By Amanda Berg Whittle
Tommy was originally a rock opera album by English rock band The Who released in 1969, which became a movie in 1975 and a Tony Award winning Broadway Musical in 1993. It is about a young child, Tommy (Grace Hunt), who experiences trauma, and the trauma causes him to become “deaf, dumb, and blind,” meaning totally emotionless, unaware of those who try to communicate with him, and unwilling or unable to speak. His parents, the Walkers (Heidi Potter Hunt, also Production Manager, and Cameron Kapetanov) try for years and years to help release him from this emotional chokehold, but it takes Tommy being able to release himself from his past to be able to finally release the person hiding within. When he does, he becomes famous for his miraculous recovery, as well as his incredible pinball skills, which he discovered before this recovery.
The Egyptian Theater is as cozy as downtown Park City is, with a comfortable atmosphere and size. I enjoy the Egyptian art on the walls—it is the Egyptian Theater, after all. The set of the show is incredibly simple, with just some small props and furniture pieces. There are screens that show the locations. Tommy’s emotions are the most fascinating parts of the set, and I was so glad they were there. Though Tommy cannot communicate, you can sort of be inside his brain when you look at the screens (Set Designer (also Director) Caleb Parry).
Of course, the first and foremost performers I need to mention are the band. This is a rock opera, after all. Playing live underneath the stage were Keyboard Sharon Datuin, Guitar Jacob Lambros, Bass Daniel Tracy, and Drummer Christopher Stilling. This musical is not your average musical, because it is very very loud. It’s supposed to resemble a rock concert, as the Who (according to producer and director Perry) is on record for having the loudest concerts in the history of the world. On opening night, they were still figuring some things out technologically, so the band overpowered the singers, causing the singers to feel the need to over-sing. However, I’m sure this was an opening night technical difficulty and not something that will continue. In fact, this improved over the course of the performance, so I’m sure Sound Operator Hyrum Summerhays and Sound Designer Kyle Lawrence recognized it and are working on it. Nonetheless, to me, the most important part of a rock opera is the band, so I didn’t mind rocking out to those loud tunes.
Some notable performers include The Gypsy (Becky Jeanne Knowles), a diva prostitute who tries to “cure” 10-year-old Tommy (Annie Potter) with drugs in the song “Acid Queen,” the incredibly creepy and sexually abusive Uncle Ernie (Timothy Behuinin), and Tommy’s sadistic Cousin Kevin (Austin Payne). All three of these performers exhibit the fullness of who their characters were meant to be, even if those characters are terrible or creepy. It takes talent to exhibit yourself as a bad person, and these actors pull it off. These themes (prostitution, drugs, sexual content), though not explicit, do cause this to be a show for audience members ages 16-and-up, as requested by the theater. Speaking of the young Tommys, kudos to hair, makeup, and wig designers Dee Tua’one and Evan Vincent for their ability to not only pull off some super cute 1940s/1950s pin-up hair, but also their ability to make these adorable little girls look like adorable little boys.
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The star of the show, in both talent and name, is the grown-up Tommy (Jeremy R. Gross). Throughout the show he appears, but after his breakthrough, Gross is truly able to show off his amazing talent. You can feel how free he truly feels in “I’m Free,” finally being able to express himself and be alive. He has a voice like Pete Townshend, singer and songwriter of The Who, which I appreciate, as I grew up with a father who really enjoyed listening to this band, and I have become accustomed to listening to Townshend’s magnificent rock band tenor voice.
Be sure to make your way to the cute town of Park City, and see The Who’s Tommy at the Egyptian Theatre. Go for a beautiful hike beforehand—you can’t go wrong with some outdoor time and then a musical in Park City. There is reduced ticket pricing on Thursdays, so why not? I promise you, this musical will not make you “deaf, dumb, and blind,” just deaf. Gotta love rock bands.
Ziegfeld Theater Company presents: The Who’s Tommy by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff
Egyptian Theater, 328 Main Street, Park City, UT 84060
July 6-29, Thursday-Saturday 8:00 PM, Sunday 6:00 PM
Tickets: $35-55, with reduced ticket pricing Thursdays
Egyptian Theatre Facebook Page
The Who’s Tommy Facebook Event
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