Video: Take a Peek at TICK, TICK…BOOM! Rehearsal

Manila, Philippines--Professional theater newcomer Khalil Ramos (Jon) embraces the stage, along with more seasoned stage actors Reb Atadero (Michael) and Tanya Manalang (Susan), as he rehearses the blocking of “Sunday” from Jonathan Larson-penned musical “tick, tick…BOOM!” for the first time.

9 Works Theatrical, which premiered its production of “tick,tick...BOOM!” in the latter part of 2016, brings back Larson’s other known work, besides the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Rent,” as the company’s first post-pandemic offering. 

“We wanted to start small again,” said Santi Santamaria, managing director and executive producer.

“The shows we did before the pandemic were big, such as ‘Eto Na! Musikal nAPO,’ ‘Himala,’ and Disney’s ‘Newsies.’ And during the pandemic, we were out of the game for more than two years, and we didn’t want to risk it as well. We wanted to shake off the rust.

“Medyo nabitin din kami when we did ‘tick, tick…BOOM! several years ago. And when Netflix’s adaptation of the musical was released, more and more people became interested in it, too.”

A semi-autobiographical musical, “tick, tick…BOOM!” tells the story of Jon, an aspiring Broadway composer questioning his life and career choices on the eve of his 30th birthday. Jon’s girlfriend, Susan, wants to settle and move out of the big city. Jon’s best friend, Michael, enjoys a flourishing career in advertising.  While Jon still juggles waiting tables at the Moondance Diner in SoHo with the workshop production of his science fiction musical “Superbia,” which remains an unproduced musical in real life.

Some of the more popular show tunes from “tick, tick…BOOM!” are “30/90,” “No More,” “Come to Your Senses,” “Louder than Words,” and “Sunday.”

“Sunday,” in particular, is based  on the Act 1 finale of Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Sunday in the Park with George.” Sondheim was one of Larson’s staunch supporters and mentor.

9 Works Theatrical’s revisiting of “tick, tick…BOOM!” is directed by Robbie Guevara, with musical direction by Daniel Bartolome and production design by Mio Infante.

Musical theater performers Jef Flores (Jon), Vien King (Michael), and Kayla Rivera (Susan) are also part of the cast.

Video: Gilbert Kim Sancha