© Eagle-Tribune
April 21, 1999


'Tommy' rocks into the '90s
By Rosemary Ford

Thirty years ago, The Who's "Tommy" broke the rules of musical theater
with a dramatic musical set to hard rock that explored themes of murder,
drug use and repression.

Today these subjects may not be as shocking as they once were, but are no
less captivating in a updated version of "Tommy" playing at Boston's
Colonial Theatre.

In this version, the music may be the same, but the staging looks totally
modern. With a chorus dressed in slinky black costumes and a multimedia
display setting a backdrop for certain scenes, this musical definitely has
a '90s a feel.

However, the musical shows its '70s roots in more than rock 'n' roll --
especially in its uncritical exploration of drug use. This production takes
a harsher look at drug use than other incarnations of "Tommy" I've seen,
mostly through the efforts of Virginia Woodruff as the Gypsy Acid Queen being
strung out and pathetic rather than mysterious and sexy as others have played her.

The musical begins during World War II. Captain Walker, a member of the British
armed services, takes a bride just before leaving for a mission into German
territory. Taken prisoner by the Germans, he doesn't return home for four years.
Meanwhile, his wife gives birth to their son and takes up with someone else.


When the Captain returns, he finds his wife and her lover. He and the lover get
into a fight, and the lover is shot and killed. Four-year-old Tommy sees
everything. Panicking, the parents tell him he saw nothing, he heard nothing, he
should say nothing. Tommy takes this instruction to heart, and becomes deaf, mute
and blind. For the the rest of the play, the Walkers try to get their son healed.

Eventually, Tommy's silence is shattered. Freed from his isolation, Tommy becomes
a symbol of freedom.

This musical lives and breathes with the stirring anthems of The Who, which
includes the songs "Pinball Wizard" and "Acid Queen." Besides being electric,
in this version of "Tommy" the cast is also pretty easy to hear above the loud
music, not always possible in some productions.

The show touches on many conflicts to captivate the audience, including the
way different generations relate to each other, discovering what personal
freedom means, and the dangers and pitfalls of celebrity.

Michael Seelbach gave a touching portrayal as the older version of the title
character, Tommy. At times he dominated the stage, demanding the audience's
attention when it was called for. In other instances, he stepped back and
watched the action unfold, obviously present though not imposing.

Mrs. Walker, played by Lisa Capps, portrayed the character with a
combination of kindness, anger and desperation very different from the
character portrayed in the ill-fated movie version of "Tommy."

The Captain, played by Christopher Monteleone as a Ward Cleaver-type of father,
did a great job with a limited role. The young Tommy, played by Ross Ramone,
also made a great showing. Michael Gruber, who plays Tommy's devilish cousin
Kevin, was delightful as a bully.


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