As
Homer Simpson once said, “Trying is the first step towards failure… the lesson
is, never try.” As a flawless human being, I am not personally familiar with
the concept of failing, but everyone else in the world would do well to not
heed this fatherly bit of advice. I am told that a much healthier way of
looking at things was expressed by Thomas Edison when he insisted that he
“[had] not failed [to make the lightbulb]. [He] had just found 10,000 ways that
won’t work.” Broadway legend Jonathan Larson did not have to write 10,000
musicals before figuring things out, but he did need at least one failure
before he hit the big time. That failure and the story behind it is explored
in tick, tick… BOOM!, a Netflix adaptation of the off-Broadway show
of the same name that beautifully celebrates the creative process, art, and the
people who make it.
The
structure of tick, tick… BOOM! was a bit confusing to me at
first. Originally a stage show, BOOM! is about the failure
of another stage show entitled Superbia. This is the
film adaptation of BOOM! that includes bits as they would have
been seen on stage in the original production (ie. with a three-person cast,
band, and no sets to speak of), but the majority of the film dramatizes the
story as what you as an audience member of the play are supposed to be
imagining while watching the actual minimalistic show. That’s how I as a
Broadway neophyte interpreted things, anyway.
While
initially puzzled, I really grew to appreciate the creativity and authenticity
of this approach over time. Those two adjectives are perfect descriptors of the
entire experience, in fact. You would never guess that this was Lin-Manuel
Miranda’s first time directing a feature film if you didn’t know that fact
going in, as he seems to fit as naturally behind a camera as he does composing
behind a piano. Buoying Miranda’s freshman outing is a screenplay that cleverly
adapts the small and personal play in a way that actually works on screen and
still manages to convey the intimacy of the original venue, as well as Andrew
Garfield’s stunning performance as Jonathan Larson himself. Who knew that guy
could sing? I didn’t.
Nowhere
is the creativity of tick, tick… BOOM! more apparent than in
the musical numbers, however. For those who don’t know (I didn’t), Jonathan
Larson would later go on to write the smash-hit Rent and get
that one string of numbers stuck in everybody’s heads for all of eternity, and
a song or two in BOOM! might have the same result on audiences
as well (there are also some “talky” songs that basically amount to people
randomly moving their voices up and down while talking, however, which I must
admit I am not a fan of). The music, choreography, and camera work of the diner
number makes that scene a particular stand out, and if you don’t have the time
(or patience) to watch the entire movie you should at least look up that bit on
YouTube (the cameos in this scene alone are enough to thrill committed theater
goers).
If
failure is an excellent teacher, then the people behind tick, tick…
BOOM! probably didn’t learn much. But that’s what happens when you
successfully create the lightbulb on your first try.
Tick,
tick… BOOM! is now available on Netflix.
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