This article discusses the ending of tick, tick…BOOM! and will contain spoilers.
tick, tick…BOOM! follows the life of Jonathan Larson who is struggling to complete his play, Superbia. The play is set in the future and just one song away from completion. He’s yet to find the lyrics and melody for Elizabeth’s solo. Aside from his life and how time runs out, the movie musical centers on his writer’s block and how to combat it. Coupled with being a broke theatre maker, he has to make money for the production workshop — that one workshop could change his career forever. However, we know how this goes. His ambition can often get in the way as his relationships begin to strain. Susan, his girlfriend, is tired and needs to know if he’s going to move to the Berkshires with her — she’s not a fan of the hustle and bustle of the city. She’s also a talented dancer who almost had her own big break until she became injured.
Netflix film tick, tick…BOOM! ending explained
She wants to live a life of stability and move on but Jon isn’t ready for that — he’s so close to finishing his play and isn’t ready to give it up. He strings her along and she ultimately ends that relationship. Fortunately for him, the breakup gave him the inspiration for the song as he finished Superbia.
The workshop became a success and he’s able to get the publicity he needs and producers to come to view his work, even despite his agent ignoring him for a year. Still, nobody was keen to fund a Broadway or even an Off-Broadway run of his work. They were excited but didn’t have faith that his work would sell — it was too unique and out there for people. Mind you, this was based in the 1990s. It was difficult for him and a hard pill to swallow but spoke to the realities of creatives — you have to keep pushing and eventually, someone will recognize your talent and give you that big break. So, he moves on from Superbia and works on tick, tick….BOOM!, the autobiographical play about his time spent working on Superbia.
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