Tick Tick Boom all over the place?

[TicketMediaGuy]

Posted: 6/6/06 at 8:34pm

I've been reading through and searching for Tick Tick Boom... am I right in guessing that it's playing in alot of major cities at the same time?

The only reason I ask is because I recieved two comps to see it in LA on Thursday night, and did some research on these chat boards... it seems it's running in LA and other cities simultaneously.

[singingwendy]

Posted: 6/6/06 at 10:18pm

There is a great community theatre production currently going on here in Allentown, PA. They are using a small ensemble, rather than just 3 performers, but they are all excellent...especially the actor playing Jon. Very creative staging....very well done production. I reccommend it if you're in the area.

[icantbelive]

Posted: 6/6/06 at 10:31pm

How did they do that?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/6/06 at 10:33pm

That's not the first production to do so, either.

[singingwendy]

Posted: 6/6/06 at 10:39pm

The ensemble? They were friends at the birthday party, workers and patrons at the diner, patrons at the convience store. Basically, Susan and Michael were only Susan and Michael. The ensemble played all the other parts.

They also acted as stage hands, and moved a lot of the "scenery" (which was basically two sets of scaffolding on wheels). For example, during "Therapy", Susan was on one scaffold, while Jon was on the other, and towards the end they were circling each other.

One of the ensemble members also played Karessa. During "Come to Your Senses", Karessa was in a black box, and Susan was above. Susan sang an upper harmony to the main tune. Artistically, it worked really well......Jon hearing Karessa's song as Susan speaking to him.....However, two women belting at the top of their lungs together was a bit much (And that's really my only complaint about this production!).

Vocally, they just doubled all the sections that had harmony, which worked really well.

I haven't seen the 3 person version, but this 9 person version was great.

[donna_darko_23]

Posted: 6/6/06 at 11:32pm

slightly off-topic...but a neighboring city to me is doing a community production of it. That's fine, in fact for Wisconsin, I thought that was great! However, then I heard there was supposed to be a chorus! WTF! Poor Jonathan must be rolling over in his grave at the thought of his rock monologue having a chorus.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/6/06 at 11:43pm

I like the ensemble idea. Very inventive and it sounds like it works well.

[bjivie2]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 2:44am

I don't see the need for adding the ensemble members. In order to keep the show intimate and personal I would think leaving the cast at three would be paramount. There's a reason they did that for the original. (I've seen other small shows with added ensembles, like The Last Five Years, and it just doesn't really work so well. It usually works the other way better: going from big to small)

[respeck]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 3:42am

I agree. It is a VERY personal show. For those who haven't scene it it actually has a very good plot, and some really great moments. Crowding the stage with people seems like it would take away from the story of "one man's struggle".

[glinda7]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 8:32am

Tick Tick Boom is not an ensemble work. It was written as a one man monologue. I don't understand why every production has to have so many people in it.

[TicketMediaGuy]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 12:01pm

So then this answers my question... :) It's a bunch of regional offerings and not a franchise like how Tripple Espresso and White Christmas are.

Thanks!!! I found out the Los Angeles production is being done by the Rubicon Stage Company. The show is directed by Scott Schwartz. Apparently he's the original director of the London and New York productions? He also directed BAT BOY - THE MUSICAL. :) HA!

THey have a pretty polished web site at www.ticktickboomthemusical.com

[singingwendy]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 12:16pm

"I've seen other small shows with added ensembles, like The Last Five Years, and it just doesn't really work so well."

I would completely agree that Last Five Years should NOT have an ensemble. That's a show about two people, and only two people.

For this production of TTB, it worked though. It was a small enough ensemble that you didn't feel it was a "chorus" and they were very unobtrusive. It didn't take away from the intimacy of the story, and I think may have made it a bit clearer for this "community" audience, rather than having just two actors play all the other parts.