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Wimpy TOMMY



<<From: Kevin Winn <kwinn@steptech.com>
<<Date: 20 Jun 96 10:31 PST
<<Subject: O-MSMail-Message-Version: 1

<<Funny - the version JeffW and I saw last week here in Portland was billed
  
<<as The Who's Tommy, had no strings, and the first chords of the Overture   
<<were incredibly wienie-like.  In fact, it wasn't until the *end* of the   
<<show, when the whole cast lined up on the front of the stage, completely   
<<dressed in white (Jeff leaned over to me and said "Is this Calvin Klein's
  
<<Obsession?") singing the chorus of "Listening to You" that the volume got
  
<<anywhere near appropriate.  I respect everyone else's opinions, but the   
<<only thing that overwhelmed me was the urge to fly to London and slap the
  
<<crap out of Pete for allowing this to happen.

<<Q: Did Pete write the new song "I Believe My Own Eyes" (or whatever it's   
<<called)?



I may be able to clarify this.  I was the gtr player on the 1st National tour
of TOMMY.  My tour was the official Broadway version, as is the London
production (which I worked on as an advisor).  These versions of TOMMY were
sanctioned and overseen by Pete.  Only the Broadway company had strings which
were added to meet the union minimum requirements for musicians at that
theatre.

The version that is currently on tour that you saw is a non-equity tour,
which means that the cast and musicians are non-union (draw your own
conclusions about their talent and ability).  This was designed to be an
extremely low-budget show to pay back investors who had lost money on my tour
(but that's a whole other story), and so most of the effects have been cut,
and the rest of the production, including the sound system, is scaled-back.
 Pete had no involvement in this current tour, and it is my understanding
that he wanted to prevent it but couldn't because the rights had been
assigned.

Pete definitely DID write I BELIEVE MY OWN EYES as an extension to the story
suggested by director Des McAnuff.  Although a ballad, I thought Pete did a
great job of blending it stylistically into the rest of the music.

My tour still had the lyric and story changes, and so you and others may
still have objected to it, but I can assure you we were loud and proud.
 Entwistle (who saw us in LA) told me he thought it was too loud!

Scott