‘tick, tick… BOOM!’
Jonathan Larson’s unfinished, autobiographical, one-man “rock monologue”—later converted to a three-actor musical after his death—has never been nearly as popular as the late composer’s smash Broadway hit, RENT. But in the capable hands of Hamilton‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda, the movie version of tick, tick… BOOM! is both a loving tribute to Larson and a compelling musical in its own right. Andrew Garfield plays Larson, who is turning 30 in eight days and has poured all his hopes and dreams into an upcoming workshop for his sci-fi rock opera. Garfield radiates a feverish anxiety that borders on mania, and though this is his first musical, it feels like a role he was born to play. It’s a love letter to Larson, to New York City, to musical theater, to hope, to art, to Sondheim, and anything taboo. It’s about writing and re-writing and creation. Miranda believes in Larson and his message with his whole heart, and you’ll be swept up in the magic, too.