Thu 3/12 & Fri 3/13 @ 7:30PM
Oberlin College and Conservatory’s new Music Theater program which just started this fall is really finding its momentum, which involves finding orc creating as many performing opportunities for its talented students as possible. They have opportunities to take part in fully produced shows such as the recent Spring Awakening at the Beck Center, as well as somewhat less formal productions such as the one they’ll be doing this week at the Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse Hales Annex in Oberlin.
The play they’ll be tackling is the 2001 musical Tick, Tick …Boom, with book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. It has a sad backstory. Larson began working in 1990 on the autobiographical piece about the struggles of an aspiring musical theater composer agonizing over whether he would ever find success. But Larson passed away in 1996 at the age of 35. It was revised by David Auburn (author of Proof) for its 2001 off-Broadway premiere. Even sadder, Larson followed it up by writing Rent, but he died the day before its first preview performance and didn’t live to see it become a smash hit.
Professors from the program serve in production-related roles with Lauren Marousek handling direction and choreographer and Matthew Dolan the sound director. Even the program’s director Victoria Bussert pitches in as costume designer. But on stage it’s all the talented students.
The performances are free and no ticket is required. Run time is 90 minutes with no intermission.