Tick, Tick… BOOM!, the curiously titled rock musical currently running at Fitger’s Spirit of the North Theatre, is a semi-autobiographical piece written by playwright-composer Jonathan Larson. It tells the story of his own struggling career before he went on to write Rent.
Tragically, in January of 1996, Larson died from an undiagnosed aortic dissection at the age of 35, the night before Rent previews were to open Off-Broadway and before it moved to Broadway, taking it by storm in April of 1996.
Rent gained critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Musical. It played on Broadway for 12 years before closing in September of 2008.
Rent has gone on to many national and international tours and a major motion picture in 2005. Tick, Tick… Boom! was also made into a film in 2021, starring Andrew Garfield, who was nominated for an Oscar playing Jon. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
Jace LeGarde, Helena Goie, and Hunter Ramsden, the three talented performers in Boat Club’s Production, had to do more than sing, dance, and act. They had to introduce the audience to a musical that most had never heard of or seen before.
Throughout the ninety-minute show, the trio also created nearly a dozen memorable characters, all the while climbing up and down steep stairs, moving their own furniture, making fast costume changes, and singing a challenging score.
LeGarde was high energy from the opening song, where his character Jon (based on Larson) is lamenting his upcoming 30th birthday and his lack of success at reinventing musical theater. Portraying every artist who is waiting for a big break, his portrayal is both heartbreaking and funny.
While he belts the show’s rock songs with conviction, LeGarde’s beautiful tenor voice is showcased in songs such as “Johnny Can’t Decide,” “See Her Smile,” and “Why.”
Playing Susan, Jon’s dancer girlfriend, Goie, also adds humor, playing a few other characters, including Jon’s chain-smoking, worthless agent, Rosa Stevens, and Judy Wright, the nauseatingly obnoxious head of an advertising focus group. Goie’s best vocal moment comes in her solo late in the show in the stunning “Come to Your Senses.”
As Jon’s caring and sympathetic childhood friend Michael, Ramsden also provides comic relief in “Sunday,” a parody of a Stephen Sondheim song/show, and “Sugar,” about the merits of the humble Hostess Twinkie and other sweet treats. The song “Real Life” showed Ramsden’s strongest vocals.
Having a live band onstage in back of the performers gives the rock score an immediacy and excitement, featuring Paul Christenson, Music Director/Piano; Cory Clay, Guitar; Kyle Gondik-Anderson, Bass; and Steve Westholm, drums.
Artistic Director/Producer Jason Vincent, Director Peter Froehingsdorf, and their production team use the intimate Fitger’s space well and “introduce” a show to new audiences that has not been produced in town for nearly twenty years.
Larson’s enormous talents were obviously on display in Tick melodies and with lyrics that are very prescient, all these many years later. In the show’s closing song, “Louder Than Words”, Larson’s lyrics are startlingly contemporary.
“If we don’t wake up
And shake up the nation
We’ll eat the dust of the world
Wondering why . . .
Why do we follow leaders who never lead?
Why does it take catastrophe to start a revolution?
If we’re so free, tell me why?
Someone tell me why so many people bleed?”
Larson’s premature death was decidedly a tremendous loss to musical theater and the shows left unwritten and songs left unsung.
Information About Tick, Tick… Boom!
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
The run continues October 2-4 7:30 pm | October 5 2:00 pm
Spirit of the North Theater, Fitger’s Third Floor
For tickets:
Visit destinationduluth.co/TickTickBoomBoatClubProductions
Read a profile of Tick, Tick… Boom!’s Lighting designer Patrick Mulcahy at destinationduluth.co/PatrickMulcahyArtistProfile
Next Up:
December 4-14, 2025
A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol
Step back in time with a hilarious and heartwarming live radio broadcast set on Christmas Eve, 1943. Amid technical mishaps and over-the-top performances, the actors bring a chaotic twist to a holiday classic. As the show unravels, the lead actor’s personal connections to the story add a dramatic climax. Packed with period songs and swing arrangements of Christmas standards, this delightful production is a perfect blend of comedy, drama, and holiday cheer!
