July 11th, 2024
I have so much to say about this.
Overview
72-year-old Des McAnuff's second Broadway production of The Who's Tommy opens on a stage packed with ensemble in Daft-Punk-esque masks, standing and staring, behind a scrim projection that reads: "THE FUTURE." There's some shuffling...and then the projection changes to read: "THE PAST." And then the action of the show proceeds, and after 2-ish hours, concludes sans payoff for such an audacious introduction. If you've heard that the plot to this rock opera is confusing: it is certainly nonsensical, but really all you need to do is listen to the Pinball Wizard lyrics and you’ve pretty much got it.
Here's the gist for anyone who doesn't know the show at all: two young people (Mr. and Mrs. Walker) fall in love and get married, she gets pregnant, then he gets drafted into WWII. At the top of the show, Mrs. Walker is informed that her husband is MIA and presumed dead. She (now the mother of a little boy named, you guessed it, Tommy) takes a new lover, only for her husband to come home and find them together. A fight ensues and Mr. Walker shoots the boyfriend (parenthesis, to death, close parenthesis). Tommy witnesses the murder. His parents instruct him to "never say a word," and little Tommy takes it to heart: he stops speaking and stops reacting to any stimuli at all. It seems he can only look at his own reflection. He's presumed to be deaf and blind, when in reality he's gone mute due to the trauma. He is continuously mistreated in this state by everyone around him, until it's discovered in his early adulthood that he's a god at pinball. Some more stuff happens, he snaps out of it, he becomes something of a cult leader, etc. etc.
This was my very first encounter with Tommy (besides the aforementioned contender for best song of all time, and more specifically, Tenacious D's The Who Medley); I had never even listened to the album straight through before. In fact, for a few years I didn't even know that it was a show by the band The Who. I thought it was like, "The: Who's Tommy?"
And who is Tommy, indeed?
Well! At this performance it was Daniel Quadrino (understudy for Ali Louis Bourzgui). And he was great! But I don't actually want to get into that yet. I just wanted to make the dumb joke. We'll circle back.
Rock + Opera = MT?
Honestly, I should've listened to the album a couple times through first. You know, you hear the words "rock opera" and you're like...fucking sick??? Fucking rock?? Fucking OPERA??? This is gonna be crazy! And then you're treated to 2 hours of incredibly standard musical theatre. Okay, maybe incredibly standard is a little harsh, but I spent the whole thing wondering how much of the original material was disparaged and how much was shoehorned in to make it work onstage- and the answer surprised me when it was actually very little. Or rather, less than I anticipated.
I've been forced more often lately to consider just how much Rock and MT are sisters, and this show really brought it up because I kept thinking "where's the rock?" and then as I was listening to the album, I realized the stage version's interpretation is not quite as far off as I thought. And then I was like, how can a direct photocopy of an album by THE WHO sound so un-rock to me? I hope it isn't that I'm just stupid, though that's certainly viable.
Here's my conclusions: first off, I think there is something about rock as a genre that just begs for the band to be visible. It was a really weird feeling to hear this recreation of one of the most legendary live acts of all time being played...from inside an orchestra pit. I think Pete Townshend himself could've been down there and I still would've found the band stiff and theatre-y— because I can't see any passion, because I can't see any people! It sometimes seems as if an onstage band is a choice you only make as a last resort when you have nowhere else to hide them, but 1) this concept of the show would've easily allowed for a visible band, and 2) it would've brought the value of the production up by scores (sorry for the pun). Your show is confusing and the songs go on too long? At least I can watch the guitarist going ham on a solo! That never gets old! Come to think of it, I feel like I remember there being a moment when there was a band onstage, but I'm pretty sure it was like...actors playing a band. I can't remember why. That's how effective it was.
Second conclusion: gone are the days when people were allowed, encouraged even, to sing badly. The vocals on the original album are stunning and evocative, and the fact that they are decidedly not pitch-perfect contributes to their emotional effectiveness. On the contemporary Broadway stage, however; diverse styles, funky choices, even just straight-up weird sounds, are generally a no-go. Producers aren't taking as many risks anymore. We’ve sanded off the edges of Music Theatre by funneling every wannabe performer through college programs that leave them all sounding more or less the same, and I've yet to see one of these rock-MT hybrids that doesn't outline it in red for me. Like, I've never seen Jagged Little Pill onstage, but I was livid when I heard it was being adapted. Alanis Morissette isn't a clean-girl vocalist! And it's already a perfect album! You'll never be able to do it justice! Let it rest!
I digress.
Side note regarding this monolith of music theatre vocal stylings: I don’t actually think it's an all bad thing! I’m certainly over here talking about subpar vocal technique all the time— at the end of the day, that’s really a big part of why everyone sounds similar. There’s a certain kind of sound that lends itself to healthy, 8-times-a-week vocals; and it’s usually going to be that pingy, clear-as-a-bell resonance that the MT style is known for. The problem arises when we’re shutting out any kid who can’t afford college (or college prep classes, or voice lessons, or doing community theatre outside of school, or flying around the country for college auditions, etc.) from getting a foot in the door of an industry that claims to celebrate diversity but that’s its own can of worms.
So the long story short is that not very much of the show gave rock opera to me. Even if these are direct copies of the original band arrangements (though I doubt it), I think there were a lot of missed opportunities to really add some oomph. It’s not like the production team was treating the album as gospel! There were plenty of changes, and I think a lot of people will agree that there could've been more. But I'll come back to that.
Design
The stage design of this production is minimalist and heavily dependent on projections. Like, it's mostly projections. I actually appreciated some of them! Especially at the very top of the show, there were some cool and creative choices. Some of these choices came a little early for my taste, though: there's a WWII montage that features soldiers skydiving into battle (jumping into a hole in the stage) from a warplane (the ground), and with the scrim projection of a plane cross-section surrounding them it could've been really cool— except for the fact that it was only one minute into the show. I had not acquired any suspension of disbelief yet, and the grown men sitting criss-cross-applesauce/bouncing up and down to simulate air turbulence was just a little hilarious. Cool idea! But hilarious.
Do you guys remember the tour of Les Mis where they used projections because they couldn't have a turntable? And they were basically just the same thing you'd see on a high school backdrop, but in projection format? A lot of this show was like that. Just like, random details of a place so that you know where we are. It was those projections in particular that felt to me like lazy substitutions for making any actual creative choices.
There were a few moments of blatant audience handholding (like a projection telling us the year), but it's important to note that I had a "partially obstructed" seat and I couldn't actually see some of them. I could, however, see the projection that read "1921," and it honestly created more confusion than if I had not seen it at all. The song, 1921, takes place on December 31st as a young Tommy's family rings in the new year. This show (in theory) takes place over, like, 30 years (tops) of this one dude's life. If he's four years old in 1921, why is "the future" at the end of the show...either the 80's, or maybe like, the 3000's (unclear)? The four-year-old Tommy says "happy birthday Mom" during this song. Isn't it New Year's, though? Is Mrs. Walker's birthday December 31st? I thought the song was about Mrs. Walker turning 21 for a little, and I was like, what is she, a child bride?
Anyway, Des McAnuff said in an interview with Gold Derby that he and Pete Townshend were deliberately "disobedient" with the passage of time. Phew. I feel better, don't you?
The gist of it is that some of the projections were cool and inventive, some were boring low-hanging fruit, and some were straight-up cringe.
The costumes seemed to be going for...an intersection of retro and future. I can't call it retrofuturist because the viewpoint is clearly right now, springing out in either direction. A lot of vintage silhouettes with wild colorways and patterns- most of them giving 1980's more than anything. I found none of them remarkable, some of them ugly, and most entirely forgettable.
As I mentioned earlier, the set was very minimal. Occasionally some pieces came on to depict the interior of a house, but most of the time everything was through a combo of projection, lighting; and several large, lit-up rectangles moving around to serve as doorways. There wasn't even a pinball machine! Just a glowing rectangle. I also just looked up the original Broadway production, and found another Tommy staring directly downstage through a big glowing rectangle. At least the original production added a pinball table, but c'mon. BIG missed opportunity in my opinion. Imagine the same exact minimalist set, everything black and white and yellow, except a real pinball machine. The only thing reachable for Tommy. The only thing real to him, in a way.
I also would've loved to see them pick a pinball machine that actually exists; both because it would just be cool (specifically for people who are into pinball), and also because so many pinball machines are just absolutely plastered with big-boobed women. Gives a whole different reason why Tommy is so drawn to it. I'm joking, there are plenty of machines without the sexy ladies! It's just funny to picture everyone emphatically singing about how they don't know why he's so good, why he’s so glued to the pinball machine, and the game is like, Paragon or something.
Pinball Wizard
I will regale you with a quote from the notes I took at intermission (the song is the Act I finisher):
"Pinball Wizard:
im so sad lol
why. why would they arrange it like that"
After re-watching a video of this song, I've decided my issue with the show primarily lies with the vocal arrangements. They glee-d The Who. Worse than glee though: it's stiff and choral in a way that doesn't do justice to the melody, and the song goes on way too long in a desperate attempt to milk it for everything it's worth. After the second "how do you think he does it? I DON'T KNOW!" I was like, okay, we can wrap it up now! And I love Pinball Wizard. I imagine that someone who isn't already a fan of the song (they may be rare, but they exist!) would be able to smell the nostalgia bait from a mile away. This song was one of the first times I've ever thought "man, the choreography is carrying this entire thing.” (I’m a trained singer and not a trained dancer, what can I say?)
Tommy Tommy Tommy
Tommy is also one of those shows that has different actors portraying child, then adolescent, then adult Tommy. The "reveal" of adult Tommy occurs during Pinball Wizard, and here's the thing: adult Tommy has already been present for most of the first act. He lives in the mirror, the manifestation of the incredibly active inner life of a young boy who can't express himself physically.
I'm not making fun of it, but those moments did make me giggle a little because it reminded me of glee (sorry for bringing glee up twice in the same review). Do you remember how everyone on that show would assume that Becky was shy or demure because of her Down's Syndrome, but then her inner monologue was voiced by this posh, provocative, British lady? I was picturing 10-year-old Tommy, surrounded by people begging him to address the "real" world, but on the inside he’s just like: screw you guys. In my head I'm a mega-hot twenty-something with the vocal cords of an angel. I'm not coming out there. Like, I know it's more meaningful than that, and it's about connection with the inner self and everything, but I still had a little chuckle. A small chortle. A miniscule guffaw.
Anyway. In this state, within the mirror, the character of adult Tommy is electric. He's everywhere and nowhere, he's blowing your mind, he's commanding the entire stage despite an entire ensemble who "can't" see him. The second he appears as the current-day Tommy and everyone acknowledges him...the spark goes away. And it isn't the actor's fault! It's just that I've already seen him portray this larger-than-life manifestation of a child's incomprehensibly rich inner world, and now he's just...some dude.
There's a "mirror shatter" several times throughout the show where adult Tommy (facing the audience from inside the mirror) "breaks" the portal he's trapped in (there's no actual physical barrier beyond the glowing rectangle frame he stands behind) and steps into the "real" world. The actor has to physically mime breaking, and then stepping through, that frame of a mirror. It looks cool exactly one (1!) time. In one instance, early in the show, the lighting lines up perfectly to emphasize the divide between worlds and evoke a transcendent feeling, but it isn't even the big "reveal" of adult Tommy and they never do it that way again. When the big reveal happens (again!) in Pinball Wizard it feels slow and disappointing with no payoff— like finally hearing your boarding group called at the airport. You were eagerly waiting for this, so why do you feel so numb? That moment is so slow and drawn out! It gives student movement piece. In fact, a lot of the show gives high school movement piece. I'm sorry, student movers.
Actors
Most of the buzz I’ve seen about this show has been re: Ali Louis Bourzgui as Tommy. But I didn’t see him! So I guess I’ll never know!
My Tommy was Daniel Quadrino. I don’t have a lot to say, in the way that I thought he was great! I’m now writing this like a week (and posting more than a month) later with a slightly-less-than-fresh memory, but as I recall; his vocals were impressive, his presence undeniable, and his interpretation straight-from-the-heart. He commanded the stage every moment, and I really enjoyed all of his choices. He was great! No notes.
Alison Luff as Mrs. Walker was an impressive force; she brought personal depth and incandescence to a role that could easily just be The Woman. For the first bit of the show, I perceived her as a sort of typical mix-belt-MT-(I'll say it: Laura Osnes replacement)-girlie, which is not a bad thing! I'm a mix-belt-MT-girlie! I just wasn't hearing why she was the choice for such a rock-influenced role...until the second act. Hoo baby! Smash the Mirror happened and I was physically blown back into my seat. My mouth was agape. I would've called for an encore if I could've. She has some gritty pipes under all that technique! As I've been discussing, I spend a lot of time wondering what the optimal marriage of rock energy and MT technique would actually look like— the show overall might not've hit the mark, but her performance on that song might be as close as I've ever seen. Absolutely brilliant, entrancing work.
Adam Jacobs achieved a similar feat finding humanity in Captain Walker: a role that could just as easily be The Dad and nothing else. His every movement was intentional and flavored with layers of characterization— the sheer amount of work he’s clearly done was palpable every moment. His standout moment for me personally was the “Tommy can you hear me’s” in Christmas. Those babies rocketed out of him like lasers: brief, precise, and shocking.
My absolute favorite performance was Bobby Conte as Cousin Kevin. His first few little vignettes I was like, Oh, god. Here comes the prince of Musical Theatre Acting to show us just how far overboard one man is capable of going. Bobby Conte, I’m so sorry I would ever think something like that about you. He opened his mouth and I was swiftly proven wrong. By halfway through Cousin Kevin I was thinking man, they need to put this guy in everything! And then I checked his bio and saw that they pretty much already have. Brother is everywhere. I’ve so rarely seen stage presence and care like he was showing. Like…this performance is what I was picturing ALL OF BROADWAY being when I lived in Colorado. In my notes I wrote, “fucking FINALLY, a show where the actors are giving their goddamn all!!! I feared this man would burst a blood vessel. I love him.”
Social Issues
Even when the album came out in ‘69, its lyrics had their critics. The discourse continues today about whether the words “deaf, dumb, and blind kid” should be uttered on a Broadway stage; I’ll let you know how I’m inclined to see it right now, with the caveat that I am no expert and I’m always happy to hear from anyone who is more knowledgeable than myself.
To my knowledge, these words in this order are long outdated and incredibly offensive to the disabled community. Even with the modern connotation of the word “dumb” aside, this phrase has been used to belittle and abuse people with disabilities for a very long time and certainly should no longer be in anyone’s lexicon.
As far as its presence in the show: I don’t think Tommy himself is necessarily an offensive depiction of a disabled person (a la Sia’s “Music,” perhaps). If his personality was a caricature, I’d be like yeah. Get this shit offstage, this is fucked up. Most of the show, however, centers around the fact that he has a rich inner life, though everyone assumes him to be stupid. The people around him pretty much abuse him from start to finish (until he’s “cured,” that is), and it’s these characters who use the phrase. Canonically, they are bad people with limited views who are using the outdated term against him, and for that reason, I don’t think the words in the show need to be changed. They’re telling us a story about bad people who do bad stuff. Now— Pinball Wizard is performed outside of context a lot, and I think there’s an argument there for some alternate text. Would it change the vibe? Maybe! But it’s just such a good song otherwise. And with its sheer level of icon, I feel like it’s more likely for people to accept some alternate text than it is for the song to stop being performed out-of-context altogether.
As far as the plot goes, in relation to its framing of a disabled person…there’s a lot to delve into. I don’t think I can capture the full depth in this small portion of blog post, but I’ll certainly start! Obviously, the fact that the story comes down to “boy-is-severely-traumatized,-develops-neuroses-that-disable-him,-gets-abused-by-literally-everyone-for-90-minutes,-then-gets-magically-cured-and-becomes-the-messiah” is grounds for some collar-yanking. I’d call it trauma porn if the tone weren’t so lighthearted, and I don’t mean that as redemption. The twin views of disabled people as either helpless children or incomprehensible (read: godlike) savants are each reductive and harmful in their own ways. Although I suppose the point could be made that nothing about Tommy is meant to be truly realist…this discourse could go on for hours, but I think we can all agree it just isn’t the pinnacle of positive disabled representation!
Something I (weirdly) haven’t seen anyone else bring up: the entirety of the song The Acid Queen. I’m genuinely baffled as to why it stayed in the show. Well, actually, I’m pretty sure I know why, and it was some producers going “we need a sexy-lady-singing-loudly-song or we won’t make any money!!!” Just a guess.
In The Acid Queen, medium-sized Tommy’s Dad takes him to a strange woman who claims she can cure him by sending him on a crazy acid trip. Also, it seemed to my eyes that there was some more (yep! More! I’ll get to it) weird sexual shit implied? That part wasn’t explicit, but it felt impossible to ignore for me. Anyway, that’s the gist of the song.
First off, it’s like a decade long and it’s just the same thing over and over again. Definitely not a good enough song to make up for its shortcomings, namely, almost everything about it. I thought it was common knowledge (nowadays) that “gypsy” is a slur? And I can’t see any excuses being made for this song! If you’re unfamiliar: the term was historically (like 9th century) used to refer to Romani people as they migrated into Europe, because Europeans mistakenly assumed they were from Egypt. It solidified a perspective of them as dangerous, shady, greedy, dirty wanderers. Those generalizations still exist and affect Romani people today! Therefore: really weird choice to keep the song whose (near) only lyrics are “I’m the Gypsy, the acid queen, pay before we start.” Like…directly plays into those stereotypes and not in any kind of self-aware way. And to be honest, as far as the performance— they were asking some pretty heavy shit from the vocalist. She was great, but the performance didn’t seem sustainable, vocal-health-wise [insert not-an-expert disclaimer here].
Something I feel was, at the very least, taken note of and given an attempt at handling: Uncle Ernie. Uncle Ernie being Tommy’s drunk uncle who gets left to watch him for a night and sexually assaults him in his childhood. At the very least, this production cut Uncle Ernie’s second song near the end of the show which turns him into comic relief (and also is no fun to listen to). I don’t think much else was done as far as sensitivity to this particular topic, like, Uncle Ernie still hangs around and is drunk, but honestly that didn’t really bother me. It felt pretty realistic in a clearly-Tommy-isn’t-going-to-seek-justice-for-any-of-his-abuses-and-sometimes-that-happens-in-real-life-too kind of way. I think it was right to take out Tommy’s Holiday Camp, though. Hate that song.
I think…….I think I may have covered everything? It’s taken me weeks, months maybe? to write this post. I had so many thoughts. Overall, I left the theatre that night underwhelmed— particularly by the second act— but now look back on the show pretty fondly.
Some things that aren’t technically important but that shed light on the people who attend Tommy and how it affects them:
The gentleman behind me was so tipsy and so excited that he couldn’t help himself from singing along, then realizing he shouldn’t be because it’s a Broadway theater, quickly stopping himself, then repeating the process a couple songs later. It was honestly kind of cute.
There was a couple fighting so loudly that they got kicked out as we were slowly filing out of the theatre, and a (different!) gentleman behind me went “well, they were The Who, and SHE’S The Why!”
Thus, I leave you. Thank you for your time, truly, I love sharing my thoughts and I love talking about them with you guys.
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