Tommy in L.A.

["Timothy J. Herrlinger" <herrling@lifesci.lscf.ucsb.edu>]

     I wasn't going to post anything about the Tommy show in L.A., but since
people are asking about it I will.  Because it takes four hours to get to
the Universal Amphitheatre from my house and because I wanted to show my
seven year old daughter the closest thing to a real piece of magic by The
Who, I opted for the 2:30 P.M. show on Saturday.  She loved it.
     For some inane reason, I thought I was going to see the Broadway cast
on tour.  I was looking forward to hearing Michael Cerveris's powerful voice
in the role of Tommy.  I heard him sing on Aug. 4, 1993 as a special guest
at Pete Townshend's Psychoderelict concert (which was a benefit for the La
Jolla Playhouse - near San Diego).  I've always liked Roger's version of
Pinball Wizard the best, but I had to admit that Michael Cerveris was very
impressive that night.
     Anyway, this is the touring cast which plays while others do the same
at the St. James Theater (?) in New York.  I couldn't get that thought out
of my head - that I was seeing the second string lineup.  Another reason my
opinion may be biased is that the last time I was at the Universal
Amphitheatre (Aug. 24, 1989), I got to see The Who perform Tommy during
their special 25th Anniversary benefit there.  I remember back in 1975
being pretty disappointed with the film version of Tommy.  The current
touring musical was much better than the film.  Perhaps because I'm a
purist, I still prefer The Who's original version the best.  I was pleased
that Pete took such an interest in the current musical.  I think he said
something like "I knew this would be the last chance to get it right."
During an appearance at his Psychoderelict concert at the Wiltern Theatre in
L.A. last year, he said he was very thankful for the bicycle spill that
hurt his wrist and forced him to take time off.  That allowed him to get
involved in the Broadway version of Tommy.  He said Tommy had made him very
rich and he was using some of that money to finance his Psychoderelict
shows.
     Back to Tommy in L.A.  I was impressed with the band that generated the
music during the show.  I use the word "band" because it looked as if only
about 4-6 people were hidden inside the orchestra pit.  I'd love to know how
much was sequenced and what was live.  The sound was excellent and the
"band" got a real standing ovation at the end.  Steve Isaacs did a nice job
as the adult Tommy, but I think Roger Bart as Cousin Kevin was the most
dynamic.  As you've all heard, Pete has changed many of the lyrics, added a
song, contributed additional material to make it more of a flowing story,
and devised a different ending.  I respect those changes because they're
Pete's, but I think that many of his manipulations were done to appease the
general public who might not know (or be able to follow) his original work.
In the original, I liked the use of symbolism with room for personal
interpretation of Pete's lyrics.  The present story, however, is pretty
darn clear.  I prefer the antagonistic, rebellious, anti-establishment
reaction of Tommy and his followers in "We're Not Gonna Take It", rather
than the new twist where Sally Simpson et al. reject Tommy's attempts to be
normal.  I just don't like sappy endings where Tommy forgives all the
members of his family who have screwed him over.  I can see how Pete wanted
to make this version more appealing to the masses, but I wish I knew if this
is how he would have liked to present it to pure Who fans.
     All in all, I thought the touring version of Tommy was pretty good.
I'm definitely no critic, so if you haven't seen the musical, go and tell us
what YOU thought.  I wish "I had no reason to be over-optimistic", but I
did.  Perhaps if you're expectations aren't as sky-high as mine were, you
won't be disappointed.

P.S.  Don't miss Tom Wright's huge black and white Who photos (with
annotations) in the lobby.

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* Timothy J. Herrlinger         EMail  herrling@lifesci.lscf.ucsb.edu *
* Marine Science Institue              Office Phone (805) 893-8858    *
* University of California             Home Phone   (805) 922-4239    *
* Santa Barbara, CA 93106              FAX          (805) 893-8062    *
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