“Tick, Tick...Boom!” opens tonight at The University of Memphis Theatre.
Students run the show, but don’t expect the ordinary because this production is setting milestones regionally and nationally.
“We are the first non-equity group to ever do Tick, Tick...Boom! said director Courtney Cray. “We are also the very first people to ever do it here in Memphis.”
Those working on the show said the experience has been like none other.
“For us to get to do the show is a huge privilege,” said actor Slade Kyle. “I think it’s extremely exhilarating and a huge honor.”
But what makes “Tick, Tick...Boom!” so unique is that it is being produced for charity and to raise awareness of a disease known as Marfan’s Syndrome.
“The disease affects the connective tissues throughout your body, including your heart,” Cray said. “Jonathan Larson, the writer/composer of ‘Rent’ and ‘Tick, Tick...Boom!’ was misdiagnosed twice at hospital emergency rooms.”
Larson died the morning of “Rent’s” opening night off-Broadway.
For this reason, Cray and the rest of the cast and crew of “Tick, Tick...Boom!” hope their production will help raise awareness of this disease.
“I actually had little knowledge of Marfan’s Syndrome,” Kyle said. “I did not know that is what Jonathan Larson had died from. So I’ve learned a whole lot about it through this, which makes the production so much more meaningful.”
Actor Kevin Murphy said he also takes pride in raising awareness for the disease that ended a very promising career for Jonathan Larson.
“It’s a bit overwhelming,” Murphy said. “Jonathan Larson’s music is amazing, the message he gets across is amazing, and his life was cut short before he could get more of his talent out to the world.”
His memory will live on because his work is not being forgotten.
“This show is amazingly powerful when you consider the fact these characters are based on real people, and Jonathan is actually writing about the events that happened in his life,” Kyle said. “We are carrying on the legacy of a man who has already died, and we’re really trying to do justice to this show while raising awareness of the disease.”
“Larson left behind many treasures,” Murphy said. “And we’re just lucky to be doing one of them.”
The show is produced by special permission of the Jonathan Larson estate.
“Tick, Tick...Boom!” runs Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in the Theatre and Communication Building.
Admission to the show is free, but donations are greatly appreciated and 100 percent of the money raised will be donated directly to the National Marfan’s Foundation.
