Turning Thirty Never Sounded This Loud Or This Honest
tick, tick… BOOM explores creative fear, chaotic ambition and growing up with nothing figured out.
Hallirackit Theatre return to The Lemon Tree this August with their boldest show yet: tick, tick… BOOM!, a musical about turning 30 and unravelling at the seams. Written by Rent creator Jonathan Larson, it’s a personal and urgent piece, originally performed as a solo show and later expanded for the stage.
The story follows a struggling composer wrestling with ambition, ageing, love and self-doubt. It’s the kind of existential panic that feels familiar, especially in creative circles, and the music is full of that tension too: hopeful one moment, chaotic the next.
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Reflecting real pressure
There’s no shortage of people in Aberdeen’s creative scene balancing their passions with work, bills or burnout. Hallirackit’s production leans into that reality, and director Hannah Cook says, “tick, tick… BOOM! isn’t just about one man’s fear of turning 30, it’s about every artist who’s ever questioned if their work matters. Larson’s story feels as relevant today as it did in the ’90s.”
“We want our audience to laugh, cry, maybe spiral a little, and leave feeling like they’ve been seen.” The cast of five bring a fresh take to Larson’s original vision, aiming for something honest rather than polished.
A shift in gear for Hallirackit
The company is still relatively young, but they’ve made an impression. Their last production, Wilford Wellman’s Wellbeing, played to strong responses at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe. It was surreal and satirical, tackling wellness culture with a dark edge. tick, tick… BOOM! marks a shift in tone, but keeps that sense of risk and experimentation.
It’s a brilliant reminder of what small-scale theatre does when it leans into something personal. There’s something reassuring about watching someone else fall apart to music, especially when the feeling is familiar. Tickets for the show are available now.
