February 10 - 20, 2011
The Who's Tommy
Book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff
Music and Lyrics by Pete Townshend
Additional Music and Lyrics by John Entwistle and Keith Moon
Directed by Oanh Nguyen*^
Choreographed by Kelly Todd*
Musical Direction by Mike Wilkins**
- 02/09/11 ARTICLE: Newport Beach Independent
- 02/09/11 ARTICLE: Live OC
- 02/10/11 ARTICLE: Daily Pilot
- 02/11/11 REVIEW: Los Angeles Times
- 02/11/11 REVIEW: Orange County Register
- 02/11/11 REVIEW:
StageSceneLA
WOW! - 02/14/11 REVIEW: Coast Magazine
- 02/15/11 REVIEW: OC Weekly
- 02/15/11 REVIEW: Yahoo! Associated Content
- 02/16/11 REVIEW: OC Arts & Culture
THEATER ARTICLE
'Tommy' hits the stage here
by Roger Bloom, Newport Beach Independent
[ Link to Newport Beach Independent ]
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| Kellie
Spill, Kyle Cooper, Elena Murray Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio  |
The Segerstrom Center for the Arts is taking a Chance this weekend and next, but it’s a sure bet.
The Chance Theater production of “The Who’s Tommy, ” which drew stellar reviews and Ovation Awards nominations for its summer run on that theater’s Anaheim stage, is playing for two extended weekends on the Founder’s Hall stage at The Center.
It is being directed by Oanh Nguyen, who helmed the first go-round at Chance, and features the choreography, lighting and video that wowed everyone in Anaheim, reworked for the larger Founder’s Hall space.
“We had 3,000 lighting an projection cues,” Nguyen said of the summer production. “But we’ve almost doubled that now. … It’s been revamped thoroughly.”
Nguyen is the Chance Theater’s co-founder and artistic director, but is no stranger to the The Center. He has also been tapped by South Coast Repertory to lead a program called the Studio Series, bringing local performing arts companies to SCR’s studio stage.
It wasn’t the SCR connection that got “Tommy” to the Founder’s Hall, however.
“It was Terry Dwyer’s idea,” Nguyen said. “He came to see the show, then brought some others from the Center to see the show.”
Dwyer, now the CEO of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, was in charge of the La Jolla Playhouse when in 1992 it debuted “The Who’s Tommy,” a collaboration between composer Pete Townshend and La Jolla’s artistic director, Des McAnuff.
“It was the first musical I worked on in La Jolla,” Dwyer recalled last week.
“I’ve seen a number of shows at the Chance Theater,” said Dwyer. “It’s a grat theater. We’ve been looking for partnerships in Orange County, and it seemed like a natural place to start. So we started talking about making ‘Tommy’ the first partnership.”
How does it feel to be involved in “Tommy” again after all these years?
“Oanh is a great talent,” Dwyer said. “It’s quite a different take on the show. He’s dealing with significantly different physical spaces, and that going to shape the production, but they both have that raw rock n’ roll energy.”
For his part, Nguyen is happy to be in Founder’s Hall, a smaller second stage attached to the original Performing Arts Center building, which has been somewhat replaced by the Samueli Theater in the new Segerstrom Concert Hall structure.
“I think that space has been under-used,” said Nguyen. Pointing out that it’s twice as large as his group’s Anaheim space, he adds. “and I like its grittiness, it fits our production. The Samueli maybe is too clean for us.”
Shows are Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. through Feb. 20. For Tickets and information, call 714-556-ARTS or visit www.scfta.org.
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THEATER ARTICLE
Orange County's Art Scene gets
a facelift as The Center debuts The Who's Tommy under their new name
by Daniel Albert, Live OC
[ Link to Live OC ]
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| Alex
Bueno, Dan Flapper, Elena Murray, Kyle Cooper, Seth Dusky, Paul Hovannes, Brynne
McManimie, Israel Cortez, Kellie Spill Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
When it comes to Art and Entertainment in Orange County, the Segerstrom name is sure to come up in almost every conversation. The Segerstrom family’s unwavering support of a once simple idea, to build an arts pavilion unrivaled in California and even perhaps the United States, has made the impossible possible. Since its humble beginnings, The Orange County Performing Arts Center has brought Orange County some of the world’s most famous performances in every category of the arts from dance and Broadway, to symphony and comedy.
At a festive public ceremony attended by Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and before a crowd of 1,500 guests, Thomas V. McKernan, chairman of the of Orange County Performing Arts Center, announced that the Center has changed its name to Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The new name honors the extraordinary contributions of the Segerstrom family, whose unending commitment has been at the core of the Center’s success. Successive gifts of land and generous contributions by the Segerstrom family since 1974 have enabled the Center to expand its campus beyond the original footprint, while providing a solid foundation for presenting and producing the best in the performing arts and providing far-reaching education programs.
Henry Segerstrom, a managing partner of C.J. Segerstrom & Sons and founding chairman of the Orange County Performing Arts Center said, “On behalf of the entire Segerstrom family, I want to thank the Board of the Center for conferring on us the most meaningful recognition we could have. It has been our family’s privilege and honor to give back to the community and to ensure that the future of the Center will be a bright one. The naming of Segerstrom Center for the Arts is greatly appreciated and is an acknowledgement that touches each of us very deeply.”
In addition to a new international artistic initiative that will create a major new dance event showcasing two of the most renowned stars of the Bolshoi Ballet, Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts will kick off their new season with a bang as they debut the acclaimed Chance Theater production of The Who’s Tommy. This performance will take place February 10th through the 20th in Founders Hall as part of its Off Center Series which includes eclectic and innovative performance work from a multitude to artists. Also as part of the initiative, over the course of the season, Segerstrom Center for the Arts will make more than 10,000 tickets available for the special price of $10 each, with a predetermined number of these “Access for All” tickets set aside for every performance—ensuring that even the tightest budgets can accommodate a show at the center.
Tommy tells the story of a boy who is psychosomatically induced into a catatonic state when he witnesses a tragedy veiled through a mirrored reflection. Growing up now deaf, dumb and blind, his parents are heartbroken as they take him to numerous different doctors trying to diagnose the problem and figure out a cure. He eventually is introduced to the game of pinball, a game he thrives at, despite his disabilities and he gains widespread fame. Without giving too much away, Tommy is eventually confronted with the choice to embrace his celebrity or adopt humility and progress.
Chance Theater’s production of The Who’s Tommy opened on July 2 in the company’s home venue in Anaheim Hills. It was an instant success as it became the buzz of the local theater scene, later extending its run. Recently nominated for three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards and four Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Awards (including Best Musical), and named “Outstanding Arts Organization” for the second time in five years by Arts Orange County, the Chance is certainly one of the best ensemble based theater companies in Southern California. They were also voted “Best Theater Group” by MyFoxLA for two years in a row and received the 2007 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s (LADCC) Polly Warfield Award for Excellence.
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| Clarissa
Barton Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Center President Terry Dwyer said, “One of the Center’s goals is to enhance the eclecticism of the work we produce, while growing and diversifying our audiences. When I saw Tommy at the Chance Theater, I knew that it was exactly the type of project we wanted to produce, and I was thrilled when Oanh Nguyen and the Chance agreed to extend the run of their acclaimed production at the Center. We are excited about the opportunity to support the Chance Theater, an organization important to the cultural life of Orange County, and to share their thrilling work with our audiences. We hope that new community collaborations such as this can bring new people to the Center and help create an atmosphere that benefits audiences and the artistic community throughout the area.”
The Chance Theater production, which has been hailed as being “Among the most impressive Orange County productions of the year,” by the Orange County Register will be ongoing February 10th-February 20th, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 PM and Sundays at 1 and 6:30 PM. All tickets to Chance Theater’s production of The Who’s Tommy are on sale now for $35. Tickets are available at SCFTA.org, at the Center’s Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling 714.556.2787. For inquiries about group ticket discounts for 15 or more, call the Group Services office at 714.755.0236. The TTY number is 714.556.2746.
As the newly renamed Center quickly gets rolling president Terrence W. Dwyer ensures that not only will the center make the Segerstrom name proud, but The Segerstrom Center for the Arts will continue to be one of the United States’ most ambitious art venues.
“As we look to a future of unlimited possibilities, it seems especially appropriate that we mark this new era, and new name, with a burst of creative energy, adding an important new work of choreography to the world’s stage,” Dwyer states. “The new name of this treasured cultural institution, and the extraordinary artistry that will first come to life here, will stand as a testament to the visionary role and philanthropic generosity of the Segerstrom family.”
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THEATER ARTICLE
Who is 'Tommy'?
Segerstrom Center brings Chance Theater's production of the rock opera to a bigger
stage with even bigger visuals
by Candice Baker, Daily Pilot
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| Mark
Bartlett Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
A "deaf, dumb and blind" boy who goes on to become a "Pinball Wizard" and an iconic spiritual guru is set to weave his magic in Costa Mesa.
Anaheim's Chance Theater has brought its acclaimed revival of seminal rock opera "The Who's Tommy," to the Founders Hall at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
Based on the 1969 concept album, the remounted show, last seen in 2010 on the Chance's own stage, details Tommy's transformation from an abused, catatonic boy to messianic figure, with classic tunes like "We're Not Gonna Take It," "Do You Think It's Alright?" and "Acid Queen."
"It always comes back to the music, right? It's this really great show about alienation and the strength of family and the human spirit," said Casey Long, Chance co-founder, managing director and "Tommy" sound designer.
"Really, for anybody who thinks they've already seen 'Tommy,' it's going to be bigger, brighter and better than when it first came around. We've really pushed ourselves as an entire production team.
"We're at the Segerstrom Center, so we're going to bring it and show South County what we can do."
The Chance's production is acclaimed for its high-tech visuals, using full-motion video projection and an astounding variety of LED fixtures to tell the colorful, vibrant story — and they've stepped up the ante even more for this remount.
"I just saw my first tech rehearsal on Saturday, and my mouth was just hanging open," Long said. "When we brought it into the bigger house, it just blew the roof off, and it was fantastic."
Supersize me
Taking "Tommy" from a 49-seat theater to the center's black box-style Founders Hall, which seats about 166, required creativity and flexibility from the Chance team.
"It's the same basic staging, but we've really sort of upped our game," Long said. "The set designer loved the opportunity. We've raised the elevation of the set a little bit. They used to have to duck down a little bit [on the Chance stage].
"The lighting and video designer, KC Wilkerson, just won an Ovation Award [from the LA Stage Alliance] a couple weeks ago, and was nominated for two LADCC [Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle] awards. He has new toys this time around, and this time he's just having a ball. It's much more like that rock concert visual."
In the film world, when a movie wins an Oscar for best picture, people who haven't seen the movie customarily are given the chance to see it in the theater again.
"Theater's different from film," Long said. "Theaters get awards months after a show closes. Now it's this great opportunity for people who either saw the show or heard about the show and said, 'Oh, I really wanted to see that. I can't believe I missed it.'"
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| Brynne
McManimie Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Casting a vision
As part of a decision to explore staging shows in other venues throughout the
county, the Chance debuted last year at South Coast Repertory with a successful
remounting of a Chance audience favorite, "Jesus Hates Me."
This was followed by a major coup, when President Terry Dwyer of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, then the Orange County Performing Arts Center, asked the Chance to bring their acclaimed staging of "The Who's Tommy" to Founders Hall.
"I believe he was the first person [from the center] who saw 'Tommy' when we did it, and he actually worked on the original production at the La Jolla Playhouse," Long said.
Dwyer, the La Jolla Playhouse's longtime former managing director, had just started there when Pete Townshend of The Who and the playhouse's then-theatrical director, Des McAnuff, created the future Broadway musical version of the band's highly successful rock opera.
"Terry saw ours and said we have to make it work [at the center]," Long said. "He's been very supportive of us for years now. The whole staff over at the Segerstrom Center has been wonderful, and they've been extremely welcoming. It's just like it was with South Coast Rep."
Little stage, big heart
The Chance has received major recognition since its founding, but has come into its own in the last few years, Long said.
"We've been around since 1999," Long said. "We've produced fresh, contemporary theater here at our 49-seat venue. Intimacy is a major factor, and one of our core values here."
This year, the Chance is putting on six shows — four of which are major premieres. They sport their own resident company of actors and staff, and this year announced their first resident playwright, Adam Szymkowicz.
The Chance will offer workshops of two of his plays, and is in the middle of the West Coast premiere of a new Szymkowicz play, "Nerve," a dark comedy on the modern dating scene. It closes Feb. 27.
After "Nerve," the Chance will bring to their Anaheim Hills main stage the world premiere of "The Boy in the Bathroom" from April 15 to May 22; the Southern California premiere of "Jerry Springer: The Opera" from July 1 to Aug. 7; and the California premiere of "Up" from Sept. 23 to Oct. 23. Their holiday series will include "Anne of Green Gables" from Nov. 18 to Dec. 27, and "The Eight: Reindeer Monologues" from Nov. 29 to Dec. 20.
The Chance is in the middle of a four-year campaign to reach 1,500 subscribers by 2015, in order to raise artist stipends, add staff and expand their education programs, as well as put on more performances in their venue.
"Once we get to that capacity, then we can think about moving to a larger space," Long said.
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THEATER REVIEW
"The Who's Tommy" at Segerstrom Center for the Arts
by Charlotte Stoudt, Los Angeles Times
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| The
cast of Tommy at Segerstrom Center Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Never underestimate the power of a little hairspray and eyeliner. A teased-up, smoky-eyed Chance Theater brings its high-decibel production of “The Who’s Tommy” to Orange County’s big house, and the kids are more than alright. Originally staged at the company’s Anaheim Hills space, “Tommy” garnered such raves last summer that the Segerstrom Center for the Arts invited Chance to remount the show as part of its Off Center Series. I didn’t see the earlier staging, but this latest incarnation has a street-chic infectiousness that's more fun to watch than bigger, more “produced” versions.
On a bare, two-tiered stage, KC Wilkerson’s evocative video projections take us back to the London Blitz, as Captain Walker (Kevin L. Cordova) heads off to war, leaving his young wife (Wendi Ann Hammock) and their little Tommy (played by Cameron McIntyre at 4, Seth Dusky at 10, and Mark Bartlett as a teen). Of course, Pete Townshend’s 1969 rock opera is really the story of a psychic blitz: a boy who shuts down after enduring adult violence and abuse. The deaf, dumb, blind kid stands in for every generation’s rebuke of its elders: a dropout gamer messiah who suffers for his parents’ sins.
Director Oanh Nguyen brings a wry, SoCal aesthetic to story, supported by Kelly Todd’s choreography, Erika C. Miller’s vintage-cool costumes, and Julie Wilkins' hair and makeup design. The ensemble numbers, with their Mod-punk styling and robotic dance moves, recall such classic '80s L.A. groups as X and Missing Persons, with a smattering of B-52s. The charismatic Bartlett, whose Velvet Goldmine looks don’t hurt, excels during the ecstatic pinball sequences, despite some uneven vocals. (Sound issues of several kinds plagued opening night.)
“Tommy” is ultimately more sensory immersion than drama, and even focused work from Cordova, Walker, and Bartlett can’t hide the show’s built-in narrative flaws. Still, Townshend’s exhilarating music blows your mind. And Chance Theater makes you see them, feel them, and definitely hear them.
“The Who’s Tommy” Founders Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Ends Feb 20. $35. Contact: (714) 556-2787 or www.SCFTA.org Running time: 2 hours.
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THEATER REVIEW
Chance's 'Tommy' hits Segerstrom
by Paul Hodgins, Orange County Register
[ Link to Orange County Register ]
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| Kyle
Cooper Photo by Kevin Sullivan, The Orange County Register |
Anaheim Hills' Chance Theater marked a major milestone on Thursday when its hit production of "The Who's Tommy," which played last summer in its tiny venue, got to flex its muscles anew in Orange County's temple of culture, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Director Oanh Nguyen took advantage of the facility's technical assets, enhancing an already dynamic production with new choreography, state-of-the-art lighting and a sound system that rocked the walls.
The result was a sometimes rough-edged but ultimately satisfying evening of classic rock opera. Nguyen can be forgiven for getting a little too enamored at times with the whiz-bang possibilities of the show's new home – I felt as if the afterlife was beckoning at the end of an explosively lit rendition of "Pinball Wizard" – but "too much" is seldom a criticism leveled at this musical celebration of the senses.
Mark Bartlett reprises the role of Tommy, the traumatized deaf, dumb and blind kid who finally reconnects to the outside world through pinball virtuosity and other unlikely means. He's physically perfect for the part: thin, taut, with a coiled-spring energy that is released to great effect in later ensemble numbers. Bartlett's voice is powerful if imperfect, and he's got the magnetism that's essential for the role.
Wendi Ann Hammock returns as well as Tommy's mom, Mrs. Walker, and she's an expert at world-weariness – definitely an asset for a woman who lives through war, a bloody murder and years with an unresponsive son. Almost alone among the leads, Hammock delivers a convincing British accent. ...
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| Mark
Bartlett Photo by Kevin Sullivan, The Orange County Register |
The ensemble's senior actor, Beach Vickers, plays Uncle Ernie as a man tortured by guilt and self-loathing. It fits the politically correct modern interpretation of a child molester, but it's hard to banish the legendary Keith Moon's manic, over-the-top energy as Uncle Ernie in Ken Russell's garish film version of "Tommy." Vickers is a consummate audience pleaser, though, and interacts charmingly with the crowd when called upon.
Cameron McIntyre and Seth Dusky share the task of portraying Tommy as a boy – McIntyre as 4-year-old Tommy, Dusky as the 10-year-old version. Both are effective in a role that requires both catatonia and pathos.
Nguyen's production looks and sounds terrific in the Segerstrom Center's smallish Founders Hall space, which has been transformed for this production into a 161-seat theater with a sharply raked audience.
Casey Long's sound design includes some grandly entertaining low-frequency rumbles that will shake your innards. KC Wilkerson's lighting and video designs range from delicately beautiful to tyrannically overpowering – effective in this narrative context. The World War II images in the first scenes are especially evocative.
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| Mark
Bartlett and Cameron McIntyre Photo by Kevin Sullivan, The Orange County Register |
Christopher Scott Murillo's set is essentially a blown-up version of his earlier effort in Anaheim Hills. The performers make excellent use of the lighting towers, staircases and other prominent set pieces, swinging and dangling from them frequently in big numbers.
Those numbers are provided by a high-powered if occasionally sloppy onstage band headed by keyboardist and musical director Mike Wilkins. Jorge Zuniga is uncannily good at capturing Keith Moon's over-the-top drumming technique. It's undeniably dance music, and choreographer Kelly Todd harnesses this young ensembles' tremendous energy to great effect with urban, hyperkinetic movement that galvanizes big group numbers.
"Tommy" came to Costa Mesa as part of the Center's effort to integrate more fully with O.C.'s larger artistic community, and it seems like an excellent fit. Founders Hall is the perfect place for transfers such as this one, and "Tommy" is the kind of crowd-pleaser that should easily fill a smallish venue for 12 performances. I hope Center president Terry Dwyer and his crew continue to find more shows, and more deserving arts groups, to populate its stages.
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THEATER REVIEW
The Who's Tommy
by Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
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| Miguel
Cardenas, Kevin L. Cordova, Seth Dusky and Liz Holt Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
It’s not every day—or even every year—that an intimate theater production gets invited for a repeat engagement by a major Performing Arts Center. On the other hand, it’s not every year that an Orange County intimate theater production scores four Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award Nominations, wins a special Ovation Award for its spectacular video design, and is currently up for three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, not to mention its nine StageSceneLA Awards, including Best Intimate Theater Musical and Director Of The Year.
That’s why, as rare an occurrence as it may be, it makes perfect sense that the Segerstrom Center For The Arts is currently reprising The Chance Theater’s 49-seat production in its 250-seat Founders Hall—with stunning results.
The Chance Theater was tackling its most ambitious musical yet when it debuted its production of The Who’s Tommy last July. Under Oanh Nguyen’s inspired direction, the resulting production was quite possibly the Chance’s most thrilling musical ever, topping even the previous year’s Hair for visual and audio excitement. With state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and video design and a couldn’t-be-better cast, The Chance’s The Who’s Tommy (quite a mouthful) achieved the nearly impossible. It replicated the rock concert/rock theater experience in a 49-seat house. Spectacle and intimacy in equal measure—I couldn’t recall another show quite like it.
Now, less than six months after its initial, extended engagement, Tommy is back, bigger and better than ever, with all of its lead performers returning to the roles they created last summer and taking full advantage of the larger stage area offered the Segerstrom Center.
For post-Boomers, here’s a bit of Tommy background.
The Who’s Tommy began its life as a 1969 two-disk concept album by The Who, which spawned several Top 40 hits including “Pinball Wizard,” “I’m Free,” and “See Me, Feel Me.” Composed mostly by Pete Townshend and featuring vocals by Roger Daltrey, Tommy was the first musical work to bear the now oft-used (and abused) name “rock opera.” Ken Russell’s 1975 film version starred Daltrey as Tommy and Ann-Margaret as his mother, and the stage version being revived here debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse in 1993.
In Townshend and Des McAnuff’s book, 4-year old Tommy sees his father, just returned from World War II imprisonment, shoot and kill Mrs. Walker’s lover, and goes “deaf, dumb, and blind” (though it is not until he turns 10 that he “sure plays a mean pinball”). Tommy (The Rock Opera) follows Tommy’s journey through life, his celebrity as a “Pinball Wizard,” the eventual recovery of his sight, and his ultimate embracing of a normal family life.
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| Alex
Bueno, Dan Flapper, Elena Murray, Kyle Cooper, Seth Dusky, Paul Hovannes, Brynne
McManimie, Israel Cortez, Kellie Spill Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Narrating Tommy’s story (and becoming Tommy himself in Act Two) is a terrific Mark Bartlett, combining looks and charisma aplenty with just the right rock pipes to do justice to Daltrey’s original vocals. Bartlett is a Cal State Fullerton BFA student, and in fact, a number of other members of Tommy’s cast of eighteen are either currently enrolled in (or recent graduates of) musical theater programs at some of the Southland’s finest training grounds. The result is a production with the same youthful verve that has made Green Day’s American Idiot one of Broadway most talked about current hits. At the same time, by casting the show’s older roles with age-appropriate actors, Nguyen avoids the “student production” feel that cast-too-young musicals can suffer from. This is musical theater at its most professional, and a production that can stand up against the best Broadway has to offer, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale.
The adults in the company are Wendi Ann Hammock (Mrs. Walker), Kevin Cordova (Captain Walker), and Beach Vickers (Uncle Ernie), and they are all three splendid. Hammock and Cordova both have the vocal power and gravitas that their roles require, and an equally strong-voiced Vickers is a hoot as dirty Uncle Ernie, his pedophilic “Fiddle About” alternately hilarious and squirm-inducing.
In four of the show’s most thrilling performances, Paul Hovannes is a dynamic Cousin Kevin, his rendition of “Pinball Wizard” as thrilling as the best of them, Miguel Cardenas (Hawker) belts out a bluesy “Eyesight To The Blind,” Kyle Cooper (Specialist) shows of his own killer pipes in “Go To The Mirror Boy,” and Louis Pardo makes for an exciting Lover in “Twenty One.”
Among the ladies, there’s Chance Company Member Clarissa Barton adding her name to the illustrious list of divas who’ve sung “Acid Queen” (Patti LaBelle, Bette Midler and Tina Turner, to name just three) and giving the role her all. Brynne McManimie stands out too as Tommy groupie Sally Simpson as does Liz Holt as Harmonica Player. Then there are the kids, 6-year-old Cameron McIntyre as Tommy Age 4 and 9-year-old Seth Dusky as Tommy Age 10, both as cute as can be. Completing the stellar ensemble are Alex Bueno, Israel Cortez, Dan Flapper, Elena Murray, and Kellie Spill, who work harder than just about any group of triple-threats on stage this winter.
Kelly Todd takes over choreographic duties from LADCC nominee Allison Bibicoff, and like her predecessor keeps cast members almost constantly in motion to the music, that is when their multiple-role tracks haven’t sent them quickly offstage to change costumes again and again and again. The combination of 1940s, ’50s, and ‘60s costumes and Todd’s exciting, contemporary choreography make for a heady mix.
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| Kyle
Cooper, Kevin L. Cordova, Mark Bartlett, Alex Bueno, Wendi Ann Hammock Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Musical director Mike Wilkins on piano and keyboard and his stupendous backup band, one member larger than the original production’s, with Stephen Musselman and Chris Lueback on 1st and 2nd guitars, Robert Bowman on bass, and Jorge Zuniga on drums, sound like twice times that many as amplified to rock concert perfection by sound designer Casey Long.
Christopher Scott Murillo’s first-rate set design replicates the rock concert look Tommy needs, this time round on a considerably larger scale, and Erika C. Miller’s costumes are a dazzling blend of eras and styles, complemented by Julie Wilkins’ trendy hair and makeup design.
Finally there is KC Wilkerson’s lighting and his multiple award-winning video design, not only his best ever, but one of the most breathtaking blends of lights and video projections I can recall seeing.
Tanae Beyer is stage manager, Robert Hahn assistant choreographer, and Chance Dean fight choreographer.
When you realize that the 20somethings who first rocked out to The Who’s Tommy are now (like Townsend and Daltrey) in their mid sixties, there’s hardly a theatergoer too old for Tommy, and with a cast of early-20somethings on stage, this is a show that’s right for anyone old enough to appreciate rock music.
The Chance has no equal in Orange County intimate theater, and thanks to the Segerstrom Center’s oh-so-savvy programming decision, the brilliance of Oanh Nguyen and company will now reach an even larger audience. As they did last summer, The Chance’s The Who’s Tommy has blown away the competition with a spectacular feat of theatrical entertainment. ...
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THEATER REVIEW
Catatonia Still Rocks with 'Tommy'
The Who's legendary 'Tommy' rock opera rocks on at
Segerstrom Center for the
Arts
by Shawn Price, Coast Magazine
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| Mark
Bartlett and Seth Dusky Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Little Tommy Walker has come a long way from 1969.
In the over 40 years since his public baptism, he’s been the central figure of a legendary rock album and groundbreaking “rock opera,” a live calling card for The Who, an interpretive dance, a movie star, various international stage manifestations, and a Tony Award-winner, but nevertheless, he’s still a troubled kid desperate to find himself in a deeply dysfunctional world.
The “deaf, dumb and blind kid” was once again called into being by the Chance Theater Feb. 10 for this 10-day run at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Propelled by The Who’s music, enthusiastic cast and clever staging, he’s a fun date.
It was the 1992 re-imagining for Broadway by creator Pete Townshend of The Who that finally brought a workable fleshing out of the character and story that could make Tommy less an over-the-top abstraction and more the legitimate stage musical it always seemed destined to be.
The Who’s Tommy, as the musical is known, features a book by Townshend and Des McAnuff that adheres more to the original album in the first act, while charting some new territory in the second. Young Tommy witnesses his father, whom was thought killed in World War II, return home from a POW camp to kill his mother’s boyfriend. The parents' attempt to wash it from the boy’s mind leaves Tommy in a catatonic state. A series of colorful examples of reckless parenting follow while the Walkers attempt to either cure Tommy of his condition or make egregious errors in babysitters. Soon, the boy has been poked, prodded, molested, beat up, and introduced to a drug peddling prostitute. But playing pinball, of all things, is the one activity in the outside world the boy not only responds to, but excels at.
When Tommy is finally free of the condition, it’s deemed a miracle in the public mind and it starts a messianic following. But Tommy and followers alike soon become disenchanted.
In the interest of full disclosure and fairness, here’s where I must lay out my prejudices.
First, I’m a huge Who fan who has always held a big preference for Townshend’s other big conceptual work, Quadrophenia, over Tommy. The same theme – of finding and being true to one’s self— underlies both pieces but works much better in the former. The musical sweep of Tommy tends to sweep on by some of Townshend’s most important points and never packs as much punch as it should. And the excesses of the 1975 Tommy film by infamous British Director Ken Russell made the concept look a whole lot sillier. I’m glad most of that has been tossed since the run on Broadway. Nevertheless, the original album and film created ghosts that still haunt any production of Tommy I’ll see.
Second, no other assemblage of musicians can properly recreate the music of The Who, no matter how those musicians might try. No band in rock history was as dependent on the exact chemistry and contribution of each member for its sound (and greatness) as was The Who.
And lastly, there are singular performances in the movie – that of Tina Turner and Elton John – that are simply unmatchable. So, when any well-meaning company tries to recreate it vocally, beware. In fact, these elements seem an inescapable trap for performers and inevitable disappointment for Who fans in the audience. The point is both performer and audience must find a way around them to fully appreciate or serve a piece that is still far more worthwhile to me than anything Andrew Lloyd Webber will ever do.
The intimacy of the tiny Founders Hall at SCFTA also provided a challenge in the staging that was ultimately met without seeming restricted. Multimedia displays, a central sliding door and sturdy, strategically placed light towers by KC Wilkerson and Christopher Scott Murillo carried the load.
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| Clarissa
Barton, Seth Dusky, Miguel Cardenas, Israel Cortez, Kellie Spill Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Mark Bartlett, a Cal State Fullerton student, is a striking presence as Tommy and solidly leads the cast. While Wendi Ann Hammock and Kevin L. Cordova were quite respectable in their roles as Capt. and Mrs. Walker, it’s some of the others – as intended by Townshend – that punch things up in the plot. Beach Vickers’ Uncle Ernie seems to take the Keith Moon (The Who’s infamous drummer and the one who played the role in the movie) approach, balancing slime and menace with humor. It mostly works, but it’s hard not to wish for a wee bit more menace. On the other hand, Paul Hovannes as brutal bully Cousin Kevin carries just enough physical menace with the vocal chops to sing the challenging “Cousin Kevin” number.
Clarissa Barton as the Gypsy takes the gamble of attempting to sing “Acid Queen” like Tina Turner and mostly gets it, but again, it’s a trap. There is only one Tina Turner and Director Oanh Nguyen should have worked with her on making the number her own.
Brynne McManimie brings just the right naïveté to Sally Simpson, making Tommy’s final realization that he and his followers have distorted the meaning of his cure all the more compelling because the yearning, fear and misplaced views that represent his followers and really, the lathered up idolatry rampant throughout pop culture, has to all be there on her face.
The difference in earlier versions of the plot that is interestingly no longer present (something perhaps Townshend himself learned as the years passed from the original album to Broadway), is that Tommy once bought his own hype and was blinded and cut off by it. So when he asks his followers to temporarily deprive their own senses to achieve enlightenment, they rebel because they’d really prefer he just spell everything out for them.
We want the easy answers from our rock stars, gurus and politicians. Work for it ourselves? No way. While that is still true, Tommy is now shaken by young Sally’s desire to be like him. In fact, all of his followers would rather be him than themselves. The basic idea of finding and being true to thine own self is both more evolved and simplified now. It just works better in the modern version of Tommy and works well in this production.
Townshend created a story for the ages told with power chords. Four decades later, it’s more accessible than ever. And despite the inherent obstacles in the telling, Tommy Walker can, and does, undeniably rock.
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THEATER REVIEW
'The Who's Tommy' At Segerstrom
Founders Hall
by Nick Schou, OC Weekly
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| Kyle
Cooper, Kevin L. Cordova, Mark Bartlett, Alex Bueno, Wendi Ann Hammock Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
During the intermission of the Chance Theater's production of The Who's Tommy at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Founders Hall Saturday night, I overheard a young lady talking on her cell phone. "Yeah, my boyfriend is playing guitar in this band that's doing Tommy right now," she said. Until that moment, it hadn't occurred to me that the music, which was impeccable by the way, wasn't pre-recorded but being performed live backstage. The live score and the band's high-energy delivery was a nice surprise for anyone, myself included, who has heard Tommy more times than they would care to remember. Shout-outs, therefore, all around to Mike Wilkins (piano/keyboard), Stephen Musselman and Chris Luebeck (guitars), Robert Bowman (bass) and Jorge Zuniga, (drums), invisible champions all.
The music, as spot-on as it was, though, necessarily takes somewhat of a backseat in this production, which isn't so much a musical or rock opera as much as an interpretive dance-influenced, acid-laced light show meets glam rock cabaret performance. Ah yes, the light show. There are times, like when Tommy is doing his Pinball Wizard bit, when what looks and feels like hundreds of lights start blinking to the chiming bells of the machine, and then they bleed into a white flash directed toward the audience, with the effect that you feel like Han Solo about to jump into lightspeed.
The fun--and the evidence of Anaheim High School alum Oanh Nguyen's directorial genius--all starts with the Overture, which depicts Captain Walker joining the RAF and being shot down over Germany, where he's imprisoned for the duration of the war. This sequence, while simply staged, takes place as grainy film reels from the Battle of Britain compete with swerving, air-raid style spotlights and the sounds of V-2 rockets (or something) blaring in the air. By the time young Tommy witnesses his dad shooting Mrs. Walker's boyfriend--this production shares the original Who's version of events rather than that of the 1976 film, in which Mr. Walker perishes--the audience seemed transfixed by the acrobatic, stylistic tour-de-force unfolding onstage.
It's a good thing Mr. Walker doesn't die, too: the character is in good hands with actor Kevin L. Cordova, who brings a kind of a reassuring, stoic veneer to Tommy's familial horrorshow. Other standout performers include Beach Vickers as the pervy Uncle Ernie, who at one point engages in a comic, carnival barker style interaction with the audience, and Clarissa Barton, who delivers a sultry if ultimately sad and desperate turn as The Gyspy the LSD-dealing "Acid Queen" prostitute unforgettably played by Tina Turner in the aforementioned film.
There are no less than three Tommys in this play, only one of whom (the non-child actor Mark Bartlett) has a speaking role. His approach to the role takes Tommy as far away from Roger Daltrey as you can get, all the way to The Wall's morose, zombie-like "Pink" character a la Bob Geldof. With his spiked black hair, pale, blood-drained face and white, Clockwork Orange-style costume, Bartlett looks a lot like Halloween's Michael Meyers. Even when he starts singing ("I'm Free," "Sensation," and "Welcome") there's not a trace of the triumphant in his voice. It gives this production a decidedly more stark thematic tone than you'd expect from an OC-based theatrical troupe performing what in other hands could easily fall into the clutches of cloying 1960s nostalgia.
Just don't tell that to the fifty-something, leather-jacketed lady sitting next to me, who stomped her feet and laughed with delightful recognition throughout the entire show, pausing once only briefly to exclaim to anyone who would listen: "This is great! Doesn't it bring you back? Do you even remember those days?" Indeed, the spectacle achieved an adroit artistic balance between fealty and innovation so that someone watching something that's never been done before can somehow believe they're being transported back in time, say to the Isle of Wight circa Summer 1970. Speaking of time, if you don't already have tickets, it's too late: the performance is sold out through its brief run which ends Feb. 21. Just in case, though, consult the below data...
The Who's Tommy, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Founders Hall, 600 Town Center Dr., (714) 556-2787. Assuming a miracle, any available tickets go for $35 each.
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THEATER REVIEW
'The Who's Tommy'
by Randall Gray, Yahoo! Associated Content
[ Link to Yahoo! Associated Content ]
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| Mark
Bartlett and Cameron McIntyre Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Well, they have more than done it again. Chance Theater and its amazing leadership have brought back one of their most highly cheered productions, and due to the overwhelming reservations from the last time they had this show up and running, they have moved the production to Segerstrom Center for the Arts, in the Founders Hall.
Tommy is a production about the life of a severely traumatized young man. He lives in a time in our world's history when there was little if any understanding of how to best deal with the devastating effects of severe emotional trauma experienced at a very young age. In Tommy's case, the age was four, and the trauma experienced was murder. The production spans Tommy's life and shows the horrors that this young man had to endure as his parents all but gave up on ever being able to communicate with him. Then, in a moment of total exasperation, his mother changes his life, and Tommy is no longer deaf, dumb, and apparently blind; Tommy is for all basic understandings, normal. He makes himself an undeniable fame with the world around him as a Pinball Wizard, and in doing so achieves Rock Star Status. But alas, Tommy soon learns that this too is nothing more than a mirror image of what life is really all about and why there is a desire to live life fully.
The story is one that is truly wonderful, though tough to face in the eyes of modern day advancements for medicine and healthcare options for severe trauma. The music, in the genre of the famed rock group The Who, is sometimes hard to understand, but do not worry, the story more than gets itself across. The lighting and sound systems utilized and choreographed bring the show to a completely new and wonderful level of enjoyment. And there is not one actor/actress in the production that does not deserve amazing accolades for their abilities and dedication to this production.
Based on The Who's classic 1969 double album rock opera about a "deaf, dumb and blind boy" who becomes the leader of a messianic movement, The Who's Tommy originated at the La Jolla Playhouse in 1992 before playing on Broadway for more than two years. It is packed with memorable songs penned by The Who's founder and guitarist, Pete Townsend, including "I'm Free" and "Pinball Wizard." The Who's Tommy won five Tony Awards, including Best Score for Townsend's iconic music.
All tickets to Chance Theater's production of The Who's Tommy are $35 each and on sale now. They are available at www.SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, CA or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquires about group ticket discounts for 15 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. But, hurry, as the show only runs through February 20th, and has already been showing to sold out houses most nights.
Success is a beautiful thing! Expertise is a welcomed delight! The Chance Theater is both of these and SO very much more. The Who's Tommy is just one production that proves this fact. Also currently on the main stage of the Chance Theater is Nerve, a unique and edgy production that will truly make you think. So get out of the house and go see one of these amazing productions soon. You will not be sorry that you did.
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THEATER REVIEW
'Tommy' still able to hit high
notes
by John Farrell, Long Beach Press-Telegram
[ Link to Long Beach Press-Telegram ]
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| Clarissa
Barton Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
When The Who's "Tommy" first came on the scene as a double record concept album in 1968 - and when it was first produced by Seattle Opera as a whole in 1971 - it was a phenomenon, a battle cry in the musical world, a cross-over that some thought was an impossibility and that others thought was the first wave of an incredible, enlightened future.
Forty years on, in the Chance Theater production now at Founder's Hall of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, it is still musically electrifying and entertaining, but the cutting edge is dull indeed. What once was a look at the future is just a good book musical with a rock score - a great rock score, mind you, but even "Rent," the rock version of Puccini's "La Boheme," is a middle-aged 15-plus years old.
"The Who's Tommy" is the story of a child and then young man who goes into catatonia - blind, speechless and deaf - after he sees his father, returned from a World War II prison camp, kill his stepfather, the only father he has known, in a violent fight.
He is redeemed from a blank life when he is stood up against a pinball machine at a local pub. He can't speak or see or hear but he can play pinball, and his silent mastery of the arcane art forms a cult around him.
Tommy is three people in this performance: Cameron McIntyre plays him as the 4-year-old who witnesses the violence and goes into catatonia; Seth Dusky is wonderfully lifeless as Tommy at age 10, physically manipulated by adults around him; and Mark Bartlett is the 20-year-old Tommy who becomes the center of the cult and narrator as well, handsome, dressed all in white, finally appalled by all the attention when he regains his sight, hearing and ability to talk.
Tommy is the center of this musical, but it also revolves around his parents, Mrs. Walker (Wendi Ann Hammock) and Captain Walker (Kevin Cordova); Uncle Ernie (the broadly comic Beach Vickers); and Cousin Kevin (Paul Hovannes), who introduces the inert Tommy to pinball.
This show is a traveling version of the Chance Theater production that was a smash hit when it premiered at the company's Anaheim Hills venue last year. Its current venue, Founder's Hall at Segerstrom, is a small room that barely holds its vibrant musical energy. (Founder's Hall is not quite user friendly, either, around the back of the building, up two flights of steps and with restrooms hidden way down the hall.)
But Chance has managed to bring a state-of-the-art design into the small space, and while it doesn't do much different than many other high-tech productions, it is effective and gets the job done. You know from back projections and moving slides where you are in the program, and if the pinball machine is not the bells and whistles one that was in the Broadway production, the music is powerful.
Five musicians, all hidden from view, play The Who's score: pianist Mike Wilkins; first guitar Stephen Musselman; second guitar Chris Luebeck; bass guitar Robert Bowman; and drummer Jorge Zuniga. Their power is palpable, thrilling throughout the performance, and you could easily just listen and enjoy the music.
But then you'd miss the exciting energy of the ensemble, changing costumes and doing everything from a 1940s dance number to worshiping Tommy as pious (well, almost pious) acolytes, moving with the music and the emotions.
"Tommy" is still exciting. There were plenty of younger members of the audience discovering its excitement for the first time and a lot of older members who recalled it from decades ago.
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THEATER REVIEW
'Tommy'
by Isabella Konofalski, OC Arts & Culture
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| Wendi
Ann Hammock, Cameron McIntyre and Kevin L. Cordova Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
If you are a fan of The Who or at least know the chorus to “Pinball Wizard” then this play is just for you! Based on The Who’s 1969 concept album, “The Who’s Tommy” tells a coming of age story about a boy named, you guessed it, Tommy.
This Chance Theater production, playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts – Founders Hall, was in a more intimate setting than what I was expecting. Although I enjoyed the play tremendously, I feel as though the smaller venue really hindered the performance. Most of the actors overextended their voices and because of this, the play felt almost imposed on the audience. The actor’s big Broadway vocals seemed almost out of place in the small dungeon-like hall; this was unfortunate as each and every actor, whether lead, supporting or part of the ensemble, had a phenomenal voice.
However, with minimal props, the cast of “The Who’s Tommy” easily conveyed Tommy’s story of pain and victory. The two young boys who portrayed Tommy as a child were amazing; they executed each and every part of their role and without them, the play would lack a fundamental aspect. Although hidden from sight, the band that played the music was astounding and really brought out the best parts of The Who’s music. Every audience member, young or old, was able to enjoy the music to its fullest potential and was able to visualize each song as it was being played out before them.
Unlike tradition plays, this rock and roll version aimed to grab the audience’s attention. The technology that was used throughout the entire play was simply marvelous. I, personally, am like a raccoon – I react to shiny objects. And because of this, the lights that were used during the play really captivated my attention and I found myself wanting to see more. The light technology was almost a show in of itself; with flashing and moving LED lights as well the utilization of full video projection, the audience was able to change their perspective as the mood was set by specific lights.
In conclusion, I say go forth and see this play! It is pure entertainment that happens to feature great music, great vocals and a pretty cool light show. Move “The Who’s Tommy” onto a massive auditorium theater and watch each and every actor’s Broadway careers blossom.
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