Portland observer., September 07, 2022, Page 7, Image 7

September 07, 2022
Page 7
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
New Members
Join Oregon Arts
Commission
Founder and CEO of The Black Whole, Kamilah Long
tick, tick ... BOOM! at
Portland Center Stage
Opinionated
Judge
by
Darleen
Ortega
Portland Center Stage has
opened its season with a superb
main stage production of the mu-
sical, “tick, tick . . . BOOM!” Al-
lowing for the fact that Lin-Man-
uel Miranda played the lead in a
2014 revival of the show that also
featured Leslie Odom, Jr. (which
must have been something), I
wonder if this might be the defini-
tive production.
I say that as someone not espe-
cially in the thrall of the show’s
creator, Jonathan Larson, who fa-
mously and tragically died imme-
diately before the first production
of his smash hit, “Rent,” for which
he later posthumously won the Pu-
litzer Prize for Drama and a Tony
Award for Best Musical. I have
experienced Larson’s work as a
cultural phenomenon which cap-
tured a generation’s experience of
struggle and loss but which had
some maturing to do, thwarted by
his untimely death.
“tick, tick . . . BOOM!” is an
earlier work than “Rent,” devised
as a one-man show starring Lar-
son himself and depicting his
own youthful struggle as an as-
piring artist who wanted to write
the next great musical before his
impending 30th birthday. After
Larson’s death, playwright David
Auburn restructured the show as a
three-person musical, necessarily
a more modest show than “Rent,”
and sometimes called a prequel to
that iconic show.
But even with that somewhat
self-indulgent set-up, this produc-
tion doesn’t feel self-indulgent.
In fact, more than any production
of Larson’s work that I’ve seen,
the cast and creators of Portland
Center Stage’s production man-
age to hold the time and place of
the show (and of Larson himself)
more vividly, inspiring warmth
and sympathy and even reflection.
A bit surprisingly, it’s a revelation.
Perhaps the most obvious rea-
son is its terrific cast. Jesse Weil,
who happens to bear a striking
resemblance to Larson, soars as
Jon. His vocal range is rich and
vibrant, a joy to listen to, and he
invests each movement with in-
tention that moves you to invest
in his youthful dreams. Impor-
tantly, he is a wonderful scene
partner to the other members of
the cast, both Black Portland ac-
tors brimming with charisma and
range. Tyler Andrew Jones is riv-
eting as Jon’s best friend Michael,
along with a range of other roles;
he bristles with energy and com-
mands attention without hogging
it. And Lauren Steele, likewise, is
brilliant as Jon’s girlfriend Susan,
along with a range of other roles;
her vocal range is so dramatic that
by the time she gets to her solo
as Karessa in Jon’s production of
his new show and implores you to
“Come to Your Senses,” it sounds
like you are listening to a differ-
ent person than you have been lis-
tening to for an hour. Jones and
Steele turn themselves into a larg-
er cast, catching your breath with
each transformation.
The three cast members togeth-
er are a marvel, making the most
Continued on Page 11
Roberta Lavadour, the exec-
utive director of the Pendleton
Center for the Arts, and Kamilah
Long, founder and CEO of The
Black Whole, have been appoint-
ed to the Oregon Arts Commis-
sion by Governor Kate Brown.
Lavadour is an artist and arts
administrator who lives and
works in Pendleton. In addition
to her leadership position with
the Pendleton Center for the
Arts, she serves as an advisor to
the Roundhouse Foundation Res-
idency program and as a member
of the City of Pendleton’s Art
Commission.
Continued on Page 8