tick, tick... BOOM! is a musical written by American composer Jonathan Larson.
It tells the story of an aspiring composer named Jonathan (also referred to as Jon or Johnny) who lives in New York City in 1990. Jon is worried he has made the wrong career choice to be part of the performing arts. The story is autobiographical, as stated by Larson's father in the liner notes of the cast recording – Larson had been trying to establish himself in theatre since the early 1980s.
The show bears some similarities to Company, written by Larson's idol Stephen Sondheim. For example, in Company, Robert 'celebrates' his 35th birthday much in the way Jon celebrates his 30th, with both shows ending with the blowing out of candles and the cast singing "Happy Birthday to You".
