tick, tick... BOOM!

After short stays in Melbourne and Brisbane, this cheapo production of a very interesting ‘lost musical’ comes to Sydney’s Lyric Theatre for one week only. Its creator-writer, Jonathan Larson, famously died the day before his big-deal show Rent opened Off-Broadway in 1996. This is his only previous work to receive a production.

Originally designed as an autobiographical ‘rock monologue’, it was written to be performed by just Larson and a small rock band. Here there are 5 actors and 5 musicians, though a great part of the show relies on the man playing Larson, actor-singer Hugh Sheridan.

It’s to the credit of Sheridan that such a small musical makes a mark in this very big theatre, and the roars of applause at the end are largely due to him. His portrayal of a man under pressure of growing older (he’s coming up to 30), living and working in grim conditions while dreaming of hitting the big time is inspirational.

And when, near the end, we hear the actual voice of Larson’s friend and mentor Stephen Sondheim calling on him for resilience and courage we know the musical has really hit home.

Directed by Tyran Parke, the show covers its ‘rock monologue’ tracks pretty well. Apart from Sheridan, Elenoa Rokobaro plays dissatisfied girlfriend Susan with plenty of spark, and Finn Alexander is Michael, long-term friend of the composer. Michael has given up any show-biz thoughts and now drives swish cars, though the last-minute news of his approaching doom is a trifle unexpected.

The setting, by Christina Smith, looks plonked uneasily on the Lyric stage and would be better suited elsewhere, on a rock or pop stage perhaps. Featuring two slabs of brick wall and not much else, it doesn’t much help to ground the action.

However, Hugh Sheridan rises to the occasion considerably, knocking out the myriad of people who say ‘no!’, forever boosting the weak cries of ‘yes, yes, yes!’

Frank Hatherley

Photographer: Jeff Busby