Tick . . . Tick . . . Boom!

Everybody loves Rent, right? Everybody laments the fact that it’s author, Jonathan Larson, died before he could enjoy the show’s success—or write anything else. Take heart, then, that you can see the musical Larson wrote before Rent beginning tonight (Thursday), courtesy of the Adirondack Theatre Festival.

If Tick . . . Tick . . . Boom! seems slightly autobiographical, then, well, it probably is: “It tells the story of Jonathan, a promising young composer on the eve of his 30th birthday.” Jonathan is still waiting tables, watching his friends find success and dealing with a girlfriend who wants a ring on her finger. Oh, and he’s trying to write the “great American musical. . . . ”

Adirondack Theatre Festival’s production of Tick . . . Tick . . . Boom! opens tonight (Thursday, July 19) at 8 PM at the Charles R. Wood Theater (207 Glen St., Glens Falls), and continues through July 28. Tickets are $28. For reservations, show times and other info, call 798-7479.

Mimulus

Jacob’s Pillow always does a great job of keeping us abreast of what’s going on on the international dance stage. They’re continuing to do so this week with the presentation of Mimulus, a Brazilian company that uses innovative costumes, set design, and choreography to tell their stories through dance. They will perform their show Do Lado Esquerdo de Quem Sobe (translated: On the Left Side of Who Goes Up), which “fuses tango, samba, ballroom, theater, and contemporary dance . . . to produce an entertaining show of energetic warmth and vitality.” Their Pillow performances mark Mimulus’ U.S. debut.

Mimulus will perform at the Ted Shawn Theatre at Jacob’s Pillow (358 George Carter Road, Becket, Mass.) starting on Wednesday (July 25) and continuing through Sunday (July 29). Performances will be held at 8 PM Wednesday through Saturday, and 2 PM Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $52; $10 for youth matinee tickets on Saturday. For more information or to order tickets, call the Pillow at (413) 243-9919, or visit jacobspillow.org.

The Comas, Great Northern

“The Comas seemed gripped by a nervous urgency,” a Chicago-based critic on Chicagoist.com recently wrote, “as if they only have a few precious seconds to get their message across.”

This Texas-based quintet (pictured), fronted by Andy Herod and Nicole Gehweiler, don’t bring their propulsive, time-shifting, rock & roll energy east very often, so it might be worth your while to check them out Saturday night at Valentine’s.

Great Northern also fronted by a male-female pairing, Solon Bixler (you only wish your name were so cool) and Rachel Stolte. The previously cited writer contrasted the two bands thusly: “The Comas are more interested in driving their point home, while Great Northern seems content to let their message wash over the listener.”

Also on the bill: the Telemarketers and Code Blue.

The Comas, Great Northern, the Telemarketers and Code Blue will perform Saturday (July 21) at Valentine’s (17 New Scotland Ave., Albany) at 8 PM. Call the club at 432-6572 for prices and info.