Prior to writing his acclaimed musical Rent, Jonathan Larson created a semi-autobiographical one-man show, Tick, Tick… BOOM! After his death in 1996, the show was revised as a three-actor musical and 2021 film starring Andrew Garfield. Although the musical has received mixed reviews, the Oberlin Music Theater department’s production at the Cat in the Cream on March 14th was squarely satisfactory.
Ryan James Sweeney faithfully portrayed the main character, Jonathan, from the opening scene when he burst onto the set from the back door of the Cat, flooding the room with light. The venue is small, and not traditionally used for theater productions. With no wings on stage left or right, the actors enter and exit through the crowd to enter or leave a scene. The close proximity between the actors and the audience immediately fostered a sense of intimacy. When Sweeney sat down at a keyboard and began to play the first song, he had the audience leaning in to listen.
“Green Green Dress” was the strongest performance of the evening. The duet between Sweeney and Izzy Baker, playing Jonathan’s girlfriend Susan, highlighted the actors’ chemistry. Baker’s vocals were clear and perfectly complimented Sweeny’s. The choreography was playful and lively as the characters circled each other, finally ending in an embrace.
“No More” was the only song with rowdier choreography than “Green Green Dress.” The duet between Sweeney and Logan Lee Edwards, playing Jonathan’s best friend Michael, found the characters throwing pillows, leaping at and tackling each other mid-air, all while singing in harmony. But, Sweeny often drowned out Edwards, whose more mellow timbre should have been better amplified by the sound technician.
The first half of Tick, Tick… BOOM! is notably better than the second, and “Come to Your Senses” is the musical’s most non sequitur song. However, in contrast to the impressive choreography of “Green Green Dress” and “No More,” leaving Baker standing still and singing directly to the audience was a deflating choice. The tempo dragged—one of the venue’s employees fell asleep—and the lack of interaction between characters rendered the scene irrelevant to the plot.
With no orchestra pit, the band was set up off stage left, with the drummer located behind a clear plexiglass screen, making the four members’ regard for each other and the cast enjoyable to watch.
Sweeney and pianist/director Matthew Dolan shared the keyboard through the performance. The transitions between the two were so seamless, it was difficult to tell who was playing when. During the final song, Sweeney plopped down on Dolan’s bench and played next to him before dashing out the door. These little interactions made the whole production engaging and uplifting.
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