Tick, Tick...BOOM! set to play at Theatre Horizon in Norristown through April 14

NORRISTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- In his autobiographical musical, Tick, Tick...BOOM!, the late playwright Jonathan Larson was expressing how he felt about time marching on.

Steve Pacek and Robi Hager co-direct the production, with Hager also playing the role of Jon, who's going to turn 30 in a week.

The show is set in 1990 New York City and Larson can't escape his internal ticking clock.

"It is the countdown for when you should have achieved something by, at least to Jonathan Larson," says Pacek.

In the show, Hager's character Jon reflects on the things he should have accomplished by now, like having kids and a career.

"He's producing his reading of his musical," says Hager. "While at the same time trying to decide - do I still want to be this starving artist at 30?"

He's feeling the pressure of his impending milestone birthday.

"And this gives you a little taste of Jonathan Larson's journey to making Rent," says Pacek.

We meet Larson's best friend, Michael, played by Angel Sigala.

"I am a queer, Mexican immigrant and I bring a little bit of my identity into this character, which is a fresh take on Michael in Tick, Tick...BOOM!" says Sigala.

Michael tried to launch his acting career and was a starving artist along with Jon, until he switched over the marketing world.

Now, he's got money and a BMW.

Sigala says Michael becomes a representation of the struggle that is a career in the arts and the pressure for stability in Jon's life.

Another force in Larson's life is his girlfriend, Susan, played by Elena Camp.

"Susan loves Jon very much," says Camp. "She's a dancer, so she understands his dreams, but also is at a point in her life in her thirties where she might want her life to look a little bit different."

Susan is ready for a family after supporting Jon for a couple of years.

The production features 14 songs, including Green Green Dress and 30/90.

"Jonathan Larson was an amazing music writer," says Camp. "It's really fun."

"It's really rock infused, so it's not a typical musical theater score," says Pacek.

Hager says the heart of the show focuses on what an artist goes through and how much it means to be in the arts.

"We all have a relationship with a ticking clock in some way, and the decisions that we make that lead us on different paths," says Camp.

"But the hope is that love will always prevail," says Sigala.

Tick, Tick...BOOM! runs through April 14 at Theatre Horizon.

Tick, Tick...BOOM! | Tickets
Theatre Horizon

401 DeKalb Street, Norristown, PA 19401