REVIEW: Tick, Tick…BOOM! (Kennedy Center)
Preview
I made the unfortunate mistake of missing out on the Kennedy Center’s Spamalot last season, which is now running amok on Broadway to all sorts of critical and audience acclaim. The one Broadway Center Stage (BCS) show— the KC’s annual series of limited-run concert productions with big names attached — I did catch was Sunset Boulevard, which I didn’t care for. This season’s first offering: Tick, Tick…BOOM!, the autobiographical one-act started by Jonathan Larson and finished (if you can say that) by David Auburn. And yeah, I have my beef with Rent, but I enjoyed the 2021 film somewhat and if anyone can help me overlook that it would be a terrific cast featuring Brandon Uranowitz, Denèe Benton, and Grey Henson, right? And directed by Neil Patrick Harris? Come on!
Acting
KenCen loves to put on its BCS series because of the high quality casts it can bring to town, and there’s no exception here. Jon is played by the convincingly conceited Brandon Uranowitz, fresh off his 2023 Tony win and reminding everyone just how entertaining he is as a musical actor (the streets will never forget Falsettos). Denèe Benton, mostly playing the girlfriend Susan but dipping her toes into ensemble roles, tears it up with charisma as anyone who’s familiar with her would expect. (Where’s HER Tony??) Rounding out the leads are the understated but delightful Grey Henson as Michael, whom I recall being bored by in Mean Girls seven years ago but totally enjoying this time around. He’s got more range than I expected given his latest roles have been largely comedic! What sets this production apart from other TTB’s is the inclusion of a (rather great) ensemble, which adds dynamism to a show that can stale rather quickly. Lin-Manuel understood this in his film adaptation where several non-leads have decent screen time, making this largely concentric tale about one guy feel much more alive. 9/10
Book
If Larson was really good at one thing, it’s writing poor self-insert leads which are just whiny straight dudes with inexplicable parent issues who spend the show learning how to care about people besides themselves. Oh, and melodic rock-pop, so I guess two things? You’ll notice this show acts sort of as a prequel to the Rent Cinematic Universe, introducing lots of themes and motifs that continue in the titular musical. Something I will give him credit for is his songwriting, while sometimes lyrically lacking, have gorgeously catchy compositions that go from ballady power tunes to grooving head-bangers. While I’d say TTB doesn’t pack as much into that arena — it is an unfinished one-act, after all— it definitely doesn’t disappoint. Something that irked me about the film that the stage version makes up for is that the film lasts 2 hours, whereas this production clocks around an hour and a half, which feels way better suited for the material. Which….is like I said, unfinished. Going into this with that mindset does give it some leeway. Why is there a song about the green dress? Why is there a whole number about twinkies? There’s just a lot of emptiness in the characters and writing which is reminiscent of something like Keith Haring’s “Unfinished Painting” (1989). Just makes you wonder what could have been. 6/10
Tech
For someone as energized as Neil Patrick Harris, the forgettable direction from him is sort of shocking. There lacks a consistent vision and is reliant on cheap projections, minor set adjustments, and literally ends with no backdrops at all. I sort of understand a scrappiness to it, but it hurts it more than it helps. Audio mixing was also inconsistent, from mics that cut briefly to sudden, LOUD instrumentation. Lighting has been used a crutch in situations like this, but doesn’t do the job. I can’t really blame its concert like nature as a BCS entry because as we’ve seen before recently in the aforementioned Spamalot and Sunset Boulevard, these things can have a bit of a budget attached. You know it’s rough when the best tech elements are the bits they do pre-show. 2/10
Vis
Which, is pretty engrossing. It sets the scene by featuring lots of grainy 90’s-era projections and by displaying Jon’s cluttered, Very-Of-The-Time apartment. It’s homey and very efficiently shows off where his mind’s at. Program art is a vibrant yellow with a graffitied show title, nothing that crazy nor elaborate either. 5/10
The Kennedy Center doles out another solid BCS entry, no thanks to its direction but to its reliance on incredible talent and songs that hit more than they miss. 22/40
