Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut Tick, Tick…Boom! came at the perfect time, and here’s why
When the world feels as if it’s at the brink of catastrophe, more people begin to ask the age-old question, “Is art still necessary?”
It’s the same, inevitable question that is posed in Tony Award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut, Tick, Tick… Boom!, the autobiographical musical written by the late Jonathan Larson of the same name. The question of art's importance looms over the shoulder of Jon (played by the amazing Andrew Garfield), which he had to face while struggling to finish Superbia, long before he wrote the iconic rock musical, Rent. All the while, his best friend Michael (Robin de Jesús) and girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp) are paving their own paths to success.
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The ensemble also includes Vanessa Hudgens as Karessa, Joshua Henry as Roger, Michaela Jae as Carolyn, Ben Ross as Freddy, and Bradley Whitford as the great Stephen Sondheim.
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During a roundtable interview with the director, Miranda shared how he wanted to bring more balance to art and necessity in the film. “Michael and Susan weren’t necessarily wrong for the choices they made; the fact that Susan is this accomplished dancer, and she believes she’s a great dancer [but] New York does not define her calling; and Michael choosing to have health insurance, choosing a life where he can feel safe [instead of pursuing acting]—that’s not a wrong choice,” Miranda says. “But it also necessitates talking about Jonathan—how he did what he loved, did it without recognition, [and] did it without payment. [His] journey over the course of this film is to reconnect with that initial impulse. It’s always the impulse I’m trying to get back to as a writer.”