It took seven years and a leap of faith by one local company for Jonathan Larson’s “tick, tick…BOOM!” to make it from New York to its San Diego premiere. The wait has proved to be well worth it, though, for Stone Soup Theatre Company’s first foray into the world of musical theatre is a beautifully rendered, insightful look at a young artist on the brink of greatness.

Larson, of course, is best remembered as the young genius who died unexpectedly just before the premiere of his 1996 rock opera, “Rent.” A hard-driving work about young New York bohemians, “Rent” swept the major awards that year, including the Tony and the Pulitzer, was eventually turned into a feature film and is still playing on Broadway today.

Eric Vest, Jim Chatham & Briona Daugherty

Copyright©2008 Joel Zwink

In 1990, though, Larson was still a struggling young composer with a Casio keyboard and a story to tell, and that’s where “tick, tick…BOOM!” finds him. Begun as a one-man “rock monologue” performed by Larson himself, the original title, “30/90,” expressed his anxiety about turning 30 (in 1990), without having found the early success of his idol Stephen Sondheim (who, let us remember, turned 30 with both “West Side Story” and “Gypsy” under his belt!). Though refashioned in 2001 by David Auburn (the author of “Proof”) from a one-man show into a three-person musical, Larson’s original score, including the opening “30/90,” has been kept almost entirely intact. And there are more than a few nods to Sondheim, especially his 1970 concept musical “Company” (with its “Tick Tock” Ballet), about another young man dreading his upcoming birthday.

Director Lindsey Gearhart has assembled the strong cast of three, headed by the magnetic Jim Chatham filling the infamously ratty black Converse sneakers of Jonathan. Though he’s been seen in a fair share of roles on local stages, few have showed off Chatham’s remarkable talents as well. Chatham captures the angst and uncertainty of the young composer – he even bears a passing resemblance to Larson himself – in the poignant “Johnny Can’t Decide,” but his versatile voice rocks out in several of the score’s more hard-edged numbers. He’s well-matched by able performers Eric Vest and Briona Daugherty filling in all the other roles as needed. Vest is most prominent as best friend Michael (based on Larson’s best friend, Matt O’Grady, currently president of a Sorrento Valley market research firm), though he’s also amusing as Jon’s gentle father and as a dopey convenience store clerk. And though Daugherty spends most of her stage time as Susan, Jon’s dancer girlfriend that wants to escape the City for a new life on the Cape, she seems most comfortable in the smaller role of Karessa, the flirty actress who sings Larson’s powerhouse ballad, “Come to Your Senses.” Daugherty is also quite memorable in the purple hat and boa of Jon’s agent, Rosa (wonderful array of costumes designed by Kelley Convery, though one wishes for a more smoking hot dress that is actually, well, green – so unmistakably green there’s a whole number devoted to it: “Green Green Dress”).

Music director Charlie Reuter has done a fantastic job with Larson’s rock score (the three young singers blending together on the anthemic “Louder than Words” rivals anything found in “Rent”), and the four-piece band (Thomas Hodges, Kenneth Dumlao, Zach Pyke, and Andrew Hoffman) sound great. Additional kudos to sound designer Matt Lescault-Wood for sound levels that allow every lyric to be understood – no small feat with a live band in such a small space. Peter Adams designed the functional set of platforms and occasional portable piece like Jon’s keyboard and the diner counter used in “Sunday” (a Sondheim in-joke if ever there were one – you may be lost if you’re not familiar with “Sunday in the Park with George,” but musical theatre geeks will appreciate every word, not to mention the end bit with the eyeglasses, one of several of Gearhart’s memorable directorial touches).

"Sunday" - Briona Daugherty, Jim Chatham & Eric Vest

Copyright©2008 Joel Zwink

Artistic director Rebecca Johannsen and company are to be commended for leading Stone Soup – and San Diego – into bold new territory, and doing it so well to boot. Having just returned from New York and its current trio of adventurous, exciting new musicals – “In the Heights,” “Passing Strange,” and “Next to Normal” – it was a pleasant surprise indeed to be treated to similar work going on right under our noses. Playing weekends through the end of March, “tick, tick…BOOM!” is a show not to be missed – regardless of which side of 30 you find yourself on.