Lin-Manuel Miranda Reveals That Stephen Sondheim Rewrote His Voicemail Scene in ‘Tick, Tick… BOOM!’

Tick, Tick… BOOM! director Lin-Manuel Miranda has revealed that landmark composer Stephen Sondheim rewrote his dialogue in the new Netflix film, which premiered shortly before his death in November 2021.

Set in 1990 New York City, Tick, Tick… BOOM! tells the story of Rent creator Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) as he struggles to make it on Broadway without selling out in the process. In the film, Larson is stunned when Sondheim himself (played by actor Bradley Whitford) shows up to watch a presentation of his musical Superbia.

Later on, Larson receives a voicemail from Sondheim himself encouraging his Broadway dreams — and in this case, the voicemail audio was recorded by the legendary composer himself.

In a recent New Yorker interview, Miranda said that Sondheim actually rewrote his voicemail dialogue to make it sound more like himself.

“When I screened the movie for Sondheim, he emailed me and said, ‘You treated me very gently and royally, for which I am grateful,'” Miranda said. “But he said, ‘One thing: The last voicemail message to Jon, it sounds a little cliché. ‘I have a feeling you’re going to have a very bright future.’ I would never say that. Can I please rewrite what Sondheim says in the voicemail? I’ll record it if you can’t get the actor back.'”

So Miranda agreed, adding, “I’m not turning down a Sondheim rewrite!”

In the revised scene, Sondheim tells Larson, “It’s first-rate work and has a future, and so do you. I’ll call you later with some thoughts, if that’s OK. Meanwhile, be proud.”

Sondheim, who passed away on Saturday, November 27, left a lasting influence on the Broadway community. Responsible for writing the lyrics to musicals like West Side Story, Into the Woods, Company, and more, he won eight Tony Awards in his lifetime — the most a single composer has won in history.

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