"Tick, Tick... Boom!" cast visits historic home of Oscar Hammerstein in Doylestown

You can see the cast of "Tick, Tick ... Boom!" on stage at the Bucks County Playhouse through July 15.
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
NEW HOPE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The critically acclaimed Broadway musical "Tick, Tick... Boom!" is on stage right now at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope.

On Wednesday, cast members visited the historic home of Oscar Hammerstein in Doylestown.
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It was a very emotional moment for the artists as they sang together in Hammerstein's home.

"Hearing our voices bounce around these walls, and knowing what was written in this house, this was inspiration," says Krystina Alabado, who plays "Susan" in "Tick, Tick... Boom!"

"Just thinking about the legacy of all of the shows and songs and the things that we used to sing as kids, it was pretty powerful," added Alabado.

We spoke with the cast members in what was once a young Stephen Sondheim's bedroom.



Hammerstein was one of Sondheim's mentors.

Both artists inspired Jonathan Larson, who won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for "Rent."
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"Tick, Tick... Boom!" is Larson's life story.

"Tick, Tick... Boom! is a great reminder that these great pieces of art don't just spring fully formed into the world," says Andy Mientus, who plays "Jonathan Larson."

"Rent didn't just happen. Someone agonized over writing it and it really almost didn't make it. I'm sure Stephen Sondheim had similar moments. I'm sure Oscar Hammerstein had similar moments. Being here in the Oscar Hammerstein house, it's just a really potent reminder that these artists, these giants of our field, were real people," added Mientus.

The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theater Education Center at Highland Farm are currently raising funds to save the house.



You can see the cast of "Tick, Tick... Boom" on stage at the Bucks County Playhouse through July 15.
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