Fans of musicals have been treated to one of the best spectacles since The Greatest Showman with the release of Netflx’s Tick, Tick… Boom! this month.
The musical is a semi-autobiographical account of renowned composer Jonathan Larson in his 20s—then a struggling musician trying to make ends meet.
Of course, Larson’s life came to a tragic early end when he was aged just 35 years old in 1996—but his legacy lived on as his final piece of work, Rent, became one of the most successful Broadway shows of all time.
Director Lin-Manuel Miranda’s account of Larson’s musical Tick, Tick… Boom! has been well received by critics—and there’s no denying the stellar cast played a major part in that.
In fact, Andrew Garfield who plays Larson himself has received raving reviews for his performance, especially given he uses his own voice to perform the musical’s catchy track list of tunes (who knew he was a talented singer?!).
But of course the entire ensemble cast have brilliantly brought the show together—if you’re wondering whether you’ve seen them in other productions before, you’d be correct.
Here, we meet the cast of Tick, Tick… Boom! and reveal their impressive portfolios.
Andrew Garfield plays Jonathan Larson
Andrew Garfield is a British-born actor with undeniable talent. His first breakout role came in 2010 blockbuster, The Social Network. He went on to play the iconic role of Peter Parker in The Amazing Spiderman film series, and most recently starred in Gia Coppola’s 2020 film, Mainstream. With Tick, Tick… Boom! also now on his resume, we can safely say the 38-year-old’s career is going from strength to strength.
Alexandra Shipp plays Susan Wilson, Larson’s girlfriend
At the age of 30, Alexandra Shipp has had an impressive career. The talented actor and singer rose to prominence when she played the singer Aliyah in television film, Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B in 2014. After that, she joined the X-Men franchise playing kick-ass character Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse. In 2018, she starred in Netflix rom-com, Love Simon.
Robin de Jesús plays Michael, Larson’s best friend
Robin de Jesús is a Tony Award nominated theatre actor famous for his work in In The Heights, and La Cage aux Folles. He’s also dabbled in films—alongside Tick, Tick… Boom! he featured in 2011’s Gun Hill Road and 2020’s The Boys In The Band.
Vanessa Hudgens plays Karessa Johnson, Larson’s friend and theatrical performer
Vanessa Hudgens has been a mainstay in modern films after her Disney film, High School Musical exploded into the pop culture zeitgeist in the late 2000s. She went on to star in 2011 film Sucker Punch, 2012’s Spring Breakers and she even starred in several major Broadway shows including Gigi and Rent.
Judith Light plays Rosa Stevens, Larson’s agent
Judith Light is a 72-year-old actor who, alongside multiple Broadway shows, has starred in several major TV dramas—both old and new. Her breakout role came when she joined American soap One Life To Live between 1977 and 1983. And recently, she played Claire Meade in comedy-drama Ugly Betty.
