Tick, Tick… Boom! A Successful Performance
Nora Peñuela ‘29
On Saturday, Sept. 21, the Musical Theatre Ensemble (MTE) unveiled their production of Tick, Tick… Boom! The Concert, in the Batesment—a clever combination of words that signifies the small, narrow room below Bates Dining Hall.
Tick, Tick… Boom! is an autobiographical movie musical by Johnathon Larson, who wrote the hit show Rent. According to the digital playbook for this performance, Tick, Tick… Boom! “is the story of a composer and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in theatre.”
Cast member Elliot Goodall said that the MTE had begun meeting on Sept. 9, which meant the ensemble had only two weeks of rehearsals. During the first week, they went through music and blocking, which is the process of positioning the actors on stage throughout the scenes of the performance. The second week was used for runthroughs and last minute fixes.
As audience members stepped into the room, they saw lifted platforms on the sides with chairs on them. Between each platform were more chairs and lights for the performance. The platforms on the sides of the room created a catwalk-like floor space in the middle of the room, where members of the MTE sat in anticipation for the performance to begin. Toward the back of the room was a set up for the live band, consisting of a drum set, a keyboard, a bassist, electric guitarist, an acoustic guitar and a few microphones.
Director Mariana Toro-Rivera began the show with a land acknowledgement, a request to admin for more support of indigenous students, and a crew acknowledgement. The actual performance began when Sorin Villanueva’28, who played main character Johnathon Larson, stepped out onto the stage, binder in hand. The tick, tick, boom sound effects by the lead guitarist echoed throughout the space. Throughout the concert, actors and actresses went up with the band and sang while playing instruments: Lily Goldsmith’29, who played Michael, playing electric guitar, Villanueva’28 playing piano while singing most of the musical numbers and Anabel Richardson’27, who played Susan, playing acoustic guitar. Despite only a two week rehearsal period, all songs were beautifully harmonized and had well coordinated choreography. What gave this performance a more personal and intimate atmosphere is the way that ensemble members were positioned, facing the audience members on either side of the room. This resulted in a good amount of eye contact between audience and ensemble members. One could feel the connection between them and their love for the art of performance.
Many first years have been waiting to experience something truly Sarah Lawrence and this performance was it! Even with less than ideal circumstances, students united with a shared passion and goal, working hard to put together a beautiful performance. This ensemble was full of great actors, singers and artists. Overall, this show was full of stars. Congratulations and bravo to the cast and crew of the Musical Theatre Ensemble, you all did incredible and this reporter cannot wait to see more of you all.