We’ve all been there—internally hearing the ticking of the clock as we see how the paths lay right before us.
Tick…friends getting married and having kids. Tick…friends traveling in different countries. The pressure sets in. Tick…friends opening new businesses left and right… Tick…BOOM!
You question yourself, “Am I being left behind?”
No, you are not alone in the anxiety-driven war of figuring out what to do with your life as you get older day by day. There will always be a book, song, or movie that will resonate with how you feel. But here is something timeless—a musical written decades ago, but will always remain relevant because of its truthfulness.
It’s tick, tick…BOOM!, a musical about a group of twenty-somethings trying to find their way in New York during the 90s. Created in the 90s by Jonathan Larson, he drew inspiration from his own personal struggles as a young adult trying to make a name for himself in theater in the 80s.
Like most millennials and Generation Zs, Jon, the protagonist in the musical, also hears the constant ticking—a reminder that he is getting older, turning 30, with little to show. He is also driven by pressure when his girlfriend, Susan, hounds him about leaving New York to start a family and seek a more stable profession, while his best friend, Michael, an actor-turned-marketing executive, convinces him to join the industry and have a comfortable life.
“Years are getting shorter, lines on your face are getting longer. Feel like you’re treading water, but the riptide’s getting stronger.” – 30/90 from tick, tick…BOOM!
This musical is also a must-watch for struggling artists and creatives because, at some point, they chose or are still choosing between these two equally important things: passion or money.
In this 9 Works Theatrical (9WT) restaging of Larson’s critically-acclaimed musical on August 2023 at the RCBC Plaza in Makati City, the sound of “tick…tick…tick…” might stop for a while for those under pressure, creatives, theater and film enthusiast, or anyone really.
tick, tick…BOOM! is starred by multi-awarded actor and musical composer Jef Flores, who will reprise his role as Jon. Alternating with him is GMA actor and ‘2 cool 2 be 4gotten’ star Khalil Ramos in his musical theater debut.
Making a mark without giving up spark
Having won a “Best Actor Award” for the same role back in 2016, Jef Flores told the BusinessMirror, “We’re finding a lot of new things this time. It’s going to be a bigger, more fun, and more exciting show.”
When asked if there is a change in approach towards his role this time, he said, it is taking the amount of stress his character is going through.
Similar to Jon, Flores is also a composer and admitted that he is an aging artist, but unlike his role, who questioned if his career is going to feed and sustain him, Flores said, “We’re going to keep on living our art, keep on making music, and keep on making shows to make art.”
“I am also an aging artist, so this show deals with turning a page in your life and considering giving up your passions. I am lucky to be doing this show because I get to continue living my passions,” he said.
Given that he had no professional experience in theater, Khalil admitted there was fear, and was intimidated by the medium since he said, “The stage doesn’t have take twos.” But despite being a new experience for him, he said theater also felt familiar.
“My experience would really come from being an actor in TV and film and as a singer,” he told BusinessMirror. Khalil started his singing career in 2011 and began acting in 2012.
Regarding the pressures from audiences, he said, “It is normal to feel that,” but, “I’m coming from the expectation of an Academy Award-nominated performance…but as an actor, it shouldn’t be the number one thing that you’re worried about.”
“I’m taking it now as an actor, just to really strive to bring out the truth as much as I can in my own way,” he said, and not like the other acclaimed actors who played Jon like Andrew Garfield, Raul Esparza, or Lin-Manuel Miranda. He said emulating one of them would be him portraying Garfield as Jon; “I have to play Jon,” he said.
Tanya Manalang will also reprise her role as Susan while alternating with her is Kayla Rivera. Vien King will portray the role of Michael, and alternating with him is Reb Atadero. In this three-person musical, the actors will be mixed and matched in each show.
The musical is directed by Robbie Guevarra, with Daniel Bartolome as musical director, and JM Cabling as choreographer.
tick, tick…BOOM! will be showing all weekends of August 2023 at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, at the CPR Auditorium, RCBC Plaza in Makati. Tickets are now available via ticket2me.net. Interviews by Edwin P. Sallan
Image credits: 9 Works Theatrical
LOUDER THAN WORDS | ‘tick, tick…BOOM!’ takes centerstage again this August
Source: News Paper Radio
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