Black Box Players bring Jonathan Larson’s anxieties to life in tick, tick… BOOM!

In the intimate confines of the Sutton Pavilion at the Syracuse Stage, director Matthew Dodaro and the cast of tick, tick… BOOM! delivered a stunning performance with immense talent and a faithful adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s off-Broadway smash hit.

The venue buzzed with anticipation as audience members filed into the intimate space. Conversations hushed as the lights dimmed. The crowd was dressed nicely yet not too formal. A perfect crowd for the intimate performance about to be given. The production ran on Nov. 20 in the Sutton Theater at the Syracuse Stage.

Black Box Players’ production of tick, tick… BOOM! opened under the direction of Matthew Dodaro and the Associate Director, Aliana Aspesi. With just two shows and a crowd of about 60 audience members for each show, the cast and crew were tasked with bringing one of theater’s most intimate and emotionally intense works to life.

tick, tick… BOOM! is a story about Jonathan Larson’s life as a struggling musician and composer wrestling with the question: “What does it take to wake up a generation?” The 95-minute musical follows Jonathan in the days leading up to his 30th birthday as he grapples with the struggles of being a dreamer in an industry that constantly crushes the dreams of those who stand out. The irony of this production is that it would only be a short time after writing tick, tick… BOOM! that Larson would write the most important musical in the past 30 years: Rent. Larson would unfortunately pass away before he could see the success of Rent, placing a level of heaviness around every production of both Rent and tick, tick… BOOM!

Dodaro and his cast handled this heaviness tremendously. Every musical number was articulated with a level of sorrow and joy that rivaled even the Netflix film adaptation. The audience was captivated by every number and joke, as the talent from the seven cast members (and Dodaro on the piano) held everyone in awe.

Reed Grayner as Jonathan was easily the standout performer. The sophomore musical theater major from Parker, Colorado completely captured the audience with every note and line that he lent to the role of Jonathan. Grayner somehow captured Jon’s level of anxiety through his singing and posture in each of his performances. From the opening number of “30/90,”  it was clear that Grayner would deliver a remarkable performance. There were many moments in which Reed proved on par (if not better than) the performance that Andrew Garfield gave in Netflix’s adaptation of the musical. His friendship with Michael (Robbie Moseley) provided the production with an enormity of heart and sincerity. Their chemistry made their characters’ decades-long friendship feel authentic, particularly in quiet moments where a shared glance said more than words.

Emily Koubeck as Susan and Robbie Moseley as Michael were also astounding in their roles. Koubeck, a sophomore musical theater major from New Jersey, commanded the stage with a quiet intensity, perfectly capturing Susan’s love and frustration for Jon. Her performance in “Therapy” was wildly impressive, as there was not a single moment where Koubeck seemed uncomfortable in singing a song that is remarkably difficult to perform. Moseley, a sophomore musical theater major, worked admirably as the contrast to Jon’s character as someone who chose the safer path in life. The audience had their full, glossy-eyed attention on Moseley when he performed “Real Life.”

The three main characters were supported by Mary Potter, Caroline Nuzzo, Samuel Reinhard, and Grant LaMartina. Potter captivated the audience as Karissa, where she received the loudest support after her performance of “Come To Your Senses.”  Potter’s rendition of ‘Come To Your Senses’ was hauntingly gorgeous. Her voice built from a whisper to a powerful belt that seemed to shake the small venue. Reinhard arguably brought the most laughs as he made the most of every line and moment he was given.

Larson wrote tick, tick…BOOM! wondering if anyone would ever see his work. Thanks to this brilliant cast and Matthew Dodaro’s assured direction, his earliest fears and hopes are still resonating decades later.