By Megan Ma
 Joyce Goldschmid/special to the Town Crier Bus Barn Stage Company’s “Tick, Tick … Boom!” features, from left, Victor Ballesteros, Darrin Glesser and Afton Bolz. |
When any of Jonathan Larson’s extraordinary and vastly underrated musicals - other than “Rent” - come to town, it’s almost surely worth more than the ticket value. There’s also the privilege of telling friends that you’ve actually seen a Larson piece other than that now canonized tale of 20-something artists struggling in early 1990s New York.
In “Tick, Tick … Boom!” the Bus Barn Stage Company cast delivers a touching homage to the late artist’s autobiographical work and, despite some rough direction, blasts onstage with passionate yet unusually sophisticated performances.
Darrin Glesser, an enormously talented performer, stars as the composer himself, scrounging by day in a greasy diner to make ends meet while he pursues his dream of producing his work on Broadway. Glesser writes in the Playbill that “playing the role of one of his idols is an unbelievable honor.” That sentiment translates clearly onstage, and Glesser’s raw and energetic portrayal is confident without being brash - and his strikingly boyish looks lend him an affable almost trustworthy charm.
Larson’s presence and musical talent are felt so prodigiously in this show that the tiny theater seems barely to contain the exuberant quality of such numbers as “Johnny Can’t Decide” - Larson’s dynamic lament to choosing a role in life - deciding whether to keep writing or settle for a desk job.
Jonathan’s dancer girlfriend Susan, played by Afton Bolz with angular movie-star looks and charisma, pulls off a nearly flawless performance, utilizing her soaring soprano voice and sense of comedic timing.
In one particularly hilarious piece, Jonathan and Susan, on the phone across town, attempt to address their couple issues, stumbling and plodding along with repetitious words that ring so familiar to anyone who’s tried to express their feelings to the object of their affection while hiding their true self. With a phone in one hand, the two literally dance, reveal and prance around each other only to feel defeated and exhausted after the conversation is over.
It’s these pieces, keen story-telling windows of music that set Larson apart from his contemporaries as a composer. The work breathes by itself with soaring melody and subdued revelations that ring true. As well as combining jazz and the more familiar musical-type interludes, “Tick” pulses and bounces at a rock-tempo, with a rogue rhythm that feels entirely Larson’s own.
Victor Ballesteros does a superb job as Jonathan’s longtime friend, a former actor and artist who turns corporate. Like any good friend, he encourages Jonathan to follow his dreams but also offers him a chance to flex his creative gifts as a marketing director. The relationship feels convincing and Ballesteros and Glesser emanate that best-friend chemistry surprisingly well.
There are a few rough points in direction and choreography, namely during the staid scene when Bolz portrays an actress in Jonathan’s musical “Superbia.”
A production like this, especially in a community theater space, rarely is so compelling. Thank the cast and musical direction, though it’s impossible to ignore Larson’s seismic talents and endearing personality, which enliven most all of his work.
“Tick, Tick … Boom!” runs through Sept. 30 at the Bus Barn Theater, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. today and Sept. 27; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 7 p.m. Sunday. For tickets ($24-$30), call 941-0551 or visit www.busbarn.org.
