______________________TOMMY______________________


I'm not telling stories out of class by stating that practically
everyone in the Dallas-Ft Worth theatrical community is aware of how
badly Richard Hamburger dropped the ball between the local talent and
his reign as Artistic Director of the Dallas Theater Center.  Instead
of casting local actors, he would consistently cast from New York or
from his home turf of Portland Maine. As though NY was the only place
in the country to seek new, real talent or that it was the birth
place of theater. I think the Greeks would take issue with that.

Just last week the DALLAS OBSERVER had as its cover story the history
of the Artistic Directors of the DTC, particularly focusing on Ham-
burger's rough tenure.

During the DTC Hamburger years it snowballed into a vicious, hurtful
battle of tension & resentment between the artistic community and him.
Even I have my own personal Hamburger story as an actor. But I'll tell
you that one personally over a diet coke.

When he would cast local talent, usually they were regulated to minor
or ensemble roles. The battle got so bad that Hamburger pulled DTC
out of the Dallas Theatre League. In his last tenure year he even had
DTC pull out of THE COLUMN Awards consideration.

Needless to say when Hamburger left, the wounds were wide, fresh, and
very raw with victims on both sides scattered like corpses all over a
bloody and emotional scarred battlefield.


This is what the new Artistic Director of the DTC Kevin Moriaty walked
into. Last night his directorial debut opened at DTC, The Who's rock
opus, TOMMY. His first production as the newly minted head honcho of
DTC. His first job as director to be viewed by the DFW community. So
how was it? Read on my dedicated subscribers, read on.

In 1969 the British rock band The Who released TOMMY as a concept
album, but never had thoughts of turning it into a stage production.
Instead they just did the album as a live rock concert. Then in 1975
director Ken Russell helmed a film version starring Oliver Reed as
"the lover", Jack Nicholson as "the specialist", Elton John as the
"Pinball Wizard", Tina Turner as the "Acid Queen", and portraying
Tommy's mother was none other than Ann Margaret. The role of "Tommy"
would go to The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey.  At the 1975 Academy
Awards, Margaret was nominated for Best Actress, but lost to Louise
Fletcher in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST.

I must admit I'm not much of a fan of the film, the only things I do
remember was Turner's sexy performance in beaded fringe and my strong
distaste for beans.

Finally in March 1993 the rock opera arrived as a full Broadway spect
-acle at the St. James Theater starring an unknown Michael Cerveris.
Here's a fun fact, Cerveris actually performed at the Dallas Theater
Center as "Puck" in MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM several years prior.

That year I saw TOMMY on Broadway along with KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN, BLOOD BROTHERS, and THE GOODBYE GIRL.
It would be though TOMMY & SPIDERWOMAN that I thought were both brilliant pieces of musical theater.


At that year's Tony Awards TOMMY rocked into the ceremony with 11
nominations (including a nod for Cerveris), but the spell binding
SPIDERWOMAN (starring Chita Rivera) would take the lion's share,
sweeping all the acting trophies and the coveted BEST MUSICAL award.
Nonetheless, TOMMY would have a very healthy run of 899 performances,
closing in June 1995.

After soaking in the Broadway version, I was very excited when Dallas
Summer Musicals brought the national tour a year later, and I was not
disappointed whatsoever. The majority of the original version was
still left intact on stage.  So having seen the original Broadway
production and then the national tour, how does DTC's version stand
up in comparison?

For DTC's version the score has been dramatically altered and edited
from top to bottom. The score has been streamlined here to actually
remarkable effect. The show is now intermission-less. The score is
performed with sheer resplendence by local Denton band, Oso Closo.

They are a five piece band comprised of Adrian Hulet (lead vocals,
keys); Ryan Jacobi (drums); Chris McQueen (Guitar, vocals); Andy
Rogers (Bass); and a rocker chick to boot-Lindsey Miller on Guitar.
This band is the vigorous, muscular strength behind the music, pumping
glorious new vibrant blood into the score. From Hulet's soothing
vocals to Jacobi's heart thumping drums. McQueen brings the house down
several times with some ear shattering, mind blowing guitar licking
solos that left me screaming and hollering from my seat!

The production elements of this production would rival any current
musical playing on Broadway right now.

  Beowulf Borritt's scenic design is a contortion of metal, wood, and
water. A long, winding metal staircase serves as its centerpiece,
while in front is a long, dark & sinister catwalk. Anchoring the stage
is wooden platforms, but underneath is flowing water. The entire set
is framed by decaying walls with punched holes and metal beams. It's
a sublime design that allows so much of the staging to come to life.

The lighting design by Tyler Micoleau is mouth watering, jaw dropping
eye candy from start to finish.  There is so much "emotional lighting"
that bathes the sets that it almost overdosed me in subtext. The rich,
textured, layers of lighting for so many of the songs are just so over
-whelming to experience. From the stark, blinding whites to the
precise, pinpoint of light on an actor's face, to the glorious colors
that washed over the house-it was spectacular. Watch closely how
director and lighting designer closely worked in sync to bring forth
so much subtext. I won't spoil the riches here for you, but if you
love subtext (like I do!)-Micoleau's lighting design is a dream come
true!

Greg Robin's costumes are complimentary to the sets and lighting as
well, completing a trio of dazzling design elements. But once again,
delicious subtext crisscrosses here. Robin's subtle hints enrich the
story in his costumes. Example. Notice that when Capt. Walker comes
home, he's wearing a yellow beret. His wife's dress has a simple
yellow satin trim and little Tommy is wearing a T-shirt with yellow
sleeves and yellow tennis shoes. When the violence strikes horribly
on stage, Borritt does not bleed red lighting onto the stage, instead
he pours golden yellows. Then later when Tommy is an adult, there is
a golden halo gobo following him on stage. That's subtext and theater
magic all rolled into one folks!

Technically the production is marvelous. From the water that pours
onto the stage floors, the use of sending down magically a yellow
blanket, hospital coats, etc. to the cast, to the brilliant idea of
unscrewing light bulbs that become candles, to the final downpour of
rain on stage. It was magic. Absolutely pure theatrical magic.

When you've seen as much theater as I have, you want more from shows
you've seen before. New colors, shades, subtext, themes, etc. Nothing
makes my creative mind turn into coma mush than a paint by number,
been there-done that production. The direction by Kevin Moriarty is
positively splendid and awe-inspiring. The staging alone is worth
endless reams of praise.

Using the stage like a chessboard of emotion, he breathes powerful
subtext with characters and musicians moving in and out of sync
emotionally to give the lyrics and music bold vitality.  I was
constantly taken aback with sheer enjoyment watching the subtext seep
and pour out from his staging, blocking, and direction.

Moriarty completely retooled emotionally the book and score to such
new heights that left me speechless. He steered completely away from
British accents and World War I. Instead he thrusts the story into
real timeline. Thus we see Capt. Walker as one of today's marines
being brutalized by Iraq soldiers. Instead of teenage kids at the
soda shop where the pinball is located at, it is a group of today's
hip-hop youth culture.  He takes away the Gypsy queen motif and turns
her into a therapist, and so on. There are endless new concepts,
themes, perceptions, and ideas thrown onto that stage by Moriarty
that would make even The Who say, "Damn. We should have thought of
that!"

To use the band Oso Closo as Tommy's muses and/or angels is another
smashing idea that works impeccable magic that is interwoven beauti
-fully within Moriarty's cloth of musical theater. Then to use water
(representing for me rebirth, baptism, or the calmness of a mother's
womb) as emotional subtext is yet another terrific technique here.

Another stroke of genius from Moriarty was actually casting non-
traditional. An African American Tommy? Who would have the cajones to
do that? Moriarty does and the end result is superb. Take notice
directors; look at the talent, not the color of someone's skin.
Because of Moriarty casting this way, it once again added a fresh
coat of subtext paint to his emotional canvas. I saw new meaning and
depth to the piece that was missing from other productions of TOMMY
that I've seen…including the Broadway version.

Moriarty's direction is a maelstrom of powerful subtext, staging, and
direction. Not to spoil it for you, but the last half is darkly
emotional, raw, honest, and vivid in reality. That final sequence
actually made me gasp in the darkness from the stark, dark truth that
revealed itself, only to find light at the end. I've never seen TOMMY
done like this. Ever. This is one HELL of a directorial debut by Mr.
Moriarty. The man won me over big time. BIG time!

The entire cast is flawless, without a scratch seen whatsoever within
their glistening, pristine, glorious performances. From leads to
ensemble, they were all fantastic. The stage is littered with such
talent it would be impossible to spread the wealth of accolades here.
But there are even stand outs within stand outs here.

Within the ensemble, the two outstanding dancers were Luke Longacre
(a Broadway performer who just relocated to Dallas) and Tucker Ty (who
has several national tours under his dance belt). Observe the eye
blinding energy and stage presence these two dancers possess in
several numbers. Ty has a beautiful solo in the second half, while
Longacre is the scene stealer during "Pinball Wizard" with his
hypnotic, dazzling dancing.

There is exceptional work also provided by Chad Daniel as "Cousin
Kevin" (whoever came up with the idea of turning him into a drunken
frat boy is a genus!); Joshua Doss as "the Lover/the specialist";
Jordan Hall as the "Hawker"; Christian St. John Chiles as the 10yr old
"Tommy" and his counterpart Heath L. Williams II as 4 yr old "Tommy".

Liz Mikel is both outrageous and sensational as the "Acid Queen".
Using that lion roar like singing voice of hers, she devours her big
solo, resulting in thunderous response from the audience. Last season
Ms. Mikel devastated Dallas audiences with her beautiful performance
in Theatre Three's CAROLINE OR CHANGE, earning her a COLUMN Award for
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL. With her electrifying performance here in
TOMMY, she just might be making a second appearance on that COLUMN
Award stage come March 2009.

Gregory Lush provides a sick, demented, twisted, scene stealing per-
formance as pedophile "Uncle Ernie". I've never seen this actor on
stage before, so the first thing that impressed me immediately was
what an exquisite set of vocal pipes this actor possesses. His two big
numbers are first rate from start to finish. Using the rubber duckie
as a sadistic, disturbing visual of his disgusting crime on the boy is
unnerving to say the least. Talk about a play on symbolism here. Think
about it. Remember SEASAME STREET and Ernie the puppet? What song is that cloth puppet remembered for?  What else but "Rubber Duckie". Now
look at Lush's character's name again.

Portraying Tommy's parents are two Broadway performers who are both
magnificent in this rock opera- Nehal Joshi as "Captain Walker" and
Betsy Wolfe as "Mrs. Walker". These two thespians have rock infused,
powerful, gorgeous singing voices that blend perfectly within the
score of booming rock and ear shattering guitar licks. However, it is
their chemistry and subtext within each other and their child that
truly impressed me. Observe all this during their duet, "I Believe My
Own Eyes". I was seated so close to them during this number that I
could touch them. Thus I was able to see within their eyes and body
the strength of their love for each other, their marriage, and the
illnesses of their boy. The audience was so floored by this duet that
there was actual silence in the theater as patrons soaked their pain
deep within themselves. Joshi and Wolfe are just sublime in DTC's
TOMMY.

Leading the company is Cedric Neal as the adult "Tommy". Usually this
character appears much earlier on stage in past incarnations of this
musical, but not here. Instead Moriarty keeps Neal hidden until midway
the production. This creates Neal's performance to hit the audience
like an eye blinding fireworks explosion finale. And boy does he
ever! Neal has already delivered glowing performances around town in
AIDA, TICK TICK BOOM & THE NORMAL HEART.
For his performance in TOMMY,
he has outdone himself. First to hear Tommy's solos sung in a
powerful, rich, bold, vibrant, and soaring voice is just remarkable
to listen to from the darkness of the theater. I've never heard this
score sung so marvelously like Neal's vocal work here. Each of his
solos glides and sails into the audience like a glorious rock/pop/
soul layered revival. Examples of these include "Mother and Son";
"Sensation", and the tour de force spectacular "I'm Free".

Then there's Neal's deeply emotional, cathartic, and heart breaking
acting within his characterization. Observe how his face displays in
vivid detail his heart and soul. To complete the package there is that
eye blinding stage presence. Something tells me that if Neal continues
to produce stage work like this, Broadway will soon be calling him.

Speaking of songs, the production is chockfull of show stopping
numbers, from solos to full company numbers. Too many to list here,
suffice to say wait till you see this cast take hold of "Pinball
Wizard", which has to be one of the most outstanding full company
numbers I have ever witnessed. The singing. The band. The dancers.
The acting. The passion. The commitment. How good was it? It was met
with such ear shattering, thunderous applause, screams, and hollers
that the cast had to hold what seemed forever for the audience to
subside. Another magnificent company number is "We're Not Gonna Take
it". I'll let you experience it yourself, for it is sheer musical
theater bliss.

So that's what I thought of Kevin Moriarty's directorial debut with
the Dallas Theater Center. Casting some of our smashing talent in
leading and supporting roles has greatly repaired the damage Hamburger
left between this theater community and DTC.

For this actor/critic, DTC's TOMMY actually surpasses
by milestones the film version, the national tour, and even-
yes-the original Broad-way production.

It's a version of TOMMY that I've never sat through in a theater. If
DTC was smart, they would call up some Broadway producers to come see
this production and transfer it to the great white way-with this
original company intact.

I mean with such over bloated dreg like GREASE and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
currently playing on Broadway, DTC's TOMMY would shake the great white
way to its very core. Luckily for us Dallas-Fort Worth audiences, we
get to experience it first on our own home turf.

You will forever kick yourself in the face if you miss TOMMY. Why?
Because I predict people will be talking about this rock opera around
town for months!


GRADE: A+



_______________________________________________________


The Who's TOMMY
Music & Lyrics by Pete Townshend, Book by Pete Townshend & Des McAnuff
Additional music and lyrics by John Entwistle and Keith Moon

Dallas Theater Center
Through September 28, 2008

All performances will be held at the Kalita Humphreys Theater located
at 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd. at Blackburn St. Showtimes are Tue-Thurs
at 7:30pm; Fri/Sat at 8pm. Sat/Sun matinees at 2pm.; and select Sunday
at 7:30pm. Single tix prices range from $16 to $60 & are available by
calling the box office at 214.522.8499 or by visiting
www.dallastheatercenter.org.

Official Hotel of The Column Awards

Official Cake Designer of The Column Awards

Official Caterer of The Column Awards