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.