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book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson,

directed by Mario D’Alimonte

Acting Up Stage Theatre Company, Poor Alex Theatre, Toronto

February 10-26, 2005

The inaugural production of the Acting Up Stage Theatre Company is the Canadian premiere of tick, tick... BOOM!, the musical Jonathan Larson wrote before his success with Rent.  Larson died in 1996 shortly before his 36th birthday and before Rent opened.  tick, tick... BOOM! is no masterpiece, but it is a enjoyable entertainment that anyone interested in the modern American musical will want to check out.

In 2000 playwright David Auburn (Proof) refashioned Larson’s 1990 monologue with songs as a piece for three performers.  The closely autobiographical story concerns Jonathan (Dean Armstrong), a promising writer of musicals, who dreads his immanent 30th birthday.  He feels time is ticking away for him to achieve success and pins all his hopes on the upcoming workshop of his new musical.  The charismatic Armstrong, best known as Blake on Queer as Folk, gives a terrific performance as Jonathan bringing out the many layers of this well-drawn, wittily self-deprecating character.  Unfortunately, Larson is so centred on Jonathan that he forgets to give the two major people in Jonathan’s life, his girlfriend Susan (Daphne Moens) and his childhood buddy Michael (Michael Dufays), any personality.  Moens and Dufays make a greater impression through their versatility in playing many other minor roles than in playing any one.

The 90-minute musical has both hits and misses.  Among the generally MOR-style songs, “Therapy” stands out with its genuinely clever music and lyrics.  Others like “Green, Green Dress’ and “Sugar” are filler.  Though Jonathan condemns the British invasion of Broadway, his workshop’s big number sounds not like his idol Sondheim but like imitation Lloyd Webber.  As for the production itself, Frances Key’s unattractive set occupies too much space on the tiny Poor Alex stage and inhibits movement, and too often the four-piece band’s sound overwhelms the singers.  Still, the show makes clear that in Larson music theatre lost a composer with great potential.       

©Christopher Hoile

Note: A version of this review appeared in Eye Weekly 2005-02-17.

Photo: Daphne Moens, Dean Armstrong and Michael Dufays.