Baldwin Wallace University and Playhouse Square Join Forces to present TICK, TICK…BOOM

For their 11th annual collaboration, Playhouse Square and Baldwin Wallace University will join to present tick, tick... BOOM! in Playhouse Square's Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre. Performances will be held Friday, April 27, through Sunday, April 29. All tickets are $25 and are available by calling 216-241-6000 or by visiting playhousesquare.org.

This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of RENT, tells the story of an aspiring composer named Jon, and the sacrifices made to achieve his big break. His girlfriend wants to marry and move out of the city, his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue and, yet, Jon is still waiting tables and trying to write the great American musical.

Set in 1990, this compelling story of personal discovery is presented as a rock musical filled with instantly appealing melodies and a unique blend of musical theatre styles. Audiences have raved about this youthful, endearing and thoughtful piece, embracing the universal ideal of holding onto your dreams through life's most difficult challenges.

tick, tick...BOOM! marks the eleventh consecutive collaboration between Playhouse Square and Baldwin Wallace University's renowned music theatre and arts management and entrepreneurship programs. This production features a talented double cast of BW music theatre majors including Alec Irion and Charlie Ray as Jonathan, Addie Morales and Nadina Hassan as Susan, and Matthew Harris and Tré Frazier as Michael. Through this collaboration, BW senior arts management and entrepreneurship students have the unique opportunity to produce the show under the guidance of Playhouse Square staff.

Victoria Bussert, director of tick, tick... BOOM! and BW's music theatre program, has spearheaded the Playhouse Square Partnership, directing six regional premieres and receiving national attention for academic premieres of Broadway productions. On tick, tick... BOOM! Bussert said she feels that it comes at the perfect time, explaining, "Everybody knows and loves RENT, and so we [used this opportunity to] tell Jonathan Larson's story. His story reminds us of why we do this and why we're passionate...Especially with the current administration, it's to remind us to stay passionate through challenging times. Art can't be derailed." Bussert went on to express, "What makes [our production] so special is that there are two very different casts telling their own interpretations of the show. It's about the humanity; it's not about doing something right, it's about being true to yourself."

tick, tick... BOOM! is the winner of the 2002 Outer Critics Circle Awards' Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical and was nominated in the same year for four Drama Desk Awards and Outstanding Musical for the Lucille Lortel Awards. tick, tick... BOOM! features Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson and Book by Jonathan Larson and David Auburn.

tick, tick... BOOM! is on stage at Playhouse Square's Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre Friday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 28, at 5:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 29, at 7:00p.m. For tickets, call 216-241-6000 or visit www.playhousesquare.org.