Hidden among Manhattan’s luxury high-rise buildings and trendy theaters are some of Broadway icon Jonathan Larson's most beloved haunts. The city’s dated swimming pools and cobbled alleyways might be unpolished, but it was those unassuming spots that provided inspiration for the then-aspiring playwright. Known for his ’90s Broadway smash Rent, Larson began working on the semi-autobiographical Tick, Tick… Boom! in the late ’80s. In his directorial debut, Lin-Manuel Miranda adapted Tick, Tick… Boom! as a musical for the screen in late 2021.
Based on Larson’s life story, the movie unfolds in New York City during the early 1990s, as Larson (played by Andrew Garfield) grapples with turning 30, frantically pursuing his desire to become “the future of musical theater” and working at a diner to pay rent. Throughout the film, Larson’s New York stomping grounds serve as a significant source of inspiration to his music. Intrigued by his life and tunes, Tudum recruited a group of Tick, Tick… Boom! die-hard fans to embark on a tour of lower Manhattan in order to see the city through the eyes of an icon.
1. The Strand Bookstore, 11:30 a.m.
Our first stop is a 95-year-old landmark and bibliophile’s dream located in Manhattan’s East Village. The bookstore is a magnet for locals and tourists alike, but today it’s also a place to pay respects to Larson. Before entering, superfan and Florida native Joanna Foster gathers a small group of Tick, Tick… Boom! fanatics (with whom she connected on Twitter) on the sidewalk to help her on a twofold mission: scouting out the exact section where the movie’s opening number, “30/90,” was filmed and sourcing a bound manuscript like the one Susan (Alexandra Shipp) gifts Jonathan at the end of the film. “It’s a really meaningful thread in the opening scene with Susan in the bookstore watching Jonathan pick up that book, knowing he can’t afford it,” says Foster. “Then, all the way at the end, you see that she bought it for him, just so he could write his next play.” Foster, a trained pianist who primarily works as a product analyst to pay the bills, felt connected to Susan’s encouragement to keep writing in the face of rejection. “I wanted a keepsake to remind me to get back to being creative and keep dreaming,” she says.
2. Jonathan’s apartment in SoHo, 1:00 p.m.
Just 30 minutes on foot from the Strand Bookstore, Larson’s former apartment at 508 Greenwich is nestled in the middle of the hustle and bustle of lower Manhattan’s bohemian arts and shopping district. Here, the eagle-eyed fans look for similarities between the location and the film’s “No More” set, which showcases the apartment’s interior walk-up as well as street exteriors. From the black doorway to the hallway’s blue-and-white checkered floor, the fans are impressed to see the set designers stayed true to the real-life design — and that building hasn’t been completely remodeled since Larson’s occupation in the ’90s. “I really wanted to be able to walk in Jonathan’s footsteps,” says Anna Altheide, a fan who moved to New York three years ago and has been eager to explore SoHo since watching the flick. “This is where he came up with all of the creative ideas he left us with and where he unfortunately passed away. Everything he left and everything we’re left with begins and ends at this apartment.”
3. The former location of the Moondance Diner, 1:25 p.m.
Larson spent 10 years of his life serving Sunday brunch and rubbing elbows with fellow creatives and celebrities at a blue-silver chromium diner. Although the eatery no longer exists, you can still admire the view of its original location on the edge of SoHo (at 27 Grand Street). “What would Jonathan think about the diner being gone?” Altheide says, while staring up at the towering luxury hotel — known for its rooftop bar and beautiful view of the New York skyline — that now stands in the diner’s place. As showcased in the movie, the restaurant played a key role in Larson’s life. While he cherished his co-workers and friends, he relentlessly fretted that working there for a decade had caused him to put his true passions on the back burner. Then again, years of dealing with angry brunchgoers did inspire “Sunday” — one of the musical’s most rousing tunes. Tip: If you’re still craving fries and milkshakes with a retro-diner backdrop, head to Empire Diner in Chelsea for their juicy special-blend burger.
Andrew Garfield attends the tick, tick...Boom screening & conversation at 92nd Street Y on February 22, 2022 in New York City.
92nd Street Y, 6 p.m.
Located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the 92nd Street Y — an iconic cultural arts center dedicated to everything from religious studies, literary readings and film screenings — is teeming with musical theater fans participating in the Tick, Tick… Boom! watch party and Q&A. The crowd’s energy is palpable during the screening — they sing, clap and laugh throughout, then attempt to hold back teary-eyed sniffles in the film’s final minutes. When Garfield makes his grand entrance onstage, everyone rises with thunderous applause. He bows, basking in the crowd’s rapture. Kristina Fawley, a fan who bused from Pennsylvania to New York, is starstruck. “It’s so cool seeing him up close with no bad internet connection getting in the way,” she says. (Watch the 92nd Street Y Q&A here.)
Delacorte Theater (via Belvedere Castle), 4:15 p.m.
Delacorte Theater is no stranger to a production of Romeo and Juliet or two. Indeed, the Central Park open-air theater has produced over 60 years of Shakespeare in the Park performances in its time. But on Wednesday evening, it’s not Juliet’s near-death declaration of love that brings tears to eyes. Instead, the group gets misty as they recall Andrew Garfield’s powerhouse performance of piano ballad “Why.” An emotional turning point in the film, it’s during this song that Larson finally understands that, while life is fleeting and his career goals are important, slowing down and appreciating time with his friends and loved ones is also key. “This is the main [location] I wanted to visit, because I think I’ve watched that performance on YouTube, like, a thousand times, and I listen to that song every night before I go to bed,” says Fawley from the perch of the Belvedere Castle, as she takes in the same beautiful wide shot of the theater seen in the movie. “The amount of emotion Andrew put into that? It’s perfect. It’s amazing.”
Shubert Alley, 10:45 a.m.
The Tick,Tick… Boom! trip ends with a stop in historic Broadway passageway, Shubert Alley, where Miranda shot the movie’s ’90s-inspired hip-hop video for Larson’s “Play Game.” During the summer months, the area hosts a free concert called Stars in the Alley that’s jam-packed with Tony-winning celebrities, but even in the off-season there’s plenty to discover. Broadway fans can stop by a musical theater–themed gift shop — one of the oldest in the city — and ogle a long stretch of brick wall that’s wallpapered with posters of popular Broadway shows like Chicago, Company and The Lion King. TBD if the gift shop will start stocking pink baseball caps.
This off-Broadway spot makes the list, not only because Larson often worked there, but also because the film crew used it as a real location. In the movie, NYTW features as the venue where Larson performs Tick, Tick… Boom! In real life, some of the earliest readings of both Tick, Tick… Boom! and Rent took place at NYTW. Talk about the room where it happened…
Tony Dapolito Recreation Center
Also snagging a spot on the list is the pool at the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center. The scene where Jonathan works out his writer’s block (by lapping everyone else in the water) is in the exact same West Village pool the playwright frequented in his day. You can see the pool in all of its chlorine-y glory during the song “Swimming.”
