Feature: Tick,Tick… the Legacy of Jonathan Larson
Playground Festival, Kent
An intimate first glimpse at The Jonathan Larson Project reveals a cast and creative team alive with affection, responsibility and excitement
Every musical theatre fan has a Jonathan Larson story. Whether it be finding Rent at a crucial time of your life, being introduced to his work by a teacher, or singing “Seasons of Love” with no clue as to where it came from, Larson’s small body of released work has been a staple for many. Now, The Jonathan Larson Project presents to the public some of Larson’s unreleased songs, and Everything Theatre had the privilege of listening to some of them at the press launch event.
The event, held at Alford House, was a small and intimate affair. The space itself had very few props, starring a piano at the centre which everyone surrounded. It was, funnily enough, reminiscent of the Superbia workshop scene in the movie Tick, Tick… Boom!. The stars of the show – Max Harwood, Marcus Collins, Natalie Kassanga, Michael Mather, Imelda Warren-Green, Georgie Butler and Edward Flynn Haddon – gave the audience a glimpse into the show through three songs – “Green Street”, “Valentine’s Day”, and “One of These Days” – which are so reminiscent of Larson’s other work that it is impossible to deny the authorship.
This show is best described as a musical revue, says director John Simpkins. After going through all of Larson’s unreleased work and notes, including every single draft of Superbia, the task of choosing which songs to include and in what order was a true challenge. Once the creative team found the emotional throughline that connected all the different themes and moments, The Jonathan Larson Project, as it stands today, came to be. Bringing it to the UK was a simpler matter, according to producer Thomas Hopkins. After watching it Off-Broadway, he knew that he had to bring it to London, and he knew that the Southwark Playhouse was the stage for it. The stage at Southwark Playhouse has been reimagined as a space for creatives to share with one another and with the audience. There was a real energy and passion moving this project forward. Everyone wanted to be a part of it.
When speaking one-on-one with the cast, their passion is palpable. They all speak openly about their experiences with Larson’s work, their love and admiration for it, and about the privilege of being the ones bringing for the first time songs like “Love Heals”, “Find the Key”, “SOS”, and “Pura Vida” to the UK. Most talk of this experience as an honour: one laced with freedom, says Kassanga; a magical one, says Mathers; a lucky one, say Butler and Haddon, who are making their professional debuts with this production; and a bittersweet one, says Harwood. There is also a sense of deep responsibility. Collins remarked on the feeling of wanting to do right by not only Jonathan Larson, but also Julie Larson, the composer’s sister, who is involved in the making of this show. The whole cast agreed on one thing: they want to connect with the audience, to interact with it, and together discover and embrace Larson’s ideas and message. As Warren-Green put it, Larson wrote ahead of his time, so the songs that make up this show are as relevant today as they were to him when he wrote them over thirty years ago.
Jonathan Larson, in 1994, said he wanted to “with integrity and class, fulfil [his] artistic talents.” He made it, and he revolutionised musical theatre in the process. Now, his legacy lives on in The Jonathan Larson Project, which has added an extra preview matinee on Saturday, July 11th. This cast and crew are becoming part of Jonathan Larson’s legacy, and they are excited to share it.
The Jonathan Larson Project runs at The Southwark Playhouse, Borough from July 9 to August 22.
