Jon used to think of himself as a promising composer, but...
"Instead, I've been promising for so long I'm afraid I'm about to break my promise."
That's the paraphrased line of the main character in "Tick, Tick...Boom," a semi-autographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the writer of "Rent." It will be performed this weekend at Harvester 56 Theater in Batavia.
Directors Shellene Bailey and Thorin Vallentin are members of the newly formed local theater group, JNS Productions -- named after the founders: Joel, Shellene, and Nick. They look forward to bringing this lesser known work of Larson's to the local stage.
"The music is very similar (to the music in "Rent")," Vallentin said. "It has some of the same styles, with roots in rock music but including various other styles as well."
"Rent" fans may be interested to know that Larson worked on this play first. When listening to the music, according to Vallentin, they might notice the seeds of a style that will further develop in the tunes of "Rent."
While it is similar to "Rent" stylistically, it has what Vallentin calls a "lighter feel."
"It's not as heavy," he said. "It does deal with emotional issues, but it's not as in-your-face."
The show also doesn't have as much R-rated material as "Rent," although there is some bad language (including the f-word) and a somewhat provocative dance number.
Pictured are Amanda Taylor and Drew Williams, the actors in the roles of Susan (Jon's girlfriend) and Jon, an aspiring Broadway playwright
A little information on the story: Jon is approaching his 30th birthday, and he is having what Williams calls a "pre-midlife crisis."
"His career isn't where he thought it would be by the time he turned 30," Bailey said.
At this pivotal point in his life, Jon has to decide whether he wants to continue to pursue a career in musical theater, which is his true passion, or choose a safer and more realistic path in life, as Susan and Michael, Jon's friend since childhood and an executive in corporate America, advise.
"He doesn't want to give up his dream," Bailey said.
Williams said he sees a couple of similarities between himself and the character he's portraying.
Like Jon, Williams is also about to turn 30.
"Also, he has a real passion for music," he said, "like I do. So I can kind of relate."
"Tick, Tick...Boom!" will have four performances: this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and then a matinée at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
General admission tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.showtix4u.com (through the Batavia Players, Inc). People can also buy tickets at the door.
At this point, there are still tickets available for all four shows. The Harvester 56 theater seats about 110 people.
For more information, e-mail Nick Russo at nickrusso224@gmail.com
