Tick Tick Boom True Story: The Real Jonathan Larson, Rent & How Much Happened

https://screenrant.com/tick-tick-boom-movie-true-story-jonathan-larson/


Tick Tick Boom True Story: The Real Jonathan Larson, Rent & How Much Happened
Tick, Tick... Boom! is a semi-autobiographical musical based on Jonathan Larson's life, which incorporates his true story and legacy with Rent.
By Jordan Williams

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Jonathan Larson’s True Friendship With Stephen Sondheim

Although it seems incredible that a young artist with Stephen Sondheim routinely reading his work would have trouble getting musicals produced, Tick, Tick… Boom!’s working friendship between Jon and one of the greatest composers of all time is true. When Larson was in college, he came into contact with Sondheim, who famously wrote iconic musicals like West Side Story, Into The Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. After beginning a rapport with his idol, Jon began submitting his work to Sondheim for review, who would often write recommendation letters to producers on Larson’s behalf.

Throughout Tick, Tick... Boom!, Andrew Garfield's character is constantly comparing himself to Sondheim’s timeline of achievements, proving just how much he idolizes the artist. In an important moment, Stephen Sondheim (Bradley Whitford) shows up to see the workshop for Superbia, a show Sondheim really did give Larson notes on. Tick, Tick… Boom! is filled with homages and references to Sondheim, including the song “Sunday” - which features a plethora of iconic Broadway actors in the movie - that Larson composed as a tribute to Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. The end of Tick, Tick...Boom!’s movie also features Jon getting a call from Sondheim, telling him Superbia is first-rate and has a future, just like Jon. Director Lin-Manuel Miranda told The New Yorker that he originally wrote Sondheim’s voicemail to say “I have a feeling you’re going to have a very bright future,” but Sondheim told him it sounded too cliché. In a poetic appreciation of his once mentee and official rewrite, Sondheim decided to change the final voicemail to commending Jon’s play and future as first-rate, with Sondheim even cameoing to voice himself in the scene.

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https://screenrant.com/tick-tick-boom-movie-true-story-jonathan-larson/