Listen to the songs in "Tick, tick ... BOOM!" and it's easy to hear the echoes of a much more famous musical, one that brought 1990s rock music to Broadway, one that finally closed after 12 years on Sunday, Sept. 7.

For better or worse, "Tick, tick ... BOOM!" is just a glimmer of that musical, a seed of an idea that never had a chance to reach maturity. Music Theatre of Madison is presenting the play through next weekend at the River Arts Center in Prairie du Sac.

Jonathan Larson's early death at age 35, just before his magnum opus, "Rent," became a nationally known, Tony Award-winning hit, allowed few to know his other work. This prompted his parents to release a musical he'd been working on, an autobiographical piece about his struggle to become a great composer. Should he give up and settle with his girlfriend in New England? Should he pursue a marketing career like his best friend and embrace a life of financial security at the cost of his art?

Larson wrote "Tick, tick ... BOOM!" as a one-man show. Some 10 years later, several "play doctors" adapted it into a three-character, 90-minute musical in 2001. The resulting work is a slightly confused, nearly plotless drama with little conflict and a few good songs, a piece quickly forgotten if not for its late authors' fame.

"Tick, tick" director Meghan Randolph, founder of Music Theatre of Madison, has unfortunately not been able to attract the level of talent necessary for this musical. This fact, on top of the script's inherent challenges, makes for a problematic production.

Mark Kuroski as Jon mostly struggles with his acting, which is overdone and irritating. It's a shame; he looks like he's trying so hard, but he never relaxes into the part. His gestures are forced and formulaic, and his singing is often under pitch.

Ali Close, playing Jon's girlfriend Susan and several other minor parts, is also vocally inconsistent. She's a decent actress, moving between her roles with relative ease, but falters in the ballad "Come to Your Senses" and several upbeat numbers.

Jordan Peterson, playing primarily Jon's best friend Michael, is the strongest performer in the cast, lending his pleasant baritone to songs like "Real Life" and "Johnny Can't Decide." Peterson is animated in the entertaining "No More," a song about his new apartment and the bohemian life he left behind, and believable as a successful executive who travels to escape his loneliness.

The trio is backed by a four-person band led by music director Christopher Powers, also a Sauk Prairie music teacher (providing the link to this somewhat out-of-the-way performance venue). Keyboard, guitar, bass and drum players find a tight balance and are free from the sound glitches that plague the performers.

The set for "Tick, tick ... BOOM!" is simple and functional, designed by Elizabeth Moore. Paul Milisch's lighting design is simple as well, but striking, employing bright greens, reds and blues that echo references in Larson's lyrics.

Randolph plays with some creative choreography in "Sugar" and "No More," her costume design is basically pleasing, and the staging is strong and logical.

It's the choice of show that remains questionable. "Rent" and other shows like it inspired a generation nationally with themes of dissatisfaction, consumerism versus creativity and sacrifice for art. In "Tick, tick ... BOOM!," however, those themes and the issues of 1990 Manhattan don't translate. They seem particularly out of place in a cushy Sauk Prairie auditorium.

"Tick, tick ... BOOM!," at best, gives audiences a chance to see the characters and concepts that eventually became "Rent." At worst, it's a poorly written musical with ill-defined characters that is rarely performed for good reason.

IF YOU GO

"Tick, tick...BOOM!" by Jonathan Larson, presented by Music Theatre of Madison, has two more performances at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 and 13 at the River Arts Center at Sauk Prairie High School, 105 Ninth St. Ticket prices range from $8 for students in the Sauk Prairie School District to $17 for adults. Call 608-237-2524 for reservations or more information or visit www.musictheatreofmadison.com.