Tick, Tick... Boom!

Theatr Clwyd Producation

Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

Theatr Clwyd

June 6-28, 2025, 95 mins

Ryan Owen (centre) with Christina Modestou and Tarek Frimpong in Theatr Clwyd's reopening production, Tick, Tick... Boom!

The clock has been ticking for Theatr Clwyd, approaching its fourth year since starting a major renovation. Obviously the theatre wants to start a new era with a boom: does this aptly-titled musical fit the bill? 

Tick, Tick... Boom! is Kate Wasserberg's first major show since being appointed artistic director, so the stakes are pretty high. Judging by the spontaneous standing ovation at the curtain, it looks like the Mold theatre's wish has been granted - and with a bang.

Tick, Tick… Boom tells the semi-autobiographical story of Jon, an aspiring musical composer - who just happens to be the show's creator, Jonathan Larson (who created Rent, which could be something of a spoiler) - on the threshold of his 30th birthday. He has been working on his musical Superbia for five years and is facing a crisis: for him it's now smash-hit and fame, or selling out and getting a corporate job. His creative flow is continually interrupted by calls on his time from his ballet-dancing girlfriend, Susan, who wants to settle in New England; and his life-long friend Michael, who is supposedly living the dream with a luxury apartment and a brand new BMW. Will he succumb to pressure - or keep his ambition alive?

The musical is short at just over 90 minutes, but is an intense, intimate, high-energy examination of a midlife crisis, interspersed with gentle humour. Ryan Owen holds centre stage as composer John, but there is great chemistry between him and Christina Modestou as Susan and Tarek Frimpong as Michael. Both Modestou and Frimpong play multiple roles and slip from character to character seamlessly. The stand out song in a powerful score is Modestou’s rendition of Come to your Senses. There is effective choreography and the cast is well supported - especially by subtle, multiple scene changes.

The play picks up on a dilemma for many in the entertainment industry: do I settle for a well-rewarded traditional career and domestic security, or do I hold out and wait for the big break in a highly-competitive market? The show also explores the pain we can feel at the passage of time – as Pink Floyd puts it: "one day you find ten years have got behind you, no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun...”

There's a sort of happy ending as John gets his heart's desire - musical success - but loses Susan and Michael along the way.

In some ways the show is an unexpected choice for a first production after a long break. But it fits very well into the reputation the theatre has for high quality, often-unusual productions and certainly leaves us, after a highly-enjoyable evening's entertainment, with plenty of food for thought.

More info and tickets here