Sarasota Players stages early Jonathan Larson musical “Tick, Tick... Boom’

Jonathan Larson never had a chance to fully appreciate the impact his musical theater creations would have on the world. He died in 1996, just hours before the first off-Broadway preview of “Rent,” which would go on to become a ground-breaking Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning hit that changed the course of musical theater.

Years earlier, as an artist struggling to survive and have his work heard, he created the semi-autobiographical “Tick, Tick … Boom,” about an aspiring composer in New York questioning if he made the wrong decisions in his life. He wrote it as a solo piece that was first seen in 1990, but after Larson’s death, it was revised by playwright David Auburn. He turned it into a three-actor show that had its off-Broadway premiere in 2001.

That musical now comes to the Sarasota Players, where director Sunny Smith said it speaks to all people in any profession questioning their decisions.

“It’s funny. On the outside it seems kind of standard. What do I do with my life? But all of us who have gone past that age of 30 have had moments where we are at a crossroads and have to decide, do I pursue something that society says I should or do I go toward what my heart wants and what sparks my life.”

Alexander Zickafoose plays Jon, who made the decision to stick with his art, while Brian Craft plays his best friend Michael, who gave up acting to go into the corporate world where he found the kind of success he hadn’t as a performer. Daly Santana plays Jon’s dancer girlfriend, Susan, who spends more time teaching than performing herself. She wants to leave New York, prompting Jon to begin questioning his choices.

Because there won’t be a live band and the show requires some musicians, Smith also has cast Katie Priest and Samuel Echevarria, who serve as both understudies and background ensemble members.

The musical has popped up at theaters around the country and will be given a starry production in late January at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Arts Newsletter: Sign up to receive the latest news on the Sarasota area arts scene every Monday

A litmus test for actors: The joy and challenge of performing theater for young audiences

In 2021, a film version of the musical had its debut on Netflix starring Andrew Garfield, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his role as Jon. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who had starred in an earlier New York City Center production of the musical, directed the film, which made it a bit more about Larson’s actual life.

“The movie goes more into things about Jonathan’s life,” said Smith, who is working Heather Weiskerger as choreographer. “In the original, when it was a one-man show, Jon spent a lot of time at the piano and it’s a lot of monologuing and playing songs.” Auburn turned the monologues into scenes while keeping the basic story and score.

“It still revolves around the pressure Jon feels to be young and to be successful and struggle between a traditional, 9-to-5 life, and having a family and being a creative and not just hoping to survive,” she said.

‘Tick, Tick… Boom’

By Jonathan Larson. Directed by Sunny Smith. Runs Jan. 10-28 at the Sarasota Players, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Suite 1130. Tickets are $30, $13 for students and $28 for Jan. 10 preview. 941-365-2494; theplayers.org

Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com. And please support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Players explores life choices in musical ‘Tick, Tick... Boom’