When to quit? When to keep fighting? Luc Clopton shines as Jon, the struggling artist pursuing a career in musical theatre in Jonathan Larson‘s Tick, Tick… BOOM!
Director H. Adam Harris has a script and three actors to create a full production. Throughout the play, he demonstrates a special talent to make his actors radiate the excitement of big dreams and the unnerving desperation of unrealized success. The three actors show their mastery in singing, dancing, and acting, delivering a dazzling performance to remember.
Clopton digs deep into Jon’s insecurities, making the audience feel the anguish of a latent failure that would shatter his dreams into pieces. As music and singing are instruments to express and amplify the hopes and insecurities of the human race, Clopton hits all the notes to display the conflicting emotions inside an artist who feels his success so close, but so far at the same time. As for Lena Ceja as Susan and Mario Houle as Michael, their performances exhibit the richness of Larson’s skills to elevate the main character, giving him the encouragement and the challenges needed to develop the drama and get the audience emotionally invested. Ceja is exceptionally lively, adding dynamism to her character. An actress ready to take a protagonist role on stage.
Harris succeeds in building the crescendo to reach the pivotal scenes where Susan tells Jon she’s leaving and Michael reveals he’s dying. Those circumstances push Jon to the limit and forces him to make a decision. This is a master class on getting the audience drawn into the story and invested in the characters. By the time Jon sings “Why”, the audience is already fully immersed in Jon’s struggles, rooting for him. A consolidation of the great work of writer, director, and actor.
Much of the success of this production is the direction. Harris connects all the elements to create a seamless flow, giving the three characters the necessary richness to form a solid case to make them interesting and likable.
The play is moving for a variety of reasons. The story travels. People feel easily identified with the characters. Jon is happy pursuing his dreams, but the elusive success keeps haunting him so much that he’s on the brink of giving up. Susan is a supporting girlfriend, but she’s also getting older and wants to settle down. Although Michael gives up his acting dreams, he is a great friend to Jon, always there for him to help him and encourage him to keep fighting. But as it happens often, life can be a cruel irony. Theatre reflecting life.
Although the themes of fighting for a dream and losing someone dear make this story highly relatable, it’s Harris’ direction what ensures that the artistic elements are finely calibrated to capture the emotions, anxieties, and hopes of the characters, mirroring the captivating integration of song and story as written so effectively in Larson’s poignant script. This production is another example of the Chance Theater’s commitment to bring meaningful and exceptional stories to the stage.
Tick, Tick… BOOM!
CHANCE THEATER
Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Cripe Stage
5522 E La Palma Ave
Anaheim, CA 92807
Opening Night: Saturday, February 1 at 8 p.m.
Performances: January 24 – February 23, 2025
Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. & Sundays at 3 p.m.
Tickets: chancetheater.com
Book, Music & Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Script Consultation by David Auburn
Vocal Arrangements and Orchestrations by Stephen Oremus
Direction by H. Adam Harris, with music direction by Lex Leigh and choreography by Niko
Montelibano
Executive Producers are Susan Bowman & Freddie Greenfield and Steven & Louise Koch
Cast: Luc Clopton as Jon. Lena Ceja as Susan. Mario Houle as Michael.
Creative team: Scenic Designers Fred Kinney and Mio Okada. Costume Designer Bruce Goodrich. Lighting Designer Jacqueline Malenke. Sound Designer Hunter Moody. Stage Manager Jordan Jones. Dramaturg and Assistant Director Jane Broderson. Sound Engineer James Markoski. Assistant Director Aaron Lipp. Intimacy Coordinator Shinshin Yuder Tsai.
