tick, tick…BOOM! – Theatr Clwyd, Mold

Christina Modestou, Ryan Owen and Tarik Frimpong in tick, tick…BOOM! at Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Picture: Johan Persson

tick, tick…BOOM! continues at Theatr Clwyd, Mold until 28 June 2025.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

The clock has been ticking for Theatr Clwyd, it is approaching four years since the major renovation of the venue started. The powers-that-be would want to start this new era with a boom. Would this production fit the bill?

This is the first major piece Kate Wasserberg has directed at the theatre since her appointment as the new artistic director, so the stakes are high. Judging by the spontaneous standing ovation at the end of this production, it looks like the wish for a big success has been fulfilled.

Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical musical tick, tick…BOOM! tells the story of an aspiring musical composer who is on the threshold of his 30th birthday. He has been working on his musical Superbia for several years and is facing a crisis. Will he succeed in making the show a smash hit or will he give up his dream and settle for domestic security and a corporate job?

Distractions come in the form of his girlfriend, dancer Susan, who wants to settle in New England, and his lifelong friend Michael who is supposedly living the dream with a luxury apartment and a brand new BMW. Will he succumb to this pressure or will he sustain his ambition?

While running at just over 90 minutes, this is an intense musical, an intimate examination of a creative crisis interspersed with some gentle humour. Ryan Owen holds centre stage as the composer Jon, but there is great chemistry between him and Christina Modestou as Susan and Tarik Frimpong as Michael.

Both Modestou and Frimpong play multiple roles and slip from character to character seamlessly. The standout song in a powerful score is Modestou’s rendition of ‘Come to your Senses’. There is some effective choreography (Lucy Cullingford) and the cast is well supported, especially by subtle, multiple scene changes.

The piece picks up on a dilemma for many in the entertainment industry. Do I settle for an established, well-rewarded career and domestic security or do I hold out waiting for the big break in a highly competitive market? It also explores the pain we can feel at the passage of time, illustrated by the words from Pink Floyd:

‘One day you find ten years have got behind you; No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.’

At the conclusion, there is a sort of happy ending. Jon gets his heart’s desire, a musical success, but loses Susan and Michael along the way.

In some ways this musical is an unexpected choice for a first production after a long break. However, it fits very well with the theatre’s reputation for high quality, slightly unusual stagings and certainly leaves you with plenty of food for thought after what is a highly enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

Richard Evans