Tommy in London

A few weeks ago me and my wife had the chance to see the Tommy musical in
London. We thought it was an overwhelming experience, despite all the lyric
changes. It's very similar to the Broadway version, with no string section
here in the music ensemble, a great Tommy and captain Walker (great voice),
very funny Uncle Ernie and a charming Kim Wilde as Mrs. Walker. The show is
running very well in the 1400 seat Shaftesbury Theatre, though not every
evening is a sold out. It's expected to run until January 1996 at least. One
warning: watch out for the first chord in the Overture: its played VERY loud
and it scared the hell out of most people. Lots of merchandise for sale
there, varying from polo shirts and watches to coffee mugs. There's also a
new Tommy musical score for 17 pounds with all the new lyrics, but strange
enough the one new song 'I believe my own eyes' is lacking. Its called 'Pete
Townshend's Tommy' (Pete is definitely banning the name of The Who now) and
it's published at Fabulous Music Limited, orderno. AM937453, ISBN
0-7119-5805-X. Be sure to order your tickets (30 pounds for the best seats)
directly without booking fee at the Box Office (0171-379 5399) or at
Ticketmaster (0171-344 4444). If you order at the London theatre agents,
you'll pay at least 30% more. More booking info on
'http://www.theatrenet.com/Musicals/tommy/boxoffice.html'.
Afterwards we went for a drink to the O'porto Bar just opposite the theatre
and had a chance to chat with Kim Wilde and other cast members, who usually
gather there after the show.

See you all in Hyde Park in 10 days,
Paul