The Who's Classic Rock Musical Owns the Ex Stage

Watching the harvard-radcliffe dramatic Club’s production of The Who’s Tommy feels much like standing front and center at a high-energy rock concert. An intense buzz of electricity runs through this production; from beginning to end, the audience is swept up by the quintessential rock opera, which extols the themes of freedom and individuality.

Of course, to a certain extent, the show’s ability to make audience members move with the music and share in its infectious energy is built into the piece. After all, Tommy is principally the work of Pete Townsend, one of the greatest rock-and-roll musicians and songwriters of all time.

Much talent and perseverance is needed to execute Townsend’s songs. And though no cast could ever match the vocals or the heart-stopping emotion of The Who, this cast comes respectably close.

In order to fit the production into the Loeb Ex and stay within its budget, producer Kevin E. Meyers ’02 and director Kenneth P. Herrera ’03 needed to dramatically alter the magnitude of the production. As Meyers explains, “The original production of Tommy on Broadway was a mega-million dollar spectacle. We realized we’d have to significantly scale it down from its original Broadway incarnation, and it couldn’t be a half-hearted imitation of the Broadway production.”

In the production that currently stands in the Ex’s small performance space, the props are sparse—throughout the show, the cast only works with a mirrored bureau, a table, some stools and a pinball machine—but the small number of props fits within a well-thought out set design. With the whole stage painted black and platforms specially constructed, the audience members are given the sense that the playing area is much larger than it actually is. Additionally, the ambience is enhanced by the painting of lines from the show, graffiti-style, on the wall behind the audience. With this minimalist approach, attention is drawn all the more to the actors and the events on stage.

The costume design is also simple but highly effective in drawing attention to the featured actors as well as to the play’s themes. Throughout the show, the entire ensemble wears black while Tommy is in white. In the first act, this successfully highlights Tommy as an oppressed figure swallowed up by the black-clothed masses while, in the second act, it reveals him as a unique figure followed and emulated by a faceless, mindless and identity-less mob. Additionally, some characters change the color of their costumes for certain scenes, exposing a change in their character or personality that may otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Although the minimalist set and costume designs draw attention to the performances, they also naturally put more pressure on the dramatic and musical aspects of the show. For the most part, though, the cast and band rise to the task, particularly Stefan H. Atkinson ’03 whose radiant energy makes him simply shine in the title role of Tommy. Michael M. Donahue ’05 is similarly spellbinding as the tormenting Cousin Kevin. Also especially praiseworthy for contributing the dark side of the show are the performances of Scott M. Rowen ’02, who plays the alcoholic and pedophilic Uncle Ernie, and Megan L. Gaffney ’02, who plays the drug-addicted Gypsy.

Then, of course, there is the music. The band, under the direction of Michael R. Callahan ’04, plays an absolutely essential role in this production, providing the driving force behind the unchecked energy that makes the show so enjoyable. With their playing, the band members receive cries of approval from the audience—and sometimes even from their fellow musicians.

Nevertheless, there are a few things that put a slight damper on the production. First of all, fans of The Who may not embrace the production’s rendition of “Pinball Wizard.” Though there is nothing particularly wrong or lacking with the staging or singing of the number, the fact that The Who are not performing it, and that the orchestration is altered for the theatrical version, make it less than fulfilling.

Secondly, and more importantly, the choreography for the ensemble tends too often to resemble the style of a street mime. Occasionally, this is visually effective, as in the scene in which young Tommy, played very well by both Sam Fulweiler (at age four) and Matthew Phillips (at age 10), endures the rigorous tests of the medical examiners. In other instances, such as when Tommy’s fans silently discuss his amazing pinball skills or his miraculous recovery from a near catatonic state, the technique is less successful. One may want to simply close his eyes and focus on the music.

Fortunately, moments of awkward staging are infrequent and, ultimately, almost completely obscured by the show’s many dazzling elements.

This is a great production. The cast is talented and it is obvious that they’ve worked hard, and worked hard together, to make this show so stunning. Most importantly, though, one notices not only how much fun the cast is having, but how engaged the entire audience is.

Tommy has a provocative message and a serious, if sentimental point, to make. In the end, the production succeeds in conveying this in addition to providing great music and a lot of fun. This production of Tommy is two brisk of hours of good theater and good music that shouldn’t be missed.