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Re: Tommy Theatrical Production(s)




>1. Pete's hearing. Am I mistaken or was it not Keith's double-charged
>explosion on the Smothers Brothers show that actually punctured Pete's
>eardrum(s)? Such permanent irreparable damage would at best produce
>scarred tissue which in turn would permanently disable anyone's 
>hearing.

No, the explosion didn't puncture his eardrums.  It probably didn't do
them a lot of good, though.  However, the main culprit is probably the
slow effects of years of loud music, not a cataclysmic event.

>2. Tommy (Broadway & Other Versions).

I can't compare them for you as I only saw the Broadway version.  I liked
it so much, I bought tickets for the next day and saw it again.  Ceveris
played Tommy more like Jimmy, angry and petulant.  I had no interest in
seeing touring versions because the effect of the Broadway version
depended so much on the elaborate effects being done just right, that I
didn't want to see them done half-assed by some touring group.

I think Pete's aim for this project had many targets and he mostly
succeeded.  He wanted to:

1) recreate Tommy in his own image along the lines of what he had
discovered in 1991-2 while researching his autobiography.

2) break the Tommy/The Who connection by creating a version that would
not require their personal participation.

3) gain a foothold in the theatrical world with the idea of creating a
career for himself there.


                                     -Brian in Atlanta