Acid, loud music, flashing lights, suggestively clad women dancing closely with men: While this may sound like a festive party, it's actually a description of some components in the Drama Department's latest production, "The Who's Tommy," now playing at Culbreth Theatre.
"Tommy," named for the lead character, tells the story of Tommy's life. It begins with his father's act of murder, witnessed by Tommy, and ends with his transformation into a cult leader.
The play's famous lyrics -- "see me, feel me, touch me, heal me" -- are repeated throughout the production. They refer to Tommy's "sickness," which renders him deaf, dumb and blind. His condition seems to come from a desire to ignore the cruelty of his family, who expect him to forget the murder his father has committed, the physical abuse of his cousin and a molestation by his uncle.
Tommy's parents, concerned with their son's condition, bring him to every specialist they can find -- even an "Acid Queen" who drugs him up.
Eventually, Tommy is saved from his condition and develops a cult following who eventually rejects him.
The rock opera tells this story not through actions, but through vivacious dancing and singing to create a sense of excitement throughout the production. Tommy is a relatively short play, only running about an hour and 20 minutes, and therefore lacks any dull, drawn-out moments. Plot development occurs at a rapid pace. The play begins by zooming through the courtship and marriage of Tommy's parents through a swingin' dance scene.
Such non-verbal acting continues and thus, the dancing, singing and vibrant lighting star throughout the play.
One such vibrant scene, certainly the audience's favorite, involved a character named the "Acid Queen." Instead of just having a song between Tommy and the Queen, the play has her rise from the depths, hinting at the character's sinister quality. The scene continues as the queen's blood red attire overpowers the entire stage, increasing the tension of the scene. The choice to have bodies moving around under her cloak seems to give the Acid Queen an evil enchantress quality.
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One character who does not do much dancing, yet truly captivates the audience's attention is that of "Young Tommy," played by a woman. The director picked the right person for the role, Carla Lewandowski, who the other actors tower over on the stage. Due to her boyish haircut, she actually comes off as a young boy.
Another unconventional star of the play is the ensemble, the group of dancers who are present in most scenes, dancing and singing their hearts away. Most of the visual splendor of the play comes from their acts, mainly due to their fantastic costumes.
The ensemble dances throughout some of the racier scenes. During one dance in particular, two girls in the background seem to be feeling up their male partners with their legs. This is a musical through and through, and thus the musical aspect complements the exciting visual aspect of the play. The cast impressively performs the 24 songs that encompass the play (as each song ends, a new one begins a few seconds later). Mrs. Walker (played by Kathryn Budig) and the "Hawker" (played by Tiffany Jewel Williams) both have commanding voices and stand out among a great cast.
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Unfortunately, one major technical glitch weakened Saturday's performance. During one scene at the end of the play, the ensemble switched from headgear microphones to regular microphones. As a result, some of the singing was hard to hear. In the production, one singer was barely audible, and other singers had their otherwise appealing voices ruined by obvious fiddling with the sound from soft to loud. While the technical error was not egregious, the play is a musical, and the ability to hear the songs is crucial.
Despite the minor technical problems, however, the production showcases a talented cast and features a great soundtrack. If you want to hear some catchy tunes and see some great visual effects, then head on over to Culbreth Theatre for "The Who's Tommy." The play will run April 25-28 and costs eight Arts dollars for students.
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