An autobiographical breath of fresh air to the musical theater genre, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s film Tick Tick Boom is taking the musical theater community by storm. The 2021 film takes Jonathan Larson's 1990 one man play, originally Boho Days, and turns it into an hour and fifty five minute emotion-provoking journey of Jon's life as a struggling artist in Soho, Manhattan. From his diner job to his first big break, the film follows Jon through key moments that shaped his life, career, and relationships.

The idea that musical theater would not be the same without Jonathan Larson's impact as a writer, performer, and overall heart and soul of the industry, is not far-fetched. Lin Manuel Miranda, arguably one of the biggest names in musical theater today, says he wouldn't have a career, and we wouldn't have Hamilton, without him [Jonanthan].

Because of this, putting Jon’s impact and overall importance into words is nearly impossible. He was the first playwright/composer to bring the conversation of controversial, real world topics affecting him and those he loved to the stage. Even more importantly, he brought these topics to the attention of his audience

He addressed issues such as the severity of the AIDS epidemic, homophobia, social multicultural issues and addiction. His most famous play, Rent, addresses these issues in a conversational tone as to ease the audience into this discussion that he felt was so important.

He felt that comedy, satire, and music would get people to connect and talk about these topics and that these methods would be more effective than simply lecturing. His success in this field is much due to his lyrical genius and composition.

As for Lin-Manuel Miranda's film adaption of Tick Tick Boom, Andrew Garfield, a British-American actor famously known for portraying Spider-Man in the Amazing Spider-Man series (produced by Marvel and Sony Entertainment), embodies Larson from his crazed-artist mannerisms all the way down to his measured breaths.

Garfield says he was fueled by an “overwhelming desire” to bring justice to Larson’s reputation, as he didn't gain the recognition he deserved until after his death: which occurred on the night his Tony Award winning musical Rent was set to open off-Broadway, due to an aortic aneurysm. He also explains how he feels connected to this specific performance due to his mothers death, which sadly occurred months before the start of the pandemic back in 2020. He feels through this role he is able to honor Jonathan as well as his mother, making this one of the most personal roles he has played.

**Andrew Garfield** (Left) and **Lin-Manuel Miranda** (Right)

The film adaptation rotates in a cyclic pattern. It changes between Jon (Andrew) himself performing the actual musical Tick Tick Boom on stage as a form of narration, his day to day life as a struggling artist (the original premise of the autobiographical musical), to the opening workshop of his first musical Superbia. Superbia was loosely based on George Orwell's novel 1984. This one hour and fifty five minutes of back and forth between these different scenes can be seen as a metaphor for the rapid pace which Jon’s life moved in. This film style enhances Garfield’s performance as well, classifying it as riveting.

As for the sets, Lin-Manuela Miranda credits Jonathan's apartment to his sister Julie. She gladly agreed to provide the production designer, Alex DiGerlando, with video recording of the original apartment (Jon had taken this for insurance purposes). From the book case to the weathered directors chair he sat in, the recreation of the apartment is almost identical to Jon’s original apartment in Greenwich, Soho.

Another close model created by DiGerlando was the Moondance Diner where Larson worked as a waiter for ten years. DiGerlando says “There wasn’t a huge record of what the diner looked like…”. He explains they did happen to find clips of it in an episode of the 1980’s children's show ‘Reading Rainbow’, which gave them more clues.

Of course, musicals aren't for everyone, and the way individuals perceive music will cause differing opinions on this film. But with Lin-Manuel Miranda's direction, Alex DiGerlando’s set creation, and Andrew Garfield’s embodiment of Larson’s spirit and the passion he projects, Jon’s one man play is able to be brought back to life along with his passion for music and sharing it with the world.

Tick Tick Boom: An Ode to Musical Theater