Rehearsal photos by Paul Le and Tony Sheppard – taken at the Artisan, 1901 Del Paso Blvd.

“Tick, Tick…BOOM”
Book, Music, and Lyrics: Jonathan Larson
Script Consultant: David Auburn
Directed by Connor Mickiewicz and Erin island

New Helvetia Theatre officially opens its second full production on Saturday, with previews starting Wednesday, of “Tick, Tick…BOOM.” The show is by Jonathan Larson, who won three posthumous Tony awards and a Pulitzer for “RENT.” I had the opportunity to sit in on a recent rehearsal and it literally had me both laughing and crying uncontrollably (not at the same time).

The timing was also interesting after the recent movie release of Jane Campion’s beautiful “Bright Star,” a film account of the end of the life of the poet John Keats. “Tick, Tick…BOOM” chronicles a period in Larson’s life when he was struggling with little recognition, unsure of his future, just as Keats died prior to his work receiving the acclaim that was later associated with it. Ultimately, Larson died before the first full production of “RENT” and its success has rekindled interest in his other works.

“Tick, Tick…BOOM” stars Tristan Rumery, Nanci Zoppi, and New Helvetia’s Founder and Artistic Director Connor Mickiewicz, who also co-directed the show with Erin Island. Between numbers, I bounced a few questions off Connor, his deserves-to-be-proud mother Erin Mickiewicz, and Music Director and destined-to-be-legendary cabaret impresario Graham Sobelman.

Connor Mickiewicz:

SacPress: “RENT” has become well known through multiple productions from Broadway to High Schools, as well as a film adaptation, but “Tick, Tick…BOOM” is less familiar to most people. Can you explain a little about the show and where it fit in Jonathan Larson’s career?
Connor: He had started developing it before “RENT” and with the success of “RENT” and his subsequent passing – there’s this voyeuristic sentiment that drives through it. This musical could not exist without the success of “RENT” and I think if it had been the other way around and this musical had been produced before “RENT” it would have been a lovely, moving show but I think part of the reason that people are interested in seeing this show is knowing the story of Jonathan Larson and what happened with “RENT” – which is still playing in San Francisco and around the country.

SacPress: So what made “Tick, Tick…BOOM” a good choice for New Helvetia’s second full production?
Connor: One that it’s a three person rock musical – and a Sacramento premiere, which lives up to our mission. And it’s accessible for younger audiences as well as more mature audiences.

SacPress: And part of your mission is to produce shows that are less well known – and this would fit that bill.
Connor: This would fit that bill, definitely.

SacPress: You produced the extremely well reviewed “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” earlier this year, and you got to sit up in the booth and watch every performance, but you are producing, co-directing with Erin Island, and also acting in “Tick, Tick…BOOM” – how has the multitasking experience been different?
Connor: It’s completely different and I was so nervous going into it and just working on the show with Erin and Caitlin [Caitlin Sapunor-Davis], the stage manager, we knew from the beginning that the piece was going to have to be more collaborative because I was going to on stage. So it was almost more like a scene study and the actors, Nanci and Tristan, could suggest something – or if something was not right we would get together rather than them being on the outside. That has made…the show that I had in my mind three months ago is not the same show that we have today and we’re all the better for it. So it’s been stressful but also more rewarding.

SacPress: “Hedwig” may well have been the best reviewed show in town – I don’t think I saw anything that was less than the highest possible rating or commentary. Does that make coming out of the gate the second time easier or does that make it harder?
Connor: For a minute I thought that it was going to be harder – but in the end, the respect that the audience has now for the company from “Hedwig” and from “Celebration” [an earlier one-night, semi-staged production and fundraiser] - that’s what I’m interested in, watching the audience grow and develop. I stopped thinking what the critics are going to say about this production – I don’t know if they could have…or if they can top “Hedwig.” If they do, that’s amazing for us but I’m more interested from this point on in just growing the audience and growing the audience’s trust in the company, more than the critics at this point.

Erin Mickiewicz:

SacPress: What and when was Connor’s first foray into theater?
Erin: I love this story: He played competitive soccer for a number of years and when he was 12, he had to try out every year and he didn’t make and we got the news in the mail and he was devastated. So Kiera [Kiera O'Neil], his older sister, said I’m doing “Music Man” why don’t you do [that] – it’s a children’s theater company. So he did it and that was it, he just fell in love with it.

SacPress: This is a silly question that occurred to me – kids transition from being child actors with varying degree of success, or not. How is the transition for the stage mom – do stage moms ever “grow up” or is it much the same, albeit with less carpooling?
Erin: That’s such a good question [laughs]. Because I was involved before Connor was involved with Kiera mainly and then I was the Director of the Arts of St. Francis High School, so even when my kids weren’t involved I’ve stayed involved. So I have a passion for it myself. It’s a fine line though when to back off and with Connor going professional, with his own company, the whole family has been involved - but we still respect the fact that he has to make decisions that we need to stay out of.

SacPress: With Connor as a fifth generation Sacramentan, what does this mean to you and the family to see him doing this here?
Erin: In Sacramento? Oh, I just love it. Selfishly I love him being back from New York – I love that my other son’s here and he can be part of it – he’s a total jock but he really loves his brother. I think it’s fun for us because we didn’t get to see much of him in New York and I think this is really his calling. He’s always an actor first to me but I really do think he can pull this off.

Graham Sobelman:

SacPress: Your main project for most of the last year has been the cult hit midtown cabaret Graham-A-Rama. That’s on hiatus for a couple of weeks for “Tick, Tick…BOOM” so does this feel like a vacation or like work?
Graham: Work - but I love my job so…. [smiles].

SacPress: You work with a lot of the same people in multiple projects….
Graham: That’s why it doesn’t feel like…well, it’s a job but it’s also hanging out with my friends.

SacPress: How do you balance multiple projects in production and development?
Graham: A very detailed calendar and very little sleep!

The last few questions with Graham were squeezed into an extremely short break in the rehearsal, with about one minute to talk and we were walking back into the theater by the end of the third answer, but they still illustrate one of the secrets to the success of these productions: Not only is this a very talented group of individuals who have the skills and vision to pull these things off with great success, but they are doing what they love with people they love. Not all of us have the opportunity or benefit of a workplace environment like that, but at least we can witness it in action – and it certainly shows in their work.

“Tick, Tick…BOOM”
October 21- November 14
Performance Times:
Thursdays and Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 8 pm
All performances at the Artisan, 1901 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815
Gallery and café open 1 hour prior to show

Associated links for more information:
New Helvetia Theatre: www.newhelvetia.org
Paul Le’s photography and design: www.paperwhitedesigns.daportfolio.com
Graham-A-Rama cabaret: www.grahamarama.com