PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Theatre Horizon’s production of the rock concert-style musical “Tick, Tick... Boom!” in April is an exercise in autobiography on a couple of levels.
The musical, written by the late Jonathan Larson — who later won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for “Rent” — is about a composer who’s about to turn 30 and struggling to get a show produced.
Robi Hager, who directs and stars in Theatre Horizon’s production, is a lyricist and composer himself. He has performed on Broadway, but he always returns home to Philadelphia, where he says he has found a strong theater community.
“I think there's a sense of community here, that everybody is in on the same plane, that we all collaborate together to make art. And that's been really, really exciting,” Hager said. And he says his aim with this production is to use Larson’s story to pay homage to the people of that community.
“And as many, many, many composers — even here in Philadelphia, that I know, that are friends of mine — that part of what I want to do with this show in this version is to represent them as well — as what it takes for young composers to step away from being a ‘young promising composer’ [to become] a composer that is making a living off of it.”
Hager says the echoes of Philadelphia’s creative community show up in more concrete ways on the stage, as well.
“We decided to add a little bit of that touch in our set — of other composers that have inspired me, and composers who are still on the rise who are friends of mine. We have some of their sheet music put in decoupage, on the wall in the back to be like: We all are, in some way, a version of Jonathan Larson.”
In “Tick, Tick... Boom!” the main character, Jon, sees his friend succeeding at a corporate job and has to decide if he wants to keep struggling and pursuing his art, or turn to something more lucrative but less fulfilling.
“I'm excited to do the show, because I'm kind of hitting that wall a little bit. You know, the arts is the first thing to go when it comes to funding. So that's the thing — like, I love doing this so much. I love performing. I love writing,” Hager says.
“But how much longer do I have it in me when I see other people stepping away from that art form and getting that house, getting that car, getting all these things? Not that it's a material thing that I'm looking for, but it's stability.”
Hager wrote a musical in 2021 called “Little Duende,” which had a reading in New York City but was not picked up by any producers. He’s now working on another musical, “Siluetas,” that will be produced in Philadelphia by Power Street Theatre.
“Tick, Tick... Boom!” is co-directed by Steve Pacek and also stars Angel Sigala and Montgomery County native Elena Camp. It opens April 4 and runs through April 14. Tickets are available on Theatre Horizon’s website.