Even by the show's eccentric standards, Des McAnuff's alternative, futuristic revival, which just opened on Broadway after a summer run at Chicago's Goodman Theater, has a consistent and casual relationship. Will Tommy become a cult leader, proto-influencer, tyrant, victim, or all of the above? Will we somehow stop aging in our 20s? my head!
But by the time your brain catches up with the contradictions, McAnuff's work has progressed from one piece to the next, carried by earworms and wall-to-wall (literally) kinetic projections. The story of sensory deprivation told through sensory overload makes sense counter-intuitively.
McAnuf certainly has a close connection to the show. He adapted the Who's 1969 rock opera Tommy with band leader Pete Townshend, and directed his original version of the musical. The musical won five of the 11 Tony Awards it was nominated for in 1993.
The main action begins in 1945 London, where four-year-old Tommy (Cecilia Ann Popp witnesses the performance) watches his father, Captain Walker (Adam Jacobs), kill his wife's lover (Nathan Lucrezio). Witness. Mrs. Walker (Alison Ruff) shrugs off the drama (I guess that's what a stiff upper lip means), but as the lyrics from 55 years ago so bluntly put it, the shock leaves the child with “ears He becomes deaf, dumb, and blind.
Time passes and we enter the 1950s. At the time, 10-year-old Tommy (Quinten Kusheva in the performance I attended) was being abused by Uncle Ernie (John Ambrosino) and tormented by his cousin Kevin (Bobby Conte). Reflecting on this event is the adult Tommy, played by Ali Luis Borzghi, who wears a mock turtleneck and has a slightly aloof, dreamlike presence, a heart-throbbing figure who balances the singer's delicacy with power. .
The original album and Ken Russell's 1975 film adaptation evoked a postwar version of Townshend that was at once down-to-earth and fantastical. However, the program tells us that this “Tommy” is an event in the “past, present, and future.” Once the title character becomes an idol, the show doubles down on its sophisticated dystopian aesthetic, making us wonder if we've been in multiverse Britain all along. Sarafina's Bush costumes are reminiscent of her 1950s-60s rockers and mods, but also incorporate neo-fascist military uniforms. Occasionally, members of the ensemble wear impersonal masks that make them look as if Daft Punk took up fencing.
The grayscale palette, peppered with yellow as Tommy's signature color, creates an oppressive atmosphere enhanced by Amanda Zieve's bleak lighting, David Collins' stylized sets, and Peter Nigrini's projections.
At the same time, the work is not as radical as this description suggests, reusing many artistic decisions that have calcified over the decades. For example, Christina Sajou's “Acid Queen” is a lukewarm version of what Tina Turner performed in the movie. (See another physical interpretation of this one of his songs, Mary from his 1972 recording on his album Original by the London Symphony Orchestra, a performer leaning into Clayton's menacing slow burn.) It would be interesting to listen to it.)
Still, the often bite-sized songs remain as distinctive as ever (as evidenced by Josh Rose's production at the Kennedy Theater, where “The Who's Tommy” is effective even in semi-staged form)? That's why it's the center of 5 years ago). The score was very theatrical for a chart-topping rock band in the late '60s, but it's still very rock by Broadway standards. This company stays in that line, at least vocally, and is better than the more Broadway-oriented 1993 production, with the orchestra loud enough and precise without forgetting the energy and joy of riffage. is playing. . It may be a little vague what this “Tommy” is preaching, but you'll believe it when the entire cast lines up facing the audience and belts out the finale of “Listening to You.”
Tommy from The Who, underway at the Nederlander Theater in New York. 2 hours 10 minutes. tommythemusical.com.