Lin Manuel-Miranda came out with his directorial debut in the film world, tap, tap… Boom!and it seems fitting that he directed a movie based on a musical. tap, tap… Boom! was a semi-autobiographical piece of music written by the creator of Rent, Jonathan Larson, before his name became synonymous with one of the biggest musicals of the decade. This adaptation stars Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson and some of Broadway’s biggest and most established names, including Joshua Henry, Robin de Jesús, Alexandra Shipp, Vanessa Hudgens, André De Shields, Phillipa Soo and many others.
although tap, tap… Boom! represents moments of uncertainty in Larson’s life, this is not a movie that can just be included in his life and what happened in it. tap, tap… Boom! is one of the rare films that illustrates what it means to be human, showing events and people familiar to many, even if they didn’t live in New York City in the 90s. It provides a platform for everyday issues and events and goes beyond Larson’s journey as an artist and writer to potentially connect with everyone who watches the film.
A fear of running out of time
tap, tap… Boom! was originally developed as a stage show for Larson, the film’s lead character, to describe the period of his life when he felt like he was going nowhere. In his thirties, working in a New York City restaurant and living in an apartment that wasn’t the prettiest, it seemed like pursuing an artistic life led to a lot of losses. The film adaptation hits hard when Garfield’s Jonathan, who struggles with money, writer’s block and personal relationships, finds out that things aren’t going as planned. He is about to turn 30 and has nothing to show for his life as a music theater performer or playwright.
To make matters worse, his best friend, Michael, has decided to move out of their apartment to a nicer one. He sought a job in marketing and managed to work his way up the food chain, giving up his dreams of becoming an actor. This provides push-and-pulls for Larson as he struggles with the thought of giving up a life in the arts for comfort. Admittedly, it was a good thing he didn’t: the world wouldn’t have ended with a piece like Rent. While his work was indicative of the experiences and time Larson went through, he wouldn’t live to see the day it finally opened on Broadway. Larson passed away the night before his magnum opus opened on stage despite appearing healthy.
Whether you’re an artist, there’s something very universal about Larson’s experience. The songs in the musical keep bringing up the feeling that time is running out. Whether Larson whines about his birthday or can’t finish the lyrics to his music, there’s never enough time to get it all done. At the same time, it feels like he’s out of time. Larson was sadly out of time, but many may feel that time seems to have run out. It could be a marriage, a planned life event or even one’s career where it can manifest openly and deeply, cutting deep if a failure does come. You don’t have to be an artist or a writer to think that death is fast approaching, and you haven’t done everything you wanted to do with your life.
Finding inspiration in the lives we’ve lived
There is something beautiful about the way in which art, literature and movies can imitate the real life and experiences of individuals, and tap, tap… Boom! does that excellently. As a figure there is a smoke screen over the success of Rent and Larson, even if one doesn’t specifically know his name. Larson was not known for his earlier works, and tap, tap… Boom! prompts the viewer to realize who he is as a human being. His writing and songs wouldn’t be as they were if he didn’t borrow from his life experience, which made them so great and stood the test of time. Some may say: Rent is now dateda portrait of the 90s, but it serves as an accurate portrait of working-class people and non-citing subcultures, such as LGBTQ+ communities, of the era.
As a stage performance tap, tap… Boom! is an extreme display of vulnerability, especially when Jonathan performed it himself while he was alive. It reminds us of the intricacies of what it means to be connected with people, whether it’s fighting a significant other about what the future holds, a friend who has moved to greener pastures, or a dear friend or colleague who is with an impending illness. These are all scenarios that most people face in their daily lives, and tap, tap… Boom! puts faces, images, scenes and music into experiences that most of its viewers have already experienced. Sometimes the job sucks and a diner customer starts to get too demanding. Other times we all want to sing together, find joy in intimate parties, or cry over the work that needs to be done. In a movie world now run by special effects and Marvel, there’s a lot to admire in simplicity.