Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda recently shared that Allan Larson, father of the Rent and Tick Tick Boom playwright Jonathan Larson, has passed. Miranda has a long history with Larson’s legacy.
In 2014, Miranda, who is also an acclaimed actor, starred in an off-Broadway revival of Tick Tick Boom alongside Hamilton’s Leslie Odom Jr. and Karen Olivo. He then went on to create the movie adaptation of the musical after gaining approval from the Larson Estate.
Back in 2018, the composer also announced that he had applied to receive the Jonathan Larson Grant in 2014. While he didn’t win the grant, things “turned out okay anyway.” The grant was created in honor of Jonathan Larson, who tragically passed before the success of his work. It is awarded annually as an “investment in individual talent” for artists who are just starting their careers.
Miranda was devastated to share the death of Jonathan Larson’s father, writing that he “misses him already.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda announced that Allan Larson passed away
On the night of December 31, 2021, Miranda announced that Allan Larson had passed away. The actor shared, “Faced with unimaginable loss, he made his son’s legacy his life’s work. For years, anywhere Jon’s work premiered in the world, Al would be there to tell the assembled casts about his son Jonathan.”
“Rest in peace, Al. Thank you for your trust & friendship. Miss you already,” he went on to share. Miranda accompanied the heartfelt caption with an image of him standing with his arm around Allan Larson.
Allan Larson wasn’t interested in Tick Tick Boom being a ‘casual’ adaptation
In an interview with Bazaar, Tick Tick Boom producer Julie Oh opened up about Allan Larson’s relationship with the adaptation of his son’s work. When speaking with the outlet, she expressed that Miranda was the answer to the Larson Estate’s hesitancy.
Speaking about the starting points of the musical, Oh said, “My first call was to Jonathan Mills, who is the agent who represents the Larson estate, and who, along with Al Larson and Julie Larson, has really been a shepherd of everything that has to do with Jonathan Larson’s legacy. He was very clear with me that it was not something that he thought the family would be casually interested in.”
She went on to share the personal history of the autobiographical musical which originally premiered as a one-man show, piano-bar style, by Jonathan Larson. She shared, “I wasn’t surprised to hear that because tick, tick… Boom!, which started out as a one-man monologue called Boho Days, is Jonathan Larson’s most personal show. He is writing about a character named Jon who is struggling with the same things that he is struggling with. I realized I didn’t have the answer for the Larson family, which was, How can we ensure that this will be done the right way?”
She went on to say, “I heard Jonathan loud and clear, but for me, every no is just a beginning. And so, I thought, What would be the right way to do this? And it became really clear that Lin was the answer. I emailed him and asked him, and he has never responded to an email faster.”
Tick Tick Boom is currently streaming on Netflix.