BOOM YZ is the third in a trilogy of solo multimedia performances created, directed, and performed by Rick Miller, which collectively span 75 years of history, politics, and music on our planet. Each show documents 25 years, in chronological order, drawing connections between global events, cultural milestones, and personal stories, all performed live onstage by Miller.
The first show, BOOM, kicks things off with a bang, as Miller guides us from the explosion at Hiroshima ending World War II in 1945, all the way to the Apollo 11 moon landing in July 1969. It follows the coming of age of his Baby Boomer parents, whose lives intersect in Toronto at the height of the hippie movement in the late 1960s.
With BOOM X, Miller picks things up at Woodstock in August of ‘69, and takes us all the way to 1995, and the second Quebec independence referendum. It is Miller’s own story that forms the spine of this sequel to BOOM, as he experiences the growing angst – and polarizing experiences – of “Generation X”.
BOOM YZ stirringly brings to life the years 1996-2020, and shifts our perspective to “Generation Y” (Millennials) and “Generation Z”. Miller takes on a variety of voices, including his own daughter’s, to reflect the aspirations and anxieties of young people today, and to bring the multi-generational story to a compelling close.