The Toronto Theatre Review: Bowtie Productions’ tick, tick…BOOM! at Alumnae Theatre

By Ross

“The sound you are hearing is not a technical problem. It is not a musical cue. It is not a joke. It is the sound of one man’s mounting anxiety. I… am that man… Hi.” Those initial words, spoken from the doorway, work their magic, pulling us into Bowtie Productions‘ passionately engaging and musically inspiring tick, tick…BOOM! The excitement in the room is obvious, but I’m guessing this has little to do with the show itself and everything to do with the legacy of the composer. With the book, music, and lyrics all by the legendary Jonathan Larson, the tale of how this semi-autobiographical musical came to be hangs in the air for all to feel, if they are aware. Written before his most famous musical, Rent, transformed the theatrical world, the pseudo-prequel, tick, tick…BOOM! carries an emotional memory pulse that’s impossible to hear without registering how the full story ends. Or rather, how Larson’s own story ends, on the eve of that Broadway breakthrough.

Inside Bowtie‘s new staging at Alumnae Theatre, the players, all three, seem to completely understand the relevance and the history, delivering deeply connected performances that feel at once joyful, heartfelt, but also lovingly haunted by what’s to come. The audience, too, seems to feel that ghost in the room, igniting heartfelt laughter and applause to erupt, edged with a strange and happy tenderness, as though we’re all complicit in carrying Larson’s unfinished heartbeat forward. Directed with a solid sensitivity by Meredith Shedden (Bowtie’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch), the show boldly bursts forward with energy and compassion, grounded in music that refuses to stand still, and connected to its origins and Larson’s love for Stephen Sondheim.

Just like Sondheim’s epic musical Company (one of many Sunday nods to the famous composer), at the centre of this unpacking is Jon, a musical theatre writer, who is hearing the anxiety tick counting down to a milestone birthday, which carries as much booming dread as it did for Sondheim’s Bobby. Portrayed by Joshua Kilimnik (Bowtie’s Falsettos), who gives a near-perfect performance as the restless composer on the brink of the dreaded thirty, he finds his way, carefully but also with energy to spare, balancing the neurotic humour of artistic desperation with genuine emotional truth. His powerful and emotional voice carries both the bite of irony and the ache of sincerity. You believe him when he panics about his future, when he doubts the point of his art, like Sondheim’s George in Sunday in the Park…, and when he sings of love and loss with open-chested honesty, we believe his Jon is deeply human, more grounded than manic, more yearning than self-pitying, and that grounding makes his final emotional breakthrough feel fully earned and stirring. What Bowtie’s production captures so beautifully is that tick of his, that pulse of creation that’s equal parts excitement and fear, the heartbeat of someone who intuitively knows art is a race against time and yourself.

But the true standout is Diana Del Rosario (NoString’s Spring Awakening) as Susan, who nearly steals the show from its central core. Her vocals are nothing short of astonishing; warm, powerful, and laced with emotional precision, and she commands the stage with a presence that’s both fierce, loyal, and tender. Whether shining bright in “Come to Your Senses” or inhabiting Susan’s quieter doubts, Del Rosario brings a luminous confidence and vibrancy to every beat. Misha Sharivker (SGC’s Ride the Cyclone) as Michael, provides a compassionate, subtle counterweight. His acting brims with compassion and care, even if his vocals lack the full dynamic strength of his co-stars. His portrayal of friendship and fragility lands beautifully, reminding us that tick, tick…BOOM! is ultimately about connection and the fragile scaffolding that holds it together.

Shedden’s direction is brisk and emotionally charged, using Quỳnh Diep’s simple yet evocative scenic design and Niall Durcan’s nimble lighting to keep the focus on character and song. Michael Ippolito’s musical direction ensures that the rock score hums with vitality, creating an intimate concert atmosphere without losing theatrical shape. It’s a staging that never overcomplicates, trusting Larson’s score and the performers’ chemistry to carry the narrative, and they do, superbly.

What makes Bowtie’s tick, tick…BOOM! so effective is how it bridges time. We can’t unknow Larson’s story: his death, Rent, and the cultural revolution that followed. That knowledge turns tick, tick…BOOM! into something larger than itself, gifting us with a love letter written by a man who never got to see the world fall in love with his work. We feel his character’s anxieties not as melodrama but as prophecy, infusing his songs about creative purpose with the urgency of someone racing against a clock he didn’t know was actually ticking in the way that it was. Perhaps this is why his musical, for all its small-scale charm, lands so engagingly and emotionally profound (but I’m also curious if it does to those uninitiated). Bowtie’s cast and team capture the sound of a young artist’s heart just before it bursts into legend, and they make it beat, beautifully, once again.