The year 2021 reminded everyone of the emotional impact Andrew Garfield is capable of inflicting upon any project he takes part in. Shortly before his surprise return inSpider-Man: No Way Home, Garfield demonstrated a different set of skills in theNetflixproduction,Tick, Tick…Boom!, which has been performed in various theatres around the world as early as the 90s.
Lin-Manuel Miranda directed theNetflixproduction ofTick, Tick…Boom!, a semi-auto-biographic tale of Jonathan Larson. Larson is perhaps most commonly known for the hit Broadway musical,Rent, which has earned a Pulitzer Prize, a Drama Desk Award, and numerous Tony Awards. Larson himself performedTick, Tick…Boom!prior to his death in 1996as a solo piece. It was reconstructed by David Auburn thereafter, makingTick, Tick…Boom!into a three-actor show. Auburn’s adaptation has been performed Off-Broadway dating back to 2001.
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In the Netflix production ofTick, Tick…Boom!,Garfield plays Larson. The narrative follows Larson across the start of his struggling career as an aspiring musical composer in SoHo, New York.Tick, Tick…Boom!begins shortly before Larson’s 30 birthdaywhere he is hauntedby what little success he has to show for years of hard work. The story alters between Larson’s performance ofTick, Tick…Boom!at a New York Theatre Workshop in 1992 and the events highlighted withinTick, Tick…Boom!as pivotal moments of Larson’s life in 1990. Garfield portrays Larson through the entirety of the film and demonstrates the musical capabilities that very few fans of Garfield’s Spider-Man would’ve known him to have.
In 2012, Garfieldmade his Broadway debutas Biff Loman in the production of Arthur Miller’sDeath of a Salesman. Shortly after the conclusion of his 2018 tour as Prior Walter inAngels in America, he signed on to work with Miranda andTick, Tick…Boom!In the musical, Garfield lends his voice to over half ofTick, Tick…Boom!‘smusical numbers, including the emotional “Why” number performed after he learns his best friend is HIV-Positive. This revelation inTick, Tick…Boom!, various posters for HIV awareness, as well as another one of Larson’s friends who is shown to deal with his own diagnosis throughout the film, lends itself to the end result ofRent, which deals with HIV.
Larson’s story is filled with ups and downs, as are the characters around him. Michael and Susan arethe main supporting charactersinTick, Tick…Boom!, though there are others. Michael and Susan are both based on real people from Larson’s life. Susan is played by Alexandra Shipp inTick, Tick…Boom!and is inspired by Janet Charleston, Larson’s partner. Michael is based on Larson’s real-life friend, Matt O’Grady, who is played by Robin de Jesús inTick, Tick…Boom!Other actors that appear in the Netflix film include Joshua Henry, Vanessa Hudgens, and Bradley Whitford. Whitford portrays renowned musical composer Stephen Sondheim, who mentored Larson throughout his career. Bits of this relationship is shown throughoutTick, Tick…Boom!, though nowhere near the capacity that was said to be the true nature of their relationship.
As the lead, Garfield does have to dig deepto portray the emotional journeyof Larson. He struggles with making difficult life-altering decisions of whether to abandon the dream he has worked toward as a musical composer or to submit his talents to the grip of a stuffy corporate job with little to no creative escape. On top of this, he must also navigate how he will incorporate Susan and her dreams as a dancer and instructor into his vision. While these life-changing issues lend themselves well to a narrative plot, the truth that lies within them is a factual reality that many creatives experience. Garfieldmanages to find the thin linebetween portraying Larson’s own dilemmas while remaining ambiguous enough for other creatives to put themselves in the shoes of this semi-auto-biographical character.
Even thoughTick, Tick…Boom!was released on Netflix in late November, the powerful performance given by Garfield and the cast has not gone unnoticed. It was one of the American Film Institute’s Top 10 Movies of the Year and has been nominated for 2 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, countless Satellite and Hollywood Critics Association Awards, among many others. Atthe 2022 Golden Globe Awards,Tick, Tick…Boom!received a nomination for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, but lost the award to Steven Spielberg’sWest Side Story. Garfield himself did take home the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy forTick, Tick…Boom!
Those unfamiliar with Garfield’s theatre history will find themselves the most floored by his performance inTick, Tick…Boom!However, even those that are largely familiar with Garfield only through his role of Spider-Man inThe Amazing Spider-Manseries can find elements of his theatrical presence within those films. Garfield’s body language is a huge piece ofhis performance as Spider-Man and Peter Parker, using it to help portray the mood of the moment. This fact lent itself well to the reveal of Garfield inNo Way Home, as some recognized Garifield’s emotive body right off the bat. Given that the Golden Globes noticed the powerful performance Garfield delivered inTick, Tick…Boom!and that the film has already begun to be recognized as one of the better films of 2021, the Academy Awards would make a mistake in not recognizing what the film and Garfield have delivered.
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