Tommy Live Thursday

My fabulous other, Rolf, came to see Tommy last night. I'm sure he nearly floated away on a stream of his own sweat. There was no air conditioning! Well, not until about 8PM. By the time they got it going, there were already 200 people in the house, and it was just too late. He could have picked a better night to be sure!

Not only was it *HOT*, but:

When Mrs. Walker's lover attacked me; the gun fell out of my pocket! I saw it, next to and behind the couch. When I threw the Lover across the stage, I picked it up as surreptitiously as I could, barely managing to kill him on cue. It would have been an interesting new story line if I hadn't recovered it! “I know I have a gun here somewhere. . .” I had a nightmare about having to fend off the dining room chair attack with a decorative pillow. “Take that, you!”

"What About the Boy” immediately follows. A great number for me and the MRS. Only, I didn’t seem to have a friggin mic on. And there wasn't a way to fix it either. Luckily, we had a master at the sound board. So even though I found the mic inside my clothes at my waist line, he was able to quickly adjust so that it picked me up pretty well.

During the quick change before all that, I had forgotten to move my prop cigarettes from my pants pocket to my shirt pocket. Then, while tucking in my shirt and tee shirt, I felt a snap that I knew wasn't right. But, it was time to go on! So I grabbed the gun and put it in my pocket and ran to make my big entrance.

That snap I felt was me pulling the mic off of my tie. And I soon discovered, there’s not room for both the gun and the cigarettes in my pocket.

Still, it was a very lucky night! If that the mic hadn’t fallen away, the audience would have clearly heard me say:

“Fuck, I've Lost the Goddamned Gun!"

N.Va.'s New Amazing Journey

Hey out there.

I'm having a good day. Last nights show, which was sold out on a WEDNESDAY, WAS CANCELED! Yeah, the theater didn't have electricty for the half of the building that includes the STAGE and the AIR CONDITIONER. So the cast roasted in there for two hours before they finally canceled the show. Then we all went to a party instead!

So, I got up this morning, had coffee and a cigarette on the "terrace." Wearing pants I couldn't get into before the start of this show, I got to work on time! I'm thinking to myself, "What a great party, it was a beautiful morning, I look good, I weigh 173, I'm on time. . . It's a good day." All before I discover my office door plastered with multiple copies of the DC Examiner review.

Now everyone keeps passing my office and congratulating me.

Yay me!

The awful picture above is from the review, which, edited, is offered here for your enjoyment.

N.Va.'s new amazing journey
The critic goes crazy as 'Tommy' takes LTA stage
By SCOTT ROSENBERGExaminer Staff WriterPublished: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 11:27 PM

Modern pop culture musicals seem to be all the rage these days, from "The Lion King" to "Movin' Out" to The Kennedy Center's current tenant, "Hairspray." But if you want to see the show that started this trend - the original rock musical spectacle - then you'll have to make a detour on your way to The Kennedy Center down to The Little Theatre of Alexandria to witness its fabulous production of The Who's "Tommy."

"Tommy," which has graced the stage of Broadway (debuting in 1993), could be a complicated show for a smaller theater to perform. First off, you need a cast that can handle the rock 'n' roll aspect of the show that most other musicals don't have - these are not your typical, run-of-the-mill showtunes. These are rock songs and must be treated as such. You also need an orchestra . . . scratch that ... a band that really knows how to rock out, and not in an Andrew Lloyd Webber fashion. And acting is important, but without the music, "Tommy" is really just a scattered story of abuse, triumph and pinball.

Thankfully, the gutsy Little Theater's "Tommy" is in fact an amazing journey, full of sonic spectacle and a visual feast for the eyes, courtesy of a creatively designed set that maximizes a limited budget.

What about the boy?

"Tommy," conceived by Who guitarist Pete Townshend, is based on the 1969 album "Tommy." The story follows the Walkers - Mr. and Mrs. (played by Vig DeBoeuf and J.R., respectively), and their son, Tommy. At the tender age of 4 (R.T., the first of three actors to play the title role), Tommy witnesses his father killing a man. So what about the boy, he saw it all? To cover up the heinous act, his parents tell Tommy in the song "1921," "You didn't hear it, you didn't see it. You won't say nothing to no one ever in your life. You never heard it. Oh how absurd it all seems without any proof."

Thus Tommy is struck down deaf, dumb and blind. What follows is tragic, comical and silly, touching on an array of topics such as abuse, bullying, religion and pinball.

Tommy becomes a celebrity because of his pinball acumen. Tommy is eventually healed by the miracle cure and the final moments of the show throw out the show's message, which is basically about free will.

Three titanic Tommys

From the get-go, DeBoeuf and J.R., who spend most of the show together, bring great presence to the stage, not to mention doing bang-up renditions of "1921" and "Christmas."

S.B. is quite good as Tommy, though his beautiful tenor voice was sometimes overshadowed by the music - but that's easily remedied on the soundboard. And credit must be given to the two young Tommys who mostly stand still, stone-faced, unflinching and unreceptive. It's not easy to do with the cast singing in their faces.

There are only two real low points from the show, and the first was the dancing. Some of the performances were a bit wooden, some overdone and they all ultimately lacked the uniformity that you'd find in a big budget show. But since the singing was so fantastic, it is a fair tradeoff.

The second issue came from the set. There is a large screen which cleverly shows pictures that would enhance the scenes. During songs, however, the screen would flash the song name or a lyric - and that looked a bit tacky.

As the show reaches its finale, the music builds and crescendos, with the cast billowing out to perform "Sally Simpson," "I'm Free" and "We're Not Gonna Take It." You'll forget that you're sitting in a small theater, becoming immersed in the wall of sound and the uplifting music. That's the magic of The Little Theatre's production - it'll make you forget that you're seeing a low-budget show.

And considering that seats for "Hairspray" at The Kennedy Center top out in the vicinity of $90, "Tommy" is a downright bargain with seats in the $16 to $20 range.

*Tommy* Live On-Stage

What a great weekend! Tommy opened to an enthralled audience. I'm sure ticket sales are booming. Two down, 19 to go!

I'm down to 173 lbs., so I look pretty good up there. Some nice comments I heard were that I look just as young this time as I did when I last played Capt. Walker 8 years ago! That's because I'm at least 30 lbs. lighter, if not more. Someone else said I looked "like a hot dude" on stage. Other comments: "Wow! I had no idea you could sing like that!" and "You and JR blend so beautifully."

Yay me!

I'm Mr. Walker and the fabulous, beautiful, talented JR is Mrs. Walker, Tommy's parents, in The Who's Tommy.

Last night, during Sensation in the second act of the audience preview and dress rehearsal we're backstage at "Portal 3" waiting for our cue:

Me: "That's not us is it?"

JR: "Oh no, we don't go on yet"
Me: "Yes it is!"

We rush on stage to find everyone frozen in time, not knowing where we were or what they're going to do about it. We said our only spoken lines in the show, and made our exit.

That's when we realized that our microphones had been on backstage, and the audience heard us saying: "That's not us. . ." while watching a stage full of actors standing around with "Oh, Shit" written on their faces.

hehehehehe

Hi ~ It's Tech Week for Tommy. My partner Rolf is away on vacation. He left on Saturday for the beach with his folks. I wish I was there, they are great people. But, I don't get enough leave anyway, so I'm glad I have the good excuse of being in Tech Week to explain to the family why I'm not there, again. Even after nearly 24 years together, we still cannot believe how we have been accepted into each of our families. It is wonderful.

I'm so glad that Rolf is away. Everyone needs a break now and then. But especially during Tech Week, when he typically accuses me of being a bitch because of the stress, and I typically respond that I'm a bitch because he didn't take the trash out. We have so many destructive patterns, we often wonder why we are still together. It is so hard. People often remark that they want to know the secret to such a long partnership, and I tell them, only half-joking, "Low Self-Esteem."

Isn't that awful? But what I really mean is that I love him. I love him with all my heart and I want our lives to be a beautiful and passionate partnership. And just because it isn't, doesn't mean that I'm going to stop trying. He is so wonderful. I just don't know why we can't get it right.

Of course right now he is bitter because I've been overcommitted with this show, and school. So we haven't had a lot of time together. And when we have, we've wasted more time being bitter toward each other than loving.

He's not coming to see Tommy on opening night. Since my opinion of the show is "It won't suck," he isn't pressed about it. He's mad that it isn't going to be an exceptional show like the last time I did it. He really became invested in that production. Also, I don't think he wants to be a part of that part of my life like he used to. His stated reason for not coming is that he'll be to tired from his drive back from vacation. I talked to him last night, and I told him that I'd probably see him on Sunday because by the time he got home Saturday, I'd be at the theater, and I wouldn't be home until after the opening night party. Then we talked about the possibility of him coming home on Sunday, which I agreed sounded like a good idea. Then he was pissed when I told him I'd be home by 6 on Sunday, because I have a matinee. But I promised him that I have Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights off. To which he responded "Well, I'll probably have something else to do." See? Patterns. Predictible and ugly.

In fact, it's not always like this. He can be so charming, and sexy. We have such good times together, and really can't believe what a beautiful life we have built. Our friends and families, and our home, we really treasure. I hate it when I'm having a good time, and he isn't there. I love holding his hand, and hearing his laugh, seeing his smile. And when we can sidestep our negative patterns, the sex is great.

I had so much else to say, about my first Keg Dive, about tech week, but I ended up saying something I didn't know I was going to say. So those stories will have to wait.

Take care,
Vig

Letter from home

Hi,

I'm doing fine. I said I'd get into therapy and start taking antidepressants, and I've done so. I haven't applied for any jobs though. I have set up a search agent to help me find jobs to apply for, at least. I've been on the drugs for a week now. Also, I've hardly had any drinks. I think the drugs are making me not desire them. I had beer the first day, because the pills upset my stomach, so vodka would have hurt. But days 1-3, I had nothing. Day 4, I had three cocktails, even though I said I'd just have one. Odd, I didn't really want the first drink in a way. But my intent was strong. As if I was thinking, "I'm going to have a drink, and not wanting one isn't going to stop me!" I haven't had a drink since Monday. I have a guest coming for dinner tonight, so I expect I'll have wine tonight. But the rest of the weekend should be alcohol free.

Tommy is going well enough for community theater. It won't be a brilliant like the first time I did it. That's a picture from that production above. I wish there was something I could do to fix the problems in this show, but it's not my show. I don't get to direct. It's a unique situation having done the show before, and feeling a bit humiliated that this production won't come up to that standard. God knows, I've been in bad shows; but this is going to be a good one. So why am I anticipating feeling humiliated just because it isn't great? I'm "living in a negative prediction", and I've got to stop it. How?

be well,
Vig