Re: Tommy on Broadway

[JB2TheWho@aol.com]

Dave -

Regarding your question about the broadway "Tommy".........

First, there are currently available TWO really excellent bits of media
available that have come out fairly recently (probably intended to "support
the broadway roduction), which you might find of interest. (Each seem to
contain a fair amount of NEW material).

(I suppose I should say here that I have NOTHING to do with either of these
efforts; I have a copy of each but DO NOT sell them or anything like
that..etc...etc..etc...)\

The first is a very elaborite and, probably at first, VERY costly hard bound
bookcalled something like "THE WHO'S TOMMY". It has a very striking BLACK
cover and some sort of special yellow "cumberbund" around the middle, and
highly stylized yellow lettering spelling out the title on the front (no dust
jacket). The good news is that this book in now available in at least one
major chain, CROWN BOOKS, for a VERY LOW PRICE...something like $3.99 or
$4.99. The last time I checked, it was still available and in the "music"
section (not recorded music but books on music).

It's really a rather nice bit of work and it includes, get this, a single CD
recording of PETE TOWNSHEND'S own "demo" of the new song he wrote for this
production called "I BELIEVE MY OWN EYES". This alone, for me at least, made
the book "a bargain - the best I ever had..." (Just make sure that you buy a
"sealed" copy or else someone might have nicked the CD, which is pasted on
the inside of the front cover!)!

Anyway, the book has TWO, long articles written by PETE (for the book),
discussing TOMMY in general and his variously changing attitudes toward
seeing it produced as a Broadway production. 

In addition, there are a lot of photos of the Broadway production, plus
several other extended bits of writing from the producer and other 2-3 main
creative individuals behind the production of the show. There's also a rather
fascinating section wherein each individual actor in "TOMMY" discusses their
approach to the character they're playing, along with numerous comments
regarding the sort of feelings they had in actually getting to work with an
artistic icon as important as PETE TOWNSHEND and how their interpretations of
their roles changed, usually after some input from Pete, and so forth. 

(One can't help but feel sorry for the poor gheezer who played UNCLE ERNIE,
who nonetheless did his best to find something pitiful or mitigating to write
about "himself" (as Ernie), and with the help of a bit of typical bullshit
California pop-psychology - he almost pulls it off, too - Remember, this is
the same state that couldn't even convict OJ Simpson, a real-life Uncle Ernie
if there ever was one!)!

BTW, the notion that this was initially a made-for-Broadway show is a very
common mis-perception, which probably only some poor gheezer as unfortunate
as I to be living (hoping for not much longer) in the cultural (teenage?)
wasteland of Los Angeles would know about. About 140 miles south of L.A. is
San Diego, and just north of that, a posh suburb called "La Jolla". For some
strange reason, a group of highly talented people decided to get a top notch
theatrical production troupe together way out in this benighted state, and
they more than succeeded with the La Jolla Players. These guys are real pros
and have been doing shows which went on to become Broadway hits for half a
decade or more now.

Secondly, about the same time as the book appeared, a video also started
periodically appearing called "The WHO'S TOMMY - THE AMAZING JOURNEY - 25th
ANNIVERSARY", and it is actually a pretty decent history of "TOMMY", starting
from the present day prospective of the broadway play and then jumping back
to the beginning and returning full circle. There are several short bits shot
of the current production, and a lot of excellent archiveval WHO film, along
with new (well, quite recent) interviews with PETE, ROGER and JOHN.

There is also a minor, but amusing, error on the back cover of the video. The
error is in a trivia question which appears on the back to the effect of
"TRIVIA QUESTION: "In the movie version, Tina Turner Played the acid queen -
who was considered her ONLY possible competition for the role? (answer
below). And then the "answer below is well, WRONG, or at least, not complete
correct! They give the answer as being "David Bowie". While it's true that
Bowie was one of PETE';s choices to play the Acid Queen, he was NOT the ONLY
Choice, nor even PETE's first choice...So, WHO was PETE's FIRST choice to
play the part?? -- LOU REED!

There is one very funny story which Pete tells on the video and which is more
or less confirmed in the book when the poor choreographer had to write his
page explaining his contribution to the show. It seems that when PETE
originally agreed to let LA JOLLA produce "TOMMY" he was absolute adament
about one thing. PETE reflected on the fact that all major broadway musicals
have coreographed dancing to some degree or another and that just wouldn't
do. "I kept telling them" Pete realtes "NO FUCKING DANCING!!"

In the end, of course, there is coreography, but the story of how the
producers managed to get this past PETE is really quite amusing. (What's most
amusing to me is trying to imagine a genius like PETE TOWNSHEND having to
spend weeks and weeks here in California and not going completely nuts -
unless you are unfortunate enough to live in California, you have no idea how
culturally/ artistically/socially and utterly APPALLING it is out here!

Hope this helps...Oh, I've seen the video tape in a number of different
stores, always at least slightly on sale, never for more than $14.95,
sometimes less.

"Hope I Die before I get old",

JB ---2TheWHO!