Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ As a musical theater Nerd’s Dream

This is a preview of the pop culture newsletter The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, written by senior entertainment reporter Kevin Fallon. To get the full newsletter in your inbox every week, Sign up for it here.

Every now and then, something happens in life that makes you wonder who you are and whether you’ve ever known yourself. For example, this week, I realized that I have never seen or heard anything from play Clap, clack… Boom!.

I’m exaggerating of course. But still, liking musicals is my thing, while millennials prefer to display a “passion for everything” in their entire personality. Like any thirty-year-old gay man who performed musicals at his suburban high school, I had a To rent stage. Somehow, though, that never really led me to do more research into the work of its creator, Jonathan Larson, and the project he’s previously produced. To rent The latter will make him a legend. (Larson died on the morning of To rentFirst off-Broadway preview of an aortic dissection.)

Since this is almost never the case, it’s been an invigorating experience taking part in the new Netflix adaptation of Clap, clack… Boom!, which is available to stream now, has no preconceptions about the source material, who will be chosen, or even the sound of the songs. I absolutely love it.

In the best possible way — in which it will likely announce whether this is definitely not a movie for you—Clap, clack… Boom! plays like a movie made with love by music theater enthusiasts for music theater lovers.

That has a lot to do with this project as to who does it. Lin-Manuel Miranda, a evangelist about Larson’s work and its impact on him as a creator, directed this for the first time. He took on Larson’s original project, what LA time description is a “semi-autobiographical rock monologue” about a lyricist-songwriter who “aims to take the industry by storm with what he believes is a musical masterpiece” and opens , turning it from what Larson performed as a barefoot man into a grand, cinematic musical that pulsates across New York City, with all the grandeur and energy it takes. .

Every little thing about the production and unknown about Larson is explosive. Hope, idealism, emotion, and anguish radiate across the screen in songs and an almost nonstop amount of music.

Andrew Garfield plays the tirelessly sociable Larson who captures everything resolute, delusional, destructive and genius about Larson and commits to doing it with an incredible voice. Who can understand how all this happened, but Garfield deserves his second Best Actor Oscar nomination of his career for his performance. It was one of the most impressive male leads I’ve ever seen in a musical.

Thankfully, it turns out I haven’t completely lost who I am. Ruining it too much will ruin it, but let’s just say there was one scene filled with cameos by respected Broadway legends and I 100% burst into tears in that moment. So you also have that to look forward to.

I’m so excited for the things I haven’t seen

It’s been a big week for trailers of what’s to come, seemingly created in a Hollywood lab with the express purpose of engaging me.

The first is the thrilling announcement of the return of cinema’s greatest genre: the mid-budget comedy by Jennifer Lopez. If the film industry only produced movies in which Jennifer Lopez and a handsome man in general worked with problems that stem from being at different points in life and falling in love for 100 minutes or less, then I will eventually believe in art again. Lopez and Owen Wilson star in Marry me, is coming out on Valentine’s Day, and according to its trailer looks like an impossibly perfect movie. (Watch the trailer here.)

Then Julian Fellowes swoops in and says, “Hello, gays!” as Downton Abbey The creator’s next installment has also announced its first trailer. Gilded Age is set in the Gilded Age and stars Christine Baranski as a snobby rich woman. Joining her in the cast includes Carrie Coon, Cynthia Nixon, and a list of Broadway stars stacked on top of each other We as a community decided that we would turn its premiere red carpet into a Pride Parade. (Watch the trailer here.)

Finally, the Christmas miracle we all deserve: Mariah Carey is filming another holiday special for Apple TV+. Mariah’s Christmas: The Miracle Continues will premiere on December 3. The trailer previews Carey in a shimmering evening gown singing holiday music while handsome men dance around her, my happiest of happy places. happiness. God bless us, everyone. (Watch the trailer here.)

Madonna, the mansion and the dog are very rich

On Thursday, I saw a headline that said “Madonna’s former Miami mansion sold by German Shepherd Gunther. ”

Surely, I was thinking, I must have misread this. So I clicked on the article to learn more. As it turns out, Madonna’s former Miami mansion was for sale by a German shepherd named Gunther. Gunther VI to be exact.

It turned out that Gunther VI was the heir to the fortune, as well as a fortune of about $500 million. He enjoys, I don’t think, flying by private jet to the Bahamas and having his personal chef prepare him meals with caviar. I recently had to charge a can of milk to my credit card, but congrats to this dog.

Dionne Warwick Still Wins On Twitter (Taylor’s Version)

I’m sure I couldn’t be persuaded to care about Taylor Swift, Jake Gyllenhaal, and the scarf. Once again, I feel humbled.

What to watch this week:

Clap, clack… Boom!: An absolute delight for musical theater lovers from musical theater lovers. (Friday on Netflix and in theaters)

King Richard: Is a movie that pleases audiences in this awards season. Will Smith is about to win an Oscar. (Friday on HBO Max and in theaters)

Wonderful thing: The rudest, at worst, just the absolute blast of a TV show. (Friday on Hulu)

Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: If not known by its alternate title, The assassination of singer Ramona. (Available on Peacock)

What to skip this week:

Tiger King 2: Pointless, exploratory trash has lost its interest and has long since become stale. (Available on Netflix)

Cowboy Bebop: There is no bebop so this is boring! (Friday on Netflix)