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• Civic Theatre's "Tommy" a blast

  Multimedia spectacle brings The Who's rock opera to life
  - but pump up the volume, please
  
  Friday, June 7, 2002
  
  BY ROGER LELIEVRE
  Ann Arbor News Arts Writer

  On the whole, "Tommy" rocks.
  
  The Ann Arbor Civic Theatre production of The Who's '60s
  rock opera opened at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre Thursday.
  Hats off to director Glen Bugala and his large cast ( 34 in all)
  for making this epic musical work on almost every level.
  
  The only problem I could see - or rather, hear - is that for a
  rock musical, "Tommy" isn't very loud. The Who was known for
  its amplification, thus it seems strange to find the show's
  otherwise able eight-member band relegated to a secondary
  role on a riser at the back of the stage. True, it is easy to
  overamplify in intimate Lydia Mendelssohn, but perhaps the
  volume could be cranked up a bit to get audiences more in the
  mood?
  
  Visually, "Tommy" is a sight to behold, a multimedia event with
  two projection screens, live video feeds (too bad one of them
  didn't carry the Red Wings game), four huge pinball machines
  and two chain-link fences. Lighting and costumes are alive
  with color, and it is obvious costume designer Martin
  Contreras had a blast working with the fashions that were in
  vogue in mod London.
  
  The show opens in war-torn London during the blitz. The action
  moves quickly as the scene is set, a fast pace that continues
  throughout the show. A couple are married; the husband is
  taken prisoner and sent to a POW camp. Thinking she is a
  widow, the wife takes a lover. When the war ends and her
  husband is liberated, he returns home unexpectedly and
  shoots the lover dead while Tommy looks on.
  
  The trauma Tommy experiences renders him deaf, muteand
  blind. As he grows older, he is sexually abused by relatives,
  beaten by toughs and subjected to all manner of medical
  indignities, including electroshock, in attempts to relieve his
  condition. Tommy, played here by three actors of varying
  ages, finds release through his prowess at pinball, eventually
  rising to become a messianic hero to disaffected youth.
  
  Yes, some of the musical's material is grim -the show is set in
  battle-torn, post-war England and deals with powerful subject
  matter. The scenes of sexual abuse are to-the-point without
  being graphic, with young Tommy's continued silence a more
  profound comment than words could ever be about the horrors
  he's endured.
  
  Maggie McCoy and Kellen McCoy play the two youngest
  Tommys, while Dann Smallwood is the teen-age version. All
  are quite capable, with Smallwood bringing an essential
  vulnerability to his pivotal role. Curt Waugh and Carrie Wickert
  as Tommy's parents are talented as well, with fine singing
  voices. Special mention is due Joey Klei as Cousin Kevin, an
  audience favorite whose antics (he seemed to be everywhere
  at once) helped him stand out from the crowd (literally) that
  was on stage for most of the show. Finally, January
  Provenzola gets kudos for her portrayal of the Acid Queen;
  she seemed to be channeling Tina Turner at one point (Turner
  played the part in the 1975 film).
  
  There is also some great dancing, thanks to choreographer
  Emily Perryman. Fight scenes are brutally realistic, and the
  ensemble numbers, particularly "Sensation," are wonderful (an
  exception is "Pinball Wizard," which closes the first act and is
  inexplicably flat).
  
  All in all, this is a "Tommy" of which Civic can be proud. I left
  the theater promising myself that I'd dig those old Who albums
  out of the basement first thing in the morning.
  
  "Tommy" continues at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 2 p.m.
  Sunday. Tickets may be purchased at the Michigan Union
  Ticket Office, 435 S. State St., or by calling (734) 763-TKTS.