Jonathan Larson is a well-recognized name by many theatre junkies and Broadway fanatics. Soon, the whole world will know his name and his inspiring story with the release of “Tick, Tick… Boom!”
Larson originally wrote “Tick, Tick… Boom!” for the stage as an autobiographical piece. It started as a one-man show starring Larson himself and was later reworked to cast more people. Lin-Manuel Miranda saw the musical in 2001 and never forgot the impact the show left on him as an aspiring composer. Now, 20 years later, Miranda is making his directorial debut with “Tick, Tick… Boom!”
The movie musical, starring Andrew Garfield as Larson, is coming to theatres on Nov. 12 of this year. It follows Larson on his journey through creating “Rent,” the hit rock musical. He struggles to decide whether committing to becoming a composer is worth the risk as he is barely able to pay rent with his diner job salary. All the while, Larson is at odds with time, wondering what we all should do with the little time we have left. The morning that “Rent” was set to debut, Larson passed away from an aortic aneurism, never getting to see the immense success that came from his years of work.
Miranda knew he needed an exceptional actor to play Larson, as the depth of the character can be hard to portray on screen. When he saw Garfield star in “Angels in America” on Broadway in 2018, Miranda knew that he was perfect for the role. Albeit Garfield had no previous singing or piano-playing history, a necessity for this movie musical.
Once Garfield began singing and piano lessons, he fit perfectly into the Larson-shaped hole the movie needed. Starring alongside Vanessa Hudgens, Jordan Fisher, Bradley Whitford and more, Garfield had the support he needed from actors that are well-versed in the production of movie musicals.
Garfield says that “Tick, Tick… Boom!” will forever hold a special place in his heart. In an interview with The New York Times, he opened up about the loss of his mother to pancreatic cancer before the start of filming, and he was able to use his grief and make it into art. In the interview, he said, “I was able to continue her song on the ocean and the wave of Jonathan’s songs… and now an audience will know her spirit in an unconscious way through Jon, which I just find so magical and beautiful.”
The story of Larson teaches about the significance of time and using it wisely. Garfield is also projected to deliver an astounding performance.
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