“Tick, Tick… Boom!” Review: Driven by Fear on Boho Days

《倒數時刻》影評：如果可以選擇，驅動你人生的會是恐懼還是愛？

Three minutes after “Tick Tick BOOM” started, I was blown away by Garfield’s singing of “30/90.” In the background, there was piano playing with allegro, with repetitive chords in the minimalism style, just like the “tick-tock” noise of a clock or a time bomb…

《倒數時刻 》影片開始才三分鐘，我已經被 Garfield 唱的 <30/90> 一曲驚艷，背景傳來越來越急促的鋼琴聲，極簡音樂般的和弦重複出現，有如時鐘或定時炸彈的滴答作響 (Tick Tock)…

Have you watched “Tick, Tick…BOOM!” on Netflix? It’s amusical movie tribute to the late composer Jonathan Larson. So deeply moved by its music, cast, and performance, I must share this movie with you.

The story was based on an autobiography musical, “Tick, Tick…Boom!” written by Jonathan Larson in 1990. Larson is the creator of one of the longest-running Broadway musicals, “Rent.” Tragically, he died of aortic dissection on Jan 25, 1996, the very day of Rent’s opening night, and he was only 35.

The movie was well-liked by critics and was nominated for many awards, among which Spider-Man Andrew Garfield just won “Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy” in the 2022Golden Globe Award. Below, I will break down the elements that made“Tick, Tick…Boom!” such a phenomenal job.

Story: Passion, Persistence, and Driven by Fear

“Tick, Tick…Boom!”was initially called “Boho Days,” as the title of one of its songs, when played at the Second Stage Theater in New York in 1991. Larson renamed the production when moving it to Village Gate a year after. It talked about Jonathan Larson’s own story and was constructed in a solo act.

Despite the advice received post-premiere, Larson insisted on playing the one-person role himself, which was understandable as the story was about Larson’s years of struggle, friendship, love, and fear. He firmly believed that he could bring “rock monologue” and contemporary musicals back to Broadway, at a time when pop musicals like “Cats,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” and “Les Miserables” were the mainstream.

While Larson had always been passionate about his music, he was also constantly driven by fear; fear about the passing of youth, fear for the loss of loved ones, and fear that the world would never get to know his music.

Luckily, Larson had a good mentor that every musician would dream of, that is, the late maestro Stephen Sondheim. The two became friends after Larson wrote Sondheim a fan letter in college.

Sondheim made the below comment on Larson’s work in the following month after Larson’s death:

Larson “attempting to blend contemporary pop music with theater music; he was on his way to finding a real synthesis… A songwriter who works in the theater must have a sense of what is theatrical, of how you use music to tell a story, as opposed to writing a song. Jonathan understood that instinctively.”

An interview article “THEATER; A Composer’s Death Echoes in His Musical”, The New York Times, Feb 1996

To understand how Larson devoted all his life and passion toward the theatre, you can watch the video below where Larson went on fire during a“Tick, Tick…Boom!” performance in 1991. Also, after comparison, you could see how actor Andrew Garfield made such a good imitation of Larson in the film.

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Music: Sophisticated, Heart-melting, andSoul-searching

I am a big fan of musicals, so I seldom miss any musical movie. That’s why I didn’t do any homework before I hit the play button on“Tick, Tick…Boom!” on Netflix.

Just three minutes after the show started, I was already blown away by Garfield’s singing of “30/90.” He played “Larson,” who stepped on the stage and told the audience how anxious he was about his coming 30th birthday. In the background music, there was piano playing with allegro, with repetitive chords in the minimalism style, just like the “tick-tock” noise of a clock or a time bomb. Now we know where the title of the show came from.

Then the claps came in with the unaccompanied “Boho Days,” I felt déjà vu. Were the gypsy beats and lyrics sounded a bit like “Rent?” I asked myself. I decided to pause and check the Wikipedia page. By then, I realized Larson was not only related to “Rent.” He was, in fact, the talented composer that created it all!

In the touching number “Sunday,” the notes were in harmonic and slowly unveiled a busy and colorful Sunday morning. The audience may notice its resemblance to Sondheim’s famous musical “Sunday in the Park with George.” Larson used the song to pay respect to his beloved mentor Sondheim. Let me revisit this song in the later cameo part.

“Come to Your Senses” was a beautiful song sung by Larson’s girlfriend Susan (played by Alexandra Shipp) and joined by the show’s vocalist Karessa (played by Vanessa Hudgens) to form a heart-melting Dear John duo.

Larson’s lyrics amazingly combined theatrical dialogues and a sophisticated vibe. Just like “Rent,” the story of “Tick, Tick…Boom!” was led by is a series of monologues asking what life is about and how we could keep moving despite all the unfairness and disappointment from the god of faith. As someone at a similar age, I can totally relate to his anxiety. 

“Louder Than Words” was a soul-searching piece of such kind. Starting with doubts, we heard Larson and friends trying to find the answer to life, and then they finally decided to let the action speak for itself. The song was so inspiring I could almost see it becoming the theme song of a sports event or a community outreach project.

There was other great music throughout the film, such as the funny “Therapy,” which would make you smile if you were a fan of the puppet song “We Both Reached for the Gun” in the movie “Chicago.” The sad number “Why”dedicated to Larson’s HIV-positive friend Michale was also a tearful performance.

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Team: The Hottest Musical Creator in Town and A Superhero

“Tick, Tick…Boom!” isLin-Manuel Miranda’s first directing attempt. Miranda certainly knows about theatre, as he has already won numerous awards with popular musicals like “In the Heights” and “Hamilton.” Miranda spoke several times of the influence of “Rent” on his musical career when he watched it on his 17th birthday. From the effort and casting put into this production, I could see this film is undoubtedly his passion project.

When I watched “Tick, Tick…Boom!” I could see why the original sponsors had concerns back then. The story was in a “musical in a musical” structure; hence it’s might likely confuse the audience. Moreover, the scripts discussed social issues like homophobia and addiction, which were harder to convert via songs.

Nevertheless, Miranda whipped his theatrical wand and let the magic takes place; a good example would be the song “Swimming,” which I was particularly fond of. Its special effect was absolutely stunning. Interestingly, the crew shot the scene in the very pool that Larson used to visit, and it was a pure accident accordingly to Miranda’s interview.

The former Spiderman actor Andrew Garfield was another surprise of the film. The film company saw Garfield’s remarkable performance in the 2017 National Theatre Live version of “Angels in America” and decided to take him in. 

It was Garfield’s first musical, and yes, he sang all the songs. From every music and conversation, one could see he spent quite some time studying Larson’s body language and habits. He got rid of the Spiderman suit and I think he was certainly qualified for an Oscar (Yes, his acting was THAT good in Tick Tick Boom)!

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Cameo: Meet Everybody Who’s Anybody

The movie was a production of Jonathan Larson and Lin-Manuel Miranda, so you can imagine everybody who’s anybody would want to participate.

For starter, Stephen Sondheim did pull off the voice recording in the film, and it was; therefore, the last performance of his as Sondheim passed away on Nov 26, 2021. I would like to think thatSondheim left knowing the work of his prodigy was successfully introduced to the world in the capable hands ofLin-Manuel Miranda.

The audience would also be amazed when seeing familiar musical stars like Bernadette Peters (the original cast of Sondheim’s famous musicals “Sunday in the Park with George” and “Into the Woods“), Howard McGillin (the longest-running Broadway Phantom in “The Phantom of the Opera”), and Brian Stokes Mitchell (apart from his musical career, you may also find him in many TV series in recent years) in the song “Sunday.” It’s impossible to name all the legendary cast, so I’ll leave you to discover them in the video below. 

What’s more, you may encounter many Hamilton actors and actresses (including Miranda himself), along with quite a few big names in the musical industry. Several aspiring artists sponsored by the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation, Larson’s birth parents, and his creative partners also appeared in the film. 

Do check out all the easter eggs in the great edit below, and see if you can find the magic number 525,600.

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Final Thoughts on Tick Tick Boom

A young and talented soul’s passing always made me feel so sad. I see the power of persistence and passion in Larson’s creation, as well as his fear. He overcame all the obstacles and turned them into beautiful music. 

The musical version of “Tick, Tick…Boom!” was rebooted off-Broadway from 2001, after finally having the green light from Larson’s sister, Julie Larson. It became a cult musical among fans and was thus brought to stages a few times over the years. I generously hope that this musical will become a permanent one following the success of Miranda’s film. 

Larson’s works had inspired so many, me included. “Seasons of Love” was one of the first musical numbers I knew and led me to the love of musicals. Jonathan Larson’s life was short, but the legacy of his will travel far. 

Are you a fan of musicals or Larson’s work? Give me a shout-out below, or drop me an email to tell me all about it! 

Meanwhile, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter so that you won’t miss the latest update. And you can check out my other movie sharing here. 

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你看過 Netflix 的《倒數時刻》嗎？它是一部致敬已故作曲家強納生·拉森 (Jonathan Larson) 的音樂劇電影。看完電影後我深深地被它的音樂、演員，跟表演所感動，決定寫下這篇文章分享我的感動。

電影是根據Jonathan Larson 自己 1990 年上映的同名傳記音樂劇《倒數時刻》(Tick, Tick…Boom!) 故事改編。Larson 同時也是百老匯上映最久的音樂劇之一 《吉屋出租》(Rent) 的創作者。不幸的是，他在 1996 年 1 月 25 日 《吉屋出租》首映這天死於主動脈剝離，當時他才 35 歲。

《倒數時刻》上映後佳評如潮，1/10 剛開獎的 2022 第 79 屆金球獎主演 Andrew Garfield 更獲得「音樂及喜劇類最佳男主角」殊榮。以下我將電影《倒數時刻》的成功要素細分為以下幾點：

故事：熱情、堅持，化恐懼為驅動力

《倒數時刻》音樂劇於 1991 年在紐約 Second Stage Theater 首演時借用了其中一首歌曲標題《波西米亞日》(Boho Days) 為劇名，但隔年在 Village Gate 上演時改名為 <Tick, Tick…Boom!>。劇情本身在述說 Jonathan Larson 自己的故事，並且以單人秀的方式呈現。

當時音樂劇上映後很快累積了一小群粉絲，有業界前輩建議 Larson 增加更多演員，也有投資人提出應該將吃重的單人秀角色交由他人飾演，Larson 自己才可以專心創作；但 Larson 始終堅持要自己扮演這個單人主角的角色。其實倒也不難理解，因為此劇就是他多年來在夢想跟現實間掙扎、在友誼跟愛情中自顧不暇、及對生命的流逝焦急恐懼的集大成創作。儘管當時主流是《貓》、《歌劇魅影》、《悲慘世界》等流行樂音樂劇，Larson 始終相信「搖滾式獨白」和當代音樂劇的風格會重返百老匯。

然而，即便 Larson 對音樂充滿熱情，他仍然常常覺得被恐懼所驅動；他恐懼青春的流逝、害怕心愛的人們離去，也擔心這個世界將永遠沒有機會聽到他的音樂。

幸好 Larson 還有一位每個音樂家夢想中的伯樂，那就是已故音樂大師史蒂芬·桑坦 (Stephen Sondheim)。Larson 在大學時寫了一封粉絲信給 Sondheim，從此奠定了兩人深厚的友誼。

Larson 過世後的隔月，Sondheim 接受了《紐約時報》的採訪，他對前者的作品是這麼評價的：

Larson “attempting to blend contemporary pop music with theater music; he was on his way to finding a real synthesis… A songwriter who works in the theater must have a sense of what is theatrical, of how you use music to tell a story, as opposed to writing a song. Jonathan understood that instinctively.”

(Larson 試圖結合當代流行音樂和劇場音樂，他當時已快要找到一個真正的融合形式… 一個劇場的作曲者必須明白跟寫一首歌曲相比，究竟什麼是劇場音樂，還有如何用音樂說故事，而 Jonathan 天生就能掌握這些要領。)

出自 1996 年２月紐約時報《劇場，一個作曲家的死亡迴盪在他的音樂劇中》(THEATER; A Composer’s Death Echoes in His Musical)

看完以下 Larson 在 1991 年《倒數時刻》音樂劇現場全力演出的影片，你會更能感受 Larson 如何將他的生命和熱情都貢獻給了劇場。而且如果和安德魯·加菲 (Andrew Garfield) 飾演的電影版本做比較，你一定可以看出 Garfield 把 Larson 本人飾演的有多傳神！

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音樂：細膩、探索靈魂、又美得讓人心碎

我是個音樂劇迷，幾乎不放過任何音樂劇電影，所以其實在 Netflix 按下《倒數時刻》的播放鍵前我根本沒做任何功課。

影片開始才三分鐘，我已經被 Garfield 唱的 <30/90> 一曲驚艷，他扮演的 Larson 走上舞台，告訴觀眾即將迎來的 30 歲生日讓他異常焦慮，背景傳來越來越急促的鋼琴聲，極簡音樂般的和弦重複出現，有如時鐘或定時炸彈的滴答作響 (Tick Tock)，也揭曉了劇名的由來。

接著吉普賽般節奏和歌詞的 <波西米亞日>(Boho Days) 搭配無伴奏的拍手聲出現，我突然覺得似曾相似，這個風格怎麼有點像《吉屋出租》？我自問。按下暫停鍵，我決定來查查維基百科，這才赫然發現原來 Larson 不僅是跟《吉屋出租》有關，他就是那位才華洋溢創作這一切的作曲家呀！

至於那首動人的大合唱 <星期天> (Sunday)，描述雖然 Larson 打工的餐廳永遠有著絡繹不絕的客人，但是他用美妙的和聲音符緩緩揭開忙碌又繽紛的星期天早晨，此時討厭的奧客也變得可愛了，此時觀眾不難聯想到著名的Sondheim 音樂劇《星期天與喬治同遊公園》(Sunday in the Park with George)，Larson 用此曲向大師獻上最高的敬意。容我待會在「客串」章節再繼續討論這首歌。

<清醒吧> (Come to Your Senses) 由劇中 Larson 女友 Susan (Alexandra Shipp 飾演) 和劇中劇的女高音 Karessa (Vanessa Hudgens飾演) 合唱，是封令人心碎的分手信。

Larson 的歌詞巧妙地結合了劇場式對話和細膩的氛圍，與《吉屋出租》相似，《倒數時刻》的劇情由一連串的獨白推進，詢問生命的意義，和如何跨過命運之神給的不公和失望繼續前進；相似年紀的我對他的焦慮覺得格外有感觸。

<勝過言語> (Louder Than Words) 正是這樣探索靈魂的一首曲子。開頭主角們緩緩道出人生的總總疑問，我們聽到 Larson 和朋友試著找出生命的答案，最後他們決定讓行動為自己發聲。這首歌相當激勵人心，我完全可以想像它被拿來當某個體育或社區推廣活動的主題曲。

片中還有許多厲害的曲子，如逗趣的歌曲<心理諮商> (Therapy)，如果你喜歡電影《芝加哥》(Chicago) 裡面的木偶戲 <我們都拿起了槍> (We Both Reached for the Gun) 一定覺得會心一笑；另外，Larson獻給不幸確診為愛滋病朋友 Michael 的歌曲<為什麼> (Why) 更是賺人熱淚。

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團隊：最炙手可熱的音樂劇創作者和一個超級英雄

《倒數時刻》是林-曼努爾·米蘭達 (Lin-Manuel Miranda) 第一次執導演筒的電影。Miranda 當然對劇場不陌生，他曾因膾炙人口的音樂劇如去年剛被搬上大螢幕的《紐約高地》(In the Heights) 和曾受美國前總統歐巴馬之邀到白宮演出的《漢彌頓》(Hamilton) 多次得獎。Miranda 不只一次提到在自己 17 歲生日時存了好久的錢看了《吉屋出租》，自此啟發了他對音樂劇的熱情，可想而知這部作品對他意義重大！

觀賞《倒數時刻》時，我其實可以理解當年投資人為什麼會有顧慮；故事採「音樂劇中的音樂劇」的架構進行，可想而知觀眾容易感到混淆。台詞討論了同志恐懼及藥物成癮等社會議題，也很難透過歌曲表達。

然而，Miranda 仍揮動他擅長的劇場魔杖，將本劇改編為一般觀眾也能輕易投入其中的音樂故事，嚴肅的議題巧妙地以特效跟場景切換重新包裝，化為一首首扣人心弦的音樂 MV。

其中我很喜歡的 <游泳> (Swimming) 一曲裡特效的運用就是一例；題外話，此曲的拍攝場地很巧地就是當年 Larson 常去的泳池 (根據Miranda 的採訪這完全是個意外)。

而前任蛛蛛人 Andrew Garfield 又是本片另一個驚喜。電影公司因為 Garfield 2017 年挑大樑演出英國國家劇院現場（National Theatre Live）製作、探討人性和社會寫實的劇場版《天使在美國》(Angels in America) ，表現不俗，指定要他出演主角。

本片是 Garfield 第一部音樂劇，別懷疑，裡面的歌真的是他本人唱的。從每段音樂和對話中都可以看出他花了相當多時間研究 Larson 的肢體語言和習慣。在我看來他的表現完全跳脫了蜘蛛人的印象，值得拿下一座奧斯卡小金人 (對，他在這部片的演技就是這麼讓人驚艷)！

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客串：眾星雲集的 Tick Tick Boom

《倒數時刻》是 Jonathan Larson 和 Lin-Manuel Miranda 的製作，想當然耳每個人都想參與其中。

首先，片中 Stephen Sondheim 的錄音留言真的是由本人現聲；而因爲 Sondheim 於 2021 年 11 月 26 日過世了，本片也成為他的最後演出。我相信 Sondheim 走之前應該是放心的，因為得意門徒的作品已交由厲害的音樂人 (Lin-Manuel Miranda) 呈現在世人面前。

在<星期天> (Sunday) 一曲中觀眾可能會驚喜地發現很多熟面孔，如 Bernadette Peters (Sondheim 知名音樂劇《星期天與喬治同遊公園》(Sunday in the Park with George) 和《魔法黑森林》(Into the Woods) 的原始班底)、Howard McGillin (《歌劇魅影》中在百老匯演出最久的魅影演員)、Brian Stokes Mitchell (除了音樂劇事業，近年來他也常有電視節目的露出) 等音樂劇巨星。 受限篇幅無法一一介紹這些傳奇人物，你可以透過下方影片測試自己的音樂劇知識，看看你認識哪幾位明星。

此外，在片中你可能會看到幾位《漢彌頓》的演員 (連導演 Miranda 自己都客串了一角)，不少音樂劇界的大咖也沒缺席。《倒數時刻》的客串名單還包括一些來自 Jonathan Larson 表演藝術基金會 (Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation)前途大好的藝術家、Larson 的父母，還有他過去的創作夥伴。

以下影片貼心地列出了本片各式各樣的彩蛋，看看你能不能找出神奇數字 525,600 在哪兒。

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寫在最後

有才華的年輕人殞落總是令人無比惋惜，我在 Larson 的作品裡看到堅持和熱情，還有他的恐懼；但他仍然克服一切阻礙並把它們都譜成美麗的音樂。

2001 年 Larson 的姐妹 Julia Larson 終於同意讓音樂劇版本的《倒數時刻》在外百老匯重啟，該劇變成粉絲口耳相傳的聖典，近年來也屢次被搬上舞台。我真心希望這部音樂劇能因為 Miranda 版本的電影加持，未來有機會成為劇場的常駐表演。

Larson 的創作激勵了很多人，我也不例外，<愛的季節> (Seasons of Love) 是我最早認識的幾首音樂劇歌曲之一，也讓我從此愛上了音樂劇。Jonathan Larson 的生命雖然短暫，但他留下來的東西將能走得很遠很遠。

每個人的人生驅動力都不同，有人選擇了愛，有人選擇被恐懼鞭策，那麼你呢？你要如何為生命發聲？

你是音樂劇粉絲或也喜歡 Larson 的作品嗎？歡迎在下方留言或透過 email 跟我分享。

若想收到本站 Second Star To The Right 的最新文章可以訂閱我的電子報；你也可以在這裡閱讀我的其他電影分享。

最後，如果喜歡我的文章，歡迎透過以下綠界或讚賞公民 Liker 的連結支持我後續的寫作計畫，也讓這個網站能以無廣告的方式走得更遠，謝謝。

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