Would Tick...Tick...Boom work on Broadway?

[winston89]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 2:19pm

I had been wondering this for a while Do you guys think that Tick...Tick..Boom could work on Broadway in a small theatre like The Booth?

I do know that this show didn't last long Off Broadway due to 9/11 but is it something that could work?

[bjh2114]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 2:20pm

Nope.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 2:27pm

Not really, but it's unfortunate that RENT is being revived off Broadway before this is. I think 'Tick, tick... BOOM' is the less dated and better constructed show that deserves another shot before RENT does.

Updated On: 11/7/10 at 02:27 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 2:29pm

Sadly, Rent will make money, Tick would be a gamble.

(I would love to see it get another shot. OFF B'way.)

[wonkit]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 9:08pm

I saw the Westport Playhouse production two summers ago. I was bored to tears. I love the OOBC album though.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 9:15pm

Interesting. I can tolerate the album because of the amazing score and Raul, but it generally irks me for some reason. I saw the show a few years back at the Coronet Theatre, and the cast was unbelievably brilliant. One of the best non-Broadway theatregoing experiences of my life.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 9:16pm

btws: I believe (this is an old old bookmark) that this was a version of Come to Your Senses from the production that shows what could be done with some parred-down orchestrations. The piano is magical:

http://www.myspace.com/music/7679020/songs/23319631

Updated On: 11/7/10 at 09:16 PM

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 9:18pm

Tick would play on Broadway if you got stars like Justin Timberlake in it. It would only sell with movie stars.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 3:16am

wonkit, don't you think the slightest bit of your opinion is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

I love tick tick BOOM. I've seen half a dozen different productions over the years and I wish it were done more often. That said, I don't think it will work on Broadway. The first time I saw it was in a tiny college black box theatre and it was the perfect atmosphere. It was written to be performed as a cabaret show. Someone would have to restructure the whole show to have it not get swallowed up into even the smallest Broadway houses. Even then, it's not a show that will draw audiences for a open-ended run.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 5:30am

But if he love the recording -- wouldn't he have gone in to the expecting/hoping to enjoy it??

[wonkit]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 7:35am

Not at all, Skittles. I have seen many shows, on and off and way off Broadway, where I knew every note of the music before I saw a full production. The tick, tick,...Boom recording has so much energy and personality, and the Westport production was done capably but seemed lifeless and clunky. The performers were trying hard - maybe too hard - but even in Westport's modest auditorium, there didn't seem to be anything emotional going on. It was like a semi-staged cabaret. The only song that worked was "Come to Your Senses" - because it was emotionally hot.

[bethyd]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 8:14am

I saw TTB for the first time in a fairly large house. It was during the national tour they did, just after it closed off-broadway. It actually worked. They had platforms, and rolling staircases, and cool lighting effects, very similar to RENT. It didn't get drowned out in the larger house.

Although, since then, I've seen three other productions in very intimate settings. Some worked a lot better than others.

I suppose it could work on Broadway, but in a much smaller house. And unfortunately they'd need to rely on stunt casting again. Bring NPH back to play Jonathan again? And it might just do okay. I saw Joey McIntyre on the tour, and he was actually phenomenal.

Agreed though, this show needs a second shot before RENT does.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 11:17am

TICK....TICK is a flawed show and interesting for Larson fans but it would not have enough appeal to fill a Broadway-sized house for any kind of extended run.

Didn't we pass a law here that 2-performer musicals have no pace on Broadway? How do we feel about a show for 3?

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 11:33am

dramamama, based on what I've witnessed from wonkit re: Raul Esparza? No.

For fans of the show, should you ever get a chance to visit DC, definitely visit the Library of Congress and see the Larson collection. There are dozens of monologues he used in earlier versions of the show that I wish could see light, but they don't really fit in with the narrative of the show they developed. One made me laugh so hard that I had to excuse myself from the very formal reading room. Jonathan Larson was hilarious in his personal writings and I wish we could have gotten a chance to see that humor come out in future shows.

Updated On: 11/8/10 at 11:33 AM