It was a privilege to be among some of the first visitors to attend a production at the newly refurbished Theatr Clwyd. Having been lucky enough to attend a tour during its reconstruction it is wonderful to see the (almost) completed work in all its glory. With substantial backing from the Welsh Government, Arts Council of Wales and Flintshire County Council and under the leadership of Executive Director Liam Evans-Ford and newly appointed Artistic Director Kate Wasserberg, the theatre is working with acclaimed architects Haworth Tompkins to complete the redevelopment.
The largest ever private gift to an arts institution in Wales came from The Moondance Foundation with a gift of £1.5m, hence the newly refurbished auditorium (formerly the Anthony Hopkins Theatre) being named the Moondance Theatre. And so, is it purely coincidence that the first production to grace the stage following the theatre’s reopening is Tick, Tick…BOOM!? A semi-autobiographical piece written by RENT writer Jonathan Larson and featuring the diner he worked at whilst attempting to carve out a living as a composer in 1990s New York. The name of that diner? The Moondance!
Tick, Tick…BOOM! follows Jon, a struggling composer in New York City, approaching his 30th birthday. He’s anxiously waiting for his ‘big break’ while wrestling with doubts about his career in musical theatre. As the clock ticks, Jon navigates pressure from his girlfriend Susan, who wants to move out of the city and start a family, and his best friend Michael, who’s abandoned acting for a lucrative corporate job in marketing. The story explores many themes which are also recurrent throughout Larson’s groundbreaking musical RENT– mortality (including the AIDS crisis prominent in New York in the 90s), artistic expression, love and relationships. We are also consistently reminded of RENT throughout Tick, Tick…BOOM!’s music- weaved into harmonies, recognisable chords and comparable melodies, all these a poignant reflection on Larson’s own life and aspirations. Tragically, Larson passed away from an aortic aneurysm on January 25, 1996, at the age of 35, just hours before the first public preview performance of RENT.
The UK premiere of Tick, Tick…BOOM! took place at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London in 2005, featuring Neil Patrick Harris as Jon, and has since only been performed a handful of times in this country. However, the musical was brought to the public’s attention again in 2021 in a film directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and starring Andrew Garfield as Jon.
This production is placed in the hands of three performers, who not only play the main roles but also a plethora of minor roles throughout the show. Ryan Owen, Christina Modestou and Tarik Frimpong do this with equal amounts of talent, professionalism and ease that we feel completely relaxed in their presence for the duration. We hear three voices, but it sounds like thirty, we know Modestou is not only Susan but also Jon’s agent, Rosa (whom Friends fans cannot fail to compare to Joey’s hilariously memorable agent Estelle!), and yet we see two completely different people.
Having seen Owen in the comedy role of Glennie the Goose in Theatr Clwyd’s rock ‘n’ roll panto Mother Goose at Christmas, it is hard to believe this is the same guy! The role is worlds away from the amusing antics of a farmyard animal and demands guts, passion, incredibly strong vocals and the command to carry the piece. Owen did this with great aplomb, particularly during the almost five-minute long Why, a composition which journeys through all seasons of emotions! Christina Modestou shines as Susan. We empathise with her plight for a more peaceful, stable life and although willing her relationship with Jon to work out, we can’t help but understand the decisions she makes. Ironically, Modestou’s stand-out moment comes, not as Susan, but as Karessa, a performer taking part in Jon’s workshops for a musical he’s been working on called Superbia. During a public performance of these workshops, we hear Come to your Senses, a stunning ballad performed beautifully by Modestou, demanding an audience ovation! Similarly, the role of Michael is wonderfully portrayed by Tarik Frimpong with just the right amount of strength and fragility. There are so many wonderful moments between these characters- most notably Jon and Michael’s rocky duet No More in which they dream of the life with ‘no more faulty wiring, no more leaky ceilings and no more taking a shower in the kitchen’! and the ‘phone call fight’ (Therapy), a humorous take on a nonsensical argument between Jon and Sue (beginning with the lyrics ‘I feel bad, that you feel bad, about me feeling bad, about you feeling bad, about what I said, about what you said’…we can all relate!) The choreography for this is inspired- utilising telephone wires as props which eventually end up tangled as the argument escalates- a perfect reflection on the tangles we often find ourselves in at various stages in our relationships!
There are several clever set and design elements which stand out- the brilliant use of the revolving stage, symbolising the ‘treadmill of life’ which these characters find themselves on, as well as its practical use, for example to show physical journeys and to remove stage props and set. I love the use of the umbrellas during Sunday, during which Jon satirises brunch at the diner taking inspiration from one of his favourite musicals Sunday in the Park with George written by his idol Stephen Sondheim. And the way in which this scene transitions into a scene set in a car is pure genius (I won’t give the secret away!)
The costumes are perfect for the era, even the diner uniforms are wonderfully replicated, and the show is not afraid to be ‘a show’, using the crew in their Tick, Tick…BOOM! polos to move set and props when necessary. And I always enjoy being able to see the band- this time positioned above the action and even taking part in various scenes with blasts of dialogue!
Tick, Tick…BOOM! is the perfect piece to christen the reopening of this wonderful theatre. With a small yet stellar cast, themes of creation, performance and new beginnings and plenty of passion and emotion, I could not fault this production and am thrilled to have been privy to its beginnings as well as that of this new chapter for Theatr Clwyd.
Theatr Clwyd, Mold
Tuesday 10th– Saturday 28th June, 2025
Cast
- Jon – Ryan Owen
- Susan – Christina Modestou
- Michael – Tarik Frimpong
Creative Team
- Writer – Jonathan Larson (Book, Music & Lyrics)
- Director – Kate Wasserberg
- Musical Supervisor and Musical Director – Bob Broad
- Assistant Director– Dena Davies
- Casting Director– Polly Jerrold
- Voice and Dialect Coach– Aundrea Fudge
- Lighting Designer – Katy Morison
- Costume and Set Designer – Amy Jane Cook
- Choreographer – Lucy Cullingford
- Sound Designer – Andrew Johnson
- Wellbeing Facilitator– Hester Evans
- Producer– Wes Bennett-Pearce
- Company Stage Manager– Elizabeth O’Sullivan
- Deputy Stage Manager– Edward Salt
- Assistant Stage Manager– Emma Hardwick
- Drums– Richard Burden
- Guitar– Maria Rocha
- Bass– Olly Buxton
Running time: Approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes (no interval)