, each stroke within the cold pool sparking a little more clarity amidst the emotional pressure of his deadlines and relationship turmoil. This set was unique with the use of underwater shots and Larson’s lyrical mapping presented on the floor of the pool, utilizing the lane lines as the staff of his musical sheet. A simple overhead shot of the pool revealed each note to the song Larson was struggling to finish in time for the musical to be seen.

One of the more moving songs within the soundtrack of the film was, “Come To Your Senses,” performed by Shipp and Hudgens. The film cuts between Shipp’s character, Susan, who is Larson’s love interest, and one of the play’s cast members, Hudgen’s character, Karessa. The song captures the tension and turmoil of Larson’s relationships as he strives for success within his craft. The line that captures it all so well: “You can feel again, you don’t need a music box melody to know what I mean.” This simple plea for Larson to experience life without the use of music to process and experience its most challenging moments captures a key character trait of Larson well.

The final track from the musical, “Louder Than Words,” brings Larson’s experiences full circle, with reflective questions that burst forth into his mind through his creative process. This list of questions asking, “why?” that Larson collects throughout the musical lay the groundwork for a rambunctious presentation of his passion. Larson questions throughout the song the need for catastrophes to spark revolutions. He desires a revolutionary change in the type of care and support his friends that have contracted HIV have access to. Larson, wrestling with the pain of the world and the desire for change, shines brightest on this song. The clock on his life ticks by fast as his friends’ lives have flown by in a heartbreaking fashion due to HIV, leading to the title of the whole musical, “tick, tick… Boom!”  The song closes with no lyrics but a simple piano playing the closing part of “Happy Birthday,” a simple callback to the opening song “30/90.” The opening track, “30/90” laments the torrid pace of time and its crushing effect on our dreams that we chase.

“tick, tick… Boom!” is an excellent film that captures the creative process of a talented artist that missed out on seeing the success of his own work due to his untimely death. The film is filled with exciting, catchy musical tracks, emotionally gripping moments and impressive visual sets that capture the message of the film well. Miranda’s film provides the opportunity for a window into the adventures of play writing and dream chasing. Play writing might be a foreign experience to many but dream chasing is the common denominator that makes “tick, tick… Boom!” a must watch.

Inserts for tick, tick… BOOM!

“30/90”

The energetic track that opens up the musical follows Larson’s greatest fear, the year 1990, the year he turns 30. “Stop the clock, take time out,” Larson sings, pleading to pause life so he can be farther along in his career than he is as time flies by. The opening track does an excellent job of capturing the tone of the film with its frantic pace and and impactful lyrics. The line that captures it all: “They’re singing, ‘Happy Birthday.’ You just wanna lay down and cry. Not just another birthday, it’s 30/90.”

“Boho Days”

This simple song, only 1:29 in length, sets the scene of Larson’s homey but run-down apartment that involved a “revolving door of roommates” where the shower was in the kitchen and the toilet was in the closet. The song is performed in the film during a party, when Larson acts on an impromptu burst of joy and a little bit of alcohol to sing a simple tune to help him find the joy in his life.

This song is performed very early within the film and it captures Larson’s charisma so well. This charisma draws the audience in for an emotional and artistic expression of his life experiences.

The line that captures it all: “The ship is sort of sinking, so let’s start drinking before we start thinking, is this a life?”