Theatre review: Tick, Tick... Boom! is fun and relatable to Singaporean audiences

Tick, Tick... Boom!

Sight Lines Entertainment
KC Arts Centre
July 6, 8pm

What does success look like, and does it depend on the age when it is achieved?

American playwright and composer Jonathan Larson (1960-1996) poses this question in his semi-autobiographical rock musical Tick, Tick... Boom!, where he reflects on efforts to establish himself in the New York musical theatre scene.

The musical opens with Jon (Preston Lim) introducing himself to the audience, as though the show was part of a theatre workshop.

The opening number, 30/90, is easily relatable as Jon bemoans his looming 30th birthday, worrying about his lack of achievement while his friends are advancing in their careers.

It hits home for those who feel they have to reach certain milestones early in life. In high-pressure Singapore, where success can feel like a checklist each person is born with, 30/90 feels cathartic, like a verbalisation of words seldom said out loud.

This staging by Sight Lines Entertainment is the first professional production of Tick, Tick... Boom! by a Singaporean theatre company since 2006, when it was performed by Fiction Farm.

The show is Lim’s debut as a theatrical lead. He holds his own among more seasoned co-stars Vanessa Kee and Ryan Ang, who play Jon’s girlfriend Susan and best friend Michael. Chemistry among the trio creates a fun onstage dynamic and a believable friendship between Jonathan and Michael, best highlighted in the song No More.

Though there are moments when the trio are visibly tired, their voices slightly strained in their second performance of the day, they recover easily. Lim even sneaks in tissues to dab away perspiration, choosing moments where he can pass off the act as Jon being nervous or uncertain about his life choices.

Choreographed by Tan Rui Shan, who is now starring as leading lady Oon Ah Chiam in Toy Factory Productions’ 30th anniversary of Titoudao, the cast runs and dances all across the stage. The simple choreography makes full use of the set by Eucien Chia, which serves as a dilapidated apartment, diner, fancy office space and the streets of New York City.

Using small elements, such as a step to create physical and emotional space between the actors, soulless concrete windows that emphasise Jon’s sense of hopelessness and an elevated platform as the building’s rooftop, the show proves that it does not need anything slick to make the stage feel like a range of distinctive spaces.

Ensemble characters played by Beatrice Jaymes Pung and Eric Larrea are fun additions to the typical three-person stagings of the musical.

Pung steals the show with her portrayals of Jon’s agent, Rosa Stevens, and Karessa Johnson, the actress performing in the upcoming workshop of Superbia, the musical Jon is attempting to find a producer for.

Between quick costume changes to play all her ensemble roles, the thick Brooklyn accent she adopts as Rosa and strong vocals that rival Kee on stage, Pung sets herself up to be one to watch in the theatre scene. The show is also her professional theatrical debut.

Come To Your Senses, performed by Kee and Pung, was the clear crowd favourite number. In this production, Karessa opens the emotional ballad and is later joined by Susan, who begs Jon to stop hiding his feelings and open up to her for the sake of their relationship.

Though the musical is less popular than Larson’s best known work Rent (1996), the small cast stages a more intimate performance, with themes around the uncertainties of adulthood that resonate with the audience.

Book it/ Tick, Tick... Boom!

Where: KC Arts Centre, 20 Merbau Road
When: Till July 14; 8pm (Tuesday to Friday), 3 and 8pm (Saturday and Sunday)
Admission: From $50
Info:

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