GALLERY: "Tick, Tick...Boom!" at DPHS

The Dr. Phillips High School Theatre Magnet opened its season with “Tick, Tick…Boom!” Thursday, Sept. 24.

“Tick, Tick…Boom!” is an autobiographical play written by Jonathan Larson, who wrote the musical “Rent” but died at age 35—the morning before the first public performance of “Rent.”

In “Tick, Tick…Boom!,” the protagonist, Jon, a starving artist living in New York, is trying to come to terms with the fact that he has reached his 30th birthday and his performing arts career still hasn’t taken off. His roommate, Michael, and girlfriend Susan, encourage him to find work in a different field, but he refuses to sell out.

The play was written for just three actors, but DPHS’ adaptation also included two swing actors. It was performed at the school’s Studio Theatre, a black-box venue that can be reconfigured to accommodate many performance styles.

Additional performances of “Tick, Tick…Boom!” will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27.