tick,tick... Boom!

Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut is sure to please theater fans both young and old.

After taking over Broadway with the Tony winning hits “In The Heights” and “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda has set his sites not only on becoming a movie star but a filmmaker of his own right. It’s interesting that Miranda chose not to make his directorial debut with this year’s “In The Heights” but instead with a musical not based on one of his works: Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical off-Broadway show “tick, tick… Boom!”. With former Spider-Man Andrew Garfield in the lead role as well as countless cameos from Broadway legends, Miranda’s directorial debut is clearly not messing around.

“tick, tick… Boom!” centers around Jonathan Larson (Garfield), a 29-year-old New Yorker and aspiring playwright whose passion-project Superbia is on the cusp of breaking big, well at least Larson thinks it is. His determination and commitment to his lifelong dream has caused his relationship with his supportive girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp) to sour and has strained his friendship with his former roommate and friend since childhood Michael (Robin de Jesus).

Over the course of the film Larson undergoes a life crisis as he approaches his 30th Birthday. Ignoring electric bills, slacking on his job at the Moondance diner, and suffering from a severe case of writer’s block. As the workshop performance of Superbia approaches, the ticking in Jonathan’s brain starts to grow louder and louder.

“tick, tick… Boom!” is not your traditional musical, while it’s still has those classic musical numbers and a theatrical quality to it. Its blend of realism with extravagance makes it unique. Unlike recent movie musicals such as “Dear Evan Hansen” (which was also written by Steven Levensen) the musical moments never feel jarring nor do they ever feel like overkill. They’re blended in just the right amount and it always suits the narrative perfectly. One stylish moment in particular has Miranda turning the film into a 90s hip hop music video.

Garfield gives an outstanding performance as Jonathan Larson, ranking with some of his best work. Garfield never feels like he’s playing a caricature, but instead is completely transformed. He shows that not only does he having the acting chops but he also has the singing chords to pull off the beloved playwright. He plays Larson with an awkward charm, that perfectly captures the spirit of the film.

Shipp is quite strong in her role as Susan, and while we’ve seen her with supporting turns in plenty of films beforehand, this is the first time we get to see her truly shine as an actress. De Jesus is outstanding as Michael in one of the film’s most heartbreaking roles, his chemistry with Garfield feels natural and their bond feels raw.

The biggest detriment going against “tick, tick… Boom!” is that it may not appeal to non-Broadway fans. There are countless cameos from Broadway stars from past and present and some of the film definitely relies on the audience’s presumed knowledge of Larson and his impact on Broadway.

With all that being said “tick, tick… Boom!” is excellent. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but from Miranda’s stylish direction and Garfield’s outstanding performance. This is one Broadway fans won’t want to miss.