By Eva Trieger in Ramona, California
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, Rent. But before the legendary 1996 debut, this young Jewish suburban New Yorker, had written an autobiographical screenplay entitled Tick Tick….Boom! The story told of the angst and dreams of an artist and the sacrifices he had made while honing his craft.
Exchanging his childhood home of White Plains for SoHo in Lower Manhattan, Larson waited tables while he challenged himself to make it to Broadway before he turned 30. The playwright/musician’s passion for theatre was ignited as a child when he performed in The Wizard of Oz on Cape Cod. This musical theatre adventure and frequent performances continued though high school, with Larson playing Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.
Sadly, living in New York City in the late 1980s, Larson lost many friends to HIV/AIDS, the number one killer of men between ages 25-44 at that time. The epidemic presented another significant challenge to the theatre community. This revealed the ephemeral nature of being alive and underscored Larson’s sense that time was running out. Though he was undiagnosed, perhaps, Larson had a premonition. He died at 35 of an aortic aneurism. This notion of limited time also spoke to the founder of Niche Media, Matt Tierney.
Tierney’s New York-based company was founded when the actor was performing right here at our own Diversionary theatre while he toured as Blanche Devereaux in The Golden Girls. Niche Media focuses on “joy and irreverence” and actively seeks to bring actors to off-Broadway stages. To this end, Tierney cast Maddy Le, Timmy Marston and Kay Saltonstall in their production of Tick, Tick….Boom! Don’t be fooled by the small cast as actors will take on multiple roles.
I caught up with Matt Tierney and Director Cassidy Kaye over Zoom and was able to learn more about their production of Tick, Tick…Boom! The New York cast will be bringing this show to Diversionary for 20 shows beginning September 10th. How’s that for a full circle moment!
The two shared that their mission was to elevate the community surrounding them. They strive to provide Off-Broadway debuts for promising artists. Tierney shared that he has successfully done this for 19 actors!
Curious to know how the duo discovered the play, given that neither of them is yet 30, the director shared that the soundtrack was a favorite Hanukkah present from her parents. She had been listening to the Rent soundtrack since she was 9 years old. Kaye told me that she believes shows like Larson’s “speak to the inner parts of us. This show unites folks and creates a sense of community, in our shared experience.”
Both Tierney and Kaye shared that the message “Don’t throw in the towel!” from the show is meaningful. They shared that their inner voices encourage them to make art for themselves, create one’s own milestones instead of looking to arbitrary yardsticks. They also spoke to the fact that with capitalism’s interference in the arts, opportunities are harder to obtain. Cuts to funding coupled with the rising cost of living have made it challenging for an actor to survive without working multiple jobs.
The director explained that this show is non-linear and the action takes place largely in Jonathan Larson’s head. The character list includes Jon, Michael, his roommate and best friend, and Susan, his girlfriend. Additionally, the actors portray Jon’s agent, his mom and dad, customers in the diner, the bodega guy and more. The depiction of lives of everyday individuals in New York make this show so relatable and authentic.
Tierney is eager to launch young, talented artists who lack the access or financial capacity to pursue their dreams of performing in the arts. The advent of Zoom has enabled some of these individuals to create a space to share and enhance their acting skills and offers them a group setting from which to play off each other’s energy.
Tierney is excited to play the role of Jon, with “two inches less makeup” than when he played Blanche Devereaux! The actor said that his “heart and brain are on the line” in this show and he is eager to bring the production to San Diego audiences at the Diversionary.
During the course of this conversation, I learned that the Diversionary is the third oldest queer theatre in America. This allows all actors to show up as themselves regardless of their sexual orientation, providing every actor a chance to actualize their goals. Niche Media has set up a Go Fund Me page where contributors can make it possible for patrons to get complimentary tickets if needed (@nichemediaproductions.) This illustrates their commitment to making the arts accessible to all.
Tick, Tick….Boom! will run at Diversionary Theatre Sept. 10-27th. Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.diversionary.org/ticktickboom or by phone at 619.220.0097.
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Trieger is a freelance writer specializing in the coverage of the arts.