American Theater Group to Present TICK, TICK...BOOM!, 1/28-2/8

American Theater Group, New Jersey's newest professional theater company in residence at Hamilton Stage at Union County Performing Arts Center (360 Hamilton Street, Rahway), will present Jonathan Larson's rock musical tick, tick... BOOM!. The production will run January 28 through February 8 (Opening Night: Saturday, January 31 at 8PM). Directed by Igor Goldin, with music direction by Vince Di Mura, the cast will feature Nicholas Park, Shannon O'Boyle, and Michael Luwoye. Before he wrote the Broadway blockbuster RENT, Jonathan Larson had another story to tell...his own.

tick, tick... BOOM! opens on a Saturday night in 1990. Jon is about to turn 30, his show Superbia will have its first public performance--a workshop--in a few days, and he's worried that he may have made a wrong career choice. We meet his girlfriend, Susan, and his best friend, Michael, who reveals that he is HIV-positive, Jon thinks about their lifetime of friendship; about what led him to choose a career in the theater, and about whether he should give up his dreams of success as a composer. Finally, as his 30th birthday actually arrives, he ponders the choices we face in life, and thinks about how we translate those decisions into everyday living. Containing the kind of powerhouse musical numbers that helped make RENT a smash hit, tick, tick... BOOM! is an endearing, engaging look at persevering to make your dreams a reality.

Nicholas Park who has been seen in the off-Broadway productions of Bedbugs!!!, Mr. Irresistible, and Dear Edwina will play the role of Jon. His regional credits include All Shook Up, Altar Boyz, Fiddler on the Roof (Virginia Repertory Theatre), James and the Giant Peach (Goodspeed Musicals), RENT as well as productions at Walnut Street Theatre and Theatre of Stars.

Shannon O'Boyle, who plays Susan, recently made her Broadway debut as standby for Girl in Once. Regional favorites include the title role of the new rock musical Lizzie (Playhouse Square), and Legally Blonde. Other New York credits: The Story of Jo-Beth, The Circus in Winter (National Alliance for Musical Theatre), plus productions at Great Lakes Theatre and Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

Michael Luwoye, who plays the best friend, has numerous stage credits including Empty House (NYC Fringe Festival); Fable (New York Music Festival); Witness Uganda (ART); The Three Musketeers, Once on This Island, Hairspray, Guys and Dolls (Flat Rock Playhouse); Hair, Big River, Show Boat, City of Angels, Chicago, Othello, Saint Joan, Moby Dick, Side Man (The University of Alabama).

Director Igor Goldin is known primarily for developing and directing new plays and musicals for the stage. Most notably the regional and Off-Broadway productions of the WWII musical YANK! (Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Director of a Musical). Mr. Goldin has developed and directed a total of 11 new musicals for the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) including; The Gig, Crossing Swords (NYMF Award for Excellence In Direction), Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (NYMF Award for Excellence in Direction), Swing State, The Tenth Floor (Talkin' Broadway Outstanding New Summer Musical), Unlock'd (Best In Fest Award) and co-created/directed the all dance musical Common Grounds (NYMF Award for Excellence In Direction).

Music Director Vince Di Mura serves as the Resident Composer and Musical Director for Princeton University's Lewis Center of the Arts, where his collaborations are entirely dance based. He has performed in concert halls and arts centers throughout North America. He has built a tremendous reputation as an arranger of jazz based theatre revues. Best known for his work on the Sinatra tribute, My Way which has had over 500 productions worldwide to date. Though his recording output is based in Jazz and Blues, he is a commissioned composer of experimental and theatrical music as well.

Performances are 8pm Thursday through Saturday., with 3pm matinees on Sunday, February 12 and February 19, with added performances on Wednesday, January 8 at 8pm and Sunday, February 19 at 7pm.

Tickets are $35, with $20 student and senior tickets with valid ID. Groups of 10 or more receive 10% off. For tickets, visit www.americantheatergroup.org; call (732) 499-8226; or in person at the Union County Performing Arts Center box office located at 1601 Irving Street. Hamilton Stage is convenient by car or public transit with plenty of FREE on-site well-lit parking spaces!

tick, tick...BOOM! is sponsored in part by the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, and is presented through special arrangements with Music Theatre International.

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