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where faith and film are intertwined

Broadway

tick, tick… BOOM!: Larson’s Love Letter to Life

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Time is always ticking away… but how we make use of it determines our impact on the world.

Set in 1990, tick, tick… BOOM! tells the story of Broadway legend Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield). Well before he created Rent, Larson was doing his best to stay afloat financially by waiting tables at the Moondance Diner while he works on his upcoming play, Superbia. Having poured his heart and soul into the piece for over eight years, Larson believes that this is finally going to be his big break. However, when his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Ship) reveals that she has been offered a job in the Berkshires and wants him to join her, he is faced with a difficult decision. While he could follow the love of his life and get a ‘real job’, doing so would require him to essentially give up his dreams. However, if he continues to follow his passion, he would also lose the woman he cares about so deeply.

Directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, tick, tick… BOOM! is a love letter to musical theatre and one of its legends in Jonathan Larson. Using Larson’s play of the same name as its base structure, tick, tick… BOOM! feels as much like a live performance as it does a dramatic representation of a young man’s life. While this year has seen many musicals disappoint this year (with possibly Miranda’s In the Heights as the exception to the rule), tick, tick is an absolute joy from start to finish. Featuring Larson’s incredible Broadway sensibilities in its music, it’s rather refreshing to have a musical offered by Miranda where he didn’t write the songs himself. While his style is generally stunning and incredibly unique, let’s not forget that there have already been three (!) films this year alone featuring his work on the soundtrack. With tick, tick, Miranda is allowed to relax and pour his energy into directing the cast and musical numbers. Underrated for his role as a director, Miranda makes almost every musical number pop with love and affection. Whether it’s Garfield dancing in his kitchen to turning their lowly diner into a Broadway stage, there is a joy embedded within this film which keeps it moving, even in its slower moments.

Having said this, particular attention must be given to Garfield himself. The former Spider-Man (but he’s totally in No Way Home, right?) is often forgotten for his incredible talent as an actor and 2021 has once again shown his range. As controversial figure Jim Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Garfield fused his charm with a certain unease that never allowed you to fully trust him. Here though, he bursts on the screen with an infectious energy that we haven’t seen from him in ages. Although the musical numbers offer a certain sense of hyper-reality, Garfield still feels present and focused in each scene as Larson. As such, while the music and production design are impressive, it’s Garfield that ultimately sells the film simply out of his own sheer enthusiasm.

On the surface, tick, tick seems to be about the urgency of time. As his 30th birthday approaches, Larson agonizes about all the things in his life that he has yet to accomplish. Holding Sondheim’s career up as the gold standard, he remains frustrated by the fact that he has yet to leave his mark on Broadway. To him, the 30th year is almost too late to be seen as one of the voices who have changed the face of theatre and he wants to make an impact.

However, as the film unfolds, Larson begins to recognize that the most important legacy that he can leave lies in the hearts of those he cares about. Although he remains committed to his work, the lives of those around him matter more. Real-life pain such as cancer, HIV, crushing debt and more are changing the world of his dearest of friends who love him yet he cannot separate himself from the obsession of success. While the film doesn’t fully judge him for this decision (after all, we know how Larson’s story ends), so too does it remind us that the soul of our relationships far outweighs the sum of our creative output. In this way, while the time may be ticking away on our lives, the true legacy we leave stems from the people that we invest in along the way.

With pop and fervor, tick, tick… BOOM! may highlight the life of a man who rocked Broadway like few others had before him. However, the story stems far more personally. This is a film which connects Larson’s incredible creative output to his ability to find his soul in the love of others. While time may be marching forward, tick, tick shows that the greatest threat to our lives is not whether we see our name in lights. Instead, the greatest losses are the missed opportunities with those we care about.

tick, tick… BOOM! is now playing on Netflix.

Come From Away: Love is Always Welcome

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Set immediately after the events of September 11th, 2001, Come From Away tells the story of 7 000 people who were stranded in the remote town of Gander, Newfoundland after 300 planes were grounded after the terrorist attacks. Lost and scared, these involuntary visitors found themselves strangers in an unknown land. Thankfully, the people of Newfoundland embraced those who had ‘come from away’, welcoming them into their community and providing food, shelter and compassion as they waded through the tragedy of 9/11 together.

After the success of last year’s stage recording of Hamilton on Disney+, the Tony Award winning Come From Away opts to make use of the same format, this time on Apple TV+. Performed onstage in the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York City, Away wants to make you feel as though you’re sitting in the seats on Broadway taking in the show first hand. Shot (mostly) from a view that encapsulates the entire stage, director Christopher Ashley maintains the distance between performer and audience that gives it an authentic feel. While one does somewha wish that a proper cinematic adaptation had been offered, there’s simply something magical about this live performance with a cast of 12 (!) that makes it essential viewing. (Although, it is also worth noting that a film version was in the works until the pandemic derailed the plans.)

Of course, adding to the effectiveness of the piece is that fact that we have hit the 20th anniversary of 9/11 itself. With the performance taking place in New York, there’s simply something special about this one. Filmed in front of an audience of 9/11 survivors and frontline workers, Away carries even greater weight as it becomes instantly personal for its audience. Every musical number, every joke and every poignant moment lands with emotion from a crowd that connects with the material for their own experiences and memories. They may not be onstage but, to this audience, this is their story too.

But isn’t that part of the power of 9/11? In a lot of ways, it’s all of our story.

Like the writers of Come From Away, I may be from Canada. (Just outside Toronto, to be more specific.) And the play takes place in Newfoundland. Even so, 9/11 remains the event that shook the world and re-telling the story from an outside perspective serves as a reminder of how thing changed that day. This is a story that affected everyone and Come From Away recognizes the impact on us all. 

Filled with real stories and characters, the play has always shown the power that real people had on one another in a time of crisis. (Adding to the realism is the fact that Away shows the actors with their real-life counterparts over the credits.) By focusing on the diverse stories of these people who were thrown together, Away gives power and voice to everyone, regardless of race, language, faith or sexuality. (This becomes particularly visible during the play’s stirring and surprisingly inclusive performance of ‘Make Me a Channel of Your Peace’.) Despite the differences between them, all of these travellers were thrown together at the hands of one of the darkest moments in recent history.

Which makes the impact of their hosts even more staggering.

Though the world was in shock, the people of Gander offered grace and shelter to those who were suffering. Despite being far away from their families, these visitors found a home. The actions of the people from this small corner of Canada are the very definition of divine hospitality: no matter who their visitors were or what their stories were, they were going to be safe there. 

Everyone was going to be welcome at their table.

While Come From Away doesn’t ignore the travesty that 9/11 had on the families of those who were stuck in Gander, it does show how hospitality and love can shine a light of hope on others. While their care for others may not have changed what happened, the power of love is that it helped change the way that these broken people could deal with what happened. Suddenly, fear and suspicion were transformed into peace and protection. Yes, the world was changed. Yes, lives were decimated. But, in the midst of that trauma, unconditional love broke through to bring comfort in the most difficult of circumstances.

Fueled by joy and compassion, Come From Away is energetic, entertaining and an absolute joy to behold. Though the cast only consists of 12 people, they manage to share the stories and experiences of many who suffered during those tumultuous days post-9/11. What’s most powerful about the piece though is the fact that it also serves as a reminder that love is always welcome.

To hear our conversation with director Christopher Ashley and writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein, click here.

To hear our conversation with the cast of Come From Away, click here.

Come From Away is available on Apple TV+ on Friday, September 10th, 2021.