THEATRE
PREVIEW
Published
in KPBS On Air Magazine July 1992
That deaf, dumb
and blind kid sure does hang around.
It's almost twenty-five years since "Tommy" hit the scene, in
that ground-breaking rock opera performed by The Who. "Tommy" became their anthem, and a major symbol of pop
culture, with its eerily unforgettable musical themes and broad range of
contradictory subjects: spirituality
and alienation, unity and rebellion, abused children and religious gurus.
Now
"Tommy's" come to
McAnuff was 16
when "Tommy" was released. He
was playing and writing rock music at the time. "I loved rock 'n' roll before I loved theater," he
says. "'Tommy' had a great
influence on me... I have always been
puzzled by the fact that Pete Townshend never authorized or got involved in a
stage version of it."
"Tommy"
was written as a live performance piece, unlike other concept albums such as
the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper," which could never have been performed
outside the studio. "Tommy"
was transmuted into a ballet, a symphonic work, a score for college brass
bands, and a star-studded film (directed by Ken Russell, 1975), as well as a
variety of stage presentations with which Townshend had no association. However, he has confessed that "Tommy"
has been "a central component in my life since I wrote it. So I am passionate about seeing (it)
grow. I am curious to see how it
translates to the stage when I am involved in its adaptation."
Townshend and
McAnuff met in November 1991. Most of
their collaboration has been transatlantic, since Townshend still lives in his
hometown,
"Tommy,"
you may recall, is the complex, multi-layered story of a child who is an abused
witness to a dreadful event. He is so
traumatized that he retreats completely into himself, becoming "deaf, dumb
and blind," impervious to his external environment. His parents take him to all kinds of
specialists -- from clergy to doctors to a drugged-out "Acid Queen"
-- seeking any kind of cure. Meanwhile,
Tommy becomes a "Pinball Wizard," playing only by sensation. His obsession with his own image in a mirror
is shattered when the mirror is broken; he then regains his sensory abilities
and is heralded as a messiah. But Tommy
becomes a despot whose disciples ultimately rebel.
In a 1968
interview in Rolling Stone magazine, Townshend expanded on his vision of
Tommy: "Because the boy is deaf,
dumb and blind, he sees things as vibrations, which we translate as music. That's really what we want to do -- create
this feeling that when you listen to music you can actually become... aware of
what he is all about... To us, it's
nothing to be able to see and hear and speak, but to him it's absolutely
overwhelming."
Townshend used
to be known for smashing guitars during Who concerts. But McAnuff describes him a "an erudite, witty, warm human
being, an extremely good collaborator who's genuinely interested in
theater." Although he has not
spent much time in
Lest one think
that this is all retro, nostalgia stuff, all tie-dye and flower children,
McAnuff is quick to assure that “Tommy” is a period piece. It ranges roughly from 1940 to 1963 and
concerns a boy who was ten years old during World War II. The music and story will not be
updated. "What makes it universal
is some sense of truthfulness," says McAnuff. "Why bother to update a wonderful piece of music? And the issues of child abuse, violent acts,
falling into oneself and finding spiritual meaning in life -- these are even
more relevant today. I don't think it's
a generational thing. 'Tommy' played a
huge role in popular culture, but I do think it's a work of art and deserves to
be treated with respect and staged fairly seriously. I don't think of it as a fantastical, psychedelic thing. This production is not exactly austere, but
it's grounded in reality."
One of the 23
cast members, Tom Flynn, appears in several roles in “Tommy”, including the
Minister. "I'm the first one who
tries to reach Tommy," the dark-haired, dark-eyed bass-baritone says with
a winning smile. "I'm the symbol
of the church as the first place parents would turn for help." Flynn has also performed in “Elmer Gantry”
at the Playhouse, and in the national touring company of “Chess”, both directed
by McAnuff. Now 33, Flynn was only a
kid when the "Tommy" album was released. But he was blown away by the movie, although he admits that he
"didn't really understand it; it was so non-linear." This production is "much more linear. It tells a story, but still goes into the
recesses of the mind... You can't help but be moved by the music. The first time you hear "See me, feel
me," it's chilling. I think it's
one of the great 8-note melodies ever written.
"This has
the potential of being a huge publicity event," Flynn continues. "You're talking about one of the
greatest rock 'n' roll bands of the sixties and seventies. The media world is ecstatic. I don't even think “I” realize the full
scope of who Pete Townshend is."
The
significance is not lost on McAnuff.
There are no definitive plans for the future, but he says, with understatement,
"If this goes well, we're not gonna need to shop or peddle this
piece."
The La Jolla
Playhouse production of “Tommy” runs from July 9-August 9 in the Mandell Weiss
Theatre.
©1992 Patté
Productions Inc.