'TOMMY' CLOSES THE SHUBERT WITH A BANG.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic Overheard during intermission Wednesday night at the Shubert Theatre The Shubert Theatre is the name for several current and former theatrical venues: Currently named Shubert Theatre:
Clearly, high-concept fare from the late '60s doesn't explain easily. Nor should it. Those meant to get maximum enjoyment out of ``The Who's Tommy'' - and we're talking Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff's musical here - are the ones who still buy into its ``see me, feel me, touch me'' sensibility. Fans of the Who and especially the 1969 album may find themselves in a kind of heaven as well. In fact, you really should love this score if you plan to spend a couple of hours with Tommy, Mrs. Walker, the Acid Queen and the rest of the gang. In his new touring revival, which plays a two-week run at the Shubert, director-choreographer Tony Stevens has most of the necessary parts in place to keep the action buzzing along. Retro industrial scenery - check. Plenty of doorway-size mirrors for Tommy, young and old, to stare into - check. Dazzling lighting scheme - check again. On more than one occasion, lighting designer Jeffrey S. Koger even makes use of what is fast becoming one of technical theater's more irritating trends: the blast of white light deliberately intended to blind an audience. Conductor Keith Levenson easily pilots his orchestra through Townshend's bass-dominated score. Some forced British accents aside, the cast seems to know this territory. The singers go broad when they need to. Which is often. Tommy is, after all, a rock opera. So why doesn't it rock more? I suspect, because the musical's younger- skewed skewed curve of a usually unimodal distribution with one tail drawn out more than the other and the median will lie above or below the mean. skewed Epidemiology adjective Referring to an asymmetrical distribution of a population or of data and nontraditional format - post-``Hair,'' pre-``Rent'' - doesn't feel particularly fresh anymore. As for our pinball wizard, the self-described ``sensation,'' he's not aging well either. Capt. and Mrs. Walker (played by Michael Berry Sir Michael Victor Berry, FRS FRSE (born 14 March 1941), is a mathematical physicist at the University of Bristol. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1982 and knighted in 1996. and Lisa Capps) meet and wed. He goes off to war and disappears, leaving Mrs. W. to raise young Tommy (Jacob S. Porter). When the Captain reappears at an inopportune in·op·por·tune adj. Inappropriate or ill-timed; not opportune. in·op  por·tune moment, Tommy witnesses something he shouldn't, causing him to shut down his senses for a decade or two. The best efforts of doctors, family and the Gypsy Acid Queen (Monique L. Midgette) aren't enough to jolt Tommy out of his catatonia catatonia (kăt'ətō`nēə), mental state generally characterized by statuesque posturing, muscular immobility, mutism, and apparent stupor. , but stick the kid in front of a pinball machine, and check out the way he makes those flippers n. 1. A type of shoe with a paddle-like front extending well beyond the end of the toe, used an aid in swimming (especially underwater). pop. Acting as a kind of spiritual guide is the adult Tommy (Michael Seelbach), who shares the stage with young Tommy - both dressed in white - to assure the kid that what may seem like an exploitation and neglect-filled childhood will ultimately prove to be an ``Amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. Journey.'' Tommy's parents, meanwhile, work through their own issues of frustration and guilt. Tommy eventually snaps back to life, becoming a kind of spiritual guru. Christ parallels abound. Seelbach has a disciple's stage presence, and he's blessed with the clearest body microphone. Porter, limp as a rag doll, handles young Tommy with a kind of floppy finesse. Playing Tommy's thuggish cousin Kevin, Daniel C. Levine is gleefully glee·ful adj. Full of jubilant delight; joyful. glee  ful·ly adv.glee wicked, a production standout. We've just completed an eclectic 12 months at the Shubert Theatre - the venerable venue's last before the Century City complex is razed raze also rase tr.v. razed also rased, raz·ing also ras·ing, raz·es also ras·es 1. To level to the ground; demolish. See Synonyms at ruin. 2. To scrape or shave off. 3. to make way for a high rise. From ABBA (``Mamma Mia!'') to the Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb — that became one of the most successful musical acts of all time. They were born on the Isle of Man to English parents, lived in Manchester, England and moved to Brisbane, Australia during (``Saturday Night Fever'') to Cole Porter Noun 1. Cole Porter - United States composer and lyricist of musical comedies (1891-1946) Cole Albert Porter, Porter (``Kiss Me Kate'') with a little Dame Edna in between. It would have been nice to give the Shubert a curtain call with something a little less cultish, but ``Tommy' certainly doesn't lack for energy. There's something in that. ``THE WHO'S TOMMY '' Where: Shubert Theatre, 2020 Avenue of the Stars, Century City. When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday; through Dec. 30. Tickets: $40 to $60. Call (800) 447-7400. Our rating: Two and one half stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Tommy, in white, joins the ensemble in a number from ``The Who's Tommy,'' now at the Shubert Theatre. |
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