The Who's TOMMY
The Herndon Times Review
THEATRE REVIEW
Elden's 'TOMMY': Rocking Emotion
By Michael Birchenall
Weekender Section, Page 8
TIMES COMMUNITY
NEWSPAPER (The Herndon Times & The Reston Times)
August 13, 1997
Once again solidifying its leading place in area community theater, the Elden Street
Players (ESP) had the audience standing on its feet at the end of Saturday night's
performance of The Who's "Tommy" at the Industrial Strength Theatre in Herndon.
ESP is the first theater group in the United States to secure the rights for this show
since "Tommy's" recent release for community theatre use.
Tackling the first rock opera written by Peter Townshend in the late 1960s is no small
feat. For fans of The Who, this was the work thrust Roger Daltry into rock stardom as
"Tommy" and projected The Who from a singles band to an album band.
Later cast in the 1975 movie based on the music, Daltry added to his "Tommy"
aura and Elton John and Tina Turner added to their developing careers with covers of
"Pinball Wizard" and "Acid Queen."
Now it's in Herndon and alive and doing quite well, thank you. Never a Who fan, I knew
the music but had never participated in the phenomenon of their rock popularity. I was
surprised to see how well the music holds up.
"Tommy" is told through Townshend's music and lyrics rather than any
significant dialogue.
Director Todd Huse sets the pace of the show with a frenetic vengeance to keep it in
sync with a rock concert.
The first act, which is non-stop music and continual set changing, develops the story
with rarely a breath taken for any reflection. Intermission serves to give the audience a
break as much as for any dramatic pause.
Huse has a keen grasp of Townshend's vision and is skilled in guiding us through The
Who's art.
The choreography, unfortunately, doesn't come up to Huse's direction. It's clumsy for
the most part and at times distracting. The Who couldn't dance anyway.
What's more amazing is the set moving by the cast as they whisk the props on and off
more times than one can count or even try to remember. Now, that required choreography and
is definitely worthy of kudos.
Eric Kritzler delivers the sleazy side of his Uncle Ernie with a convincing
authenticity and had a voice that soared when his role gave him his solo moment in
"Fiddle About." It made you wish for more from this talented performer.
The two young Tommys performed admirably as the story is woven through their growing up
as the "deaf, dumb and blind boy."
Joel Elliot Carron (6 years old) plays the 4-year-old "Tommy". He had a
wonderful visual grasp of the abused and psychologically damaged young lad. It was hard to
take your eyes (off) of him when he was on stage.
Joseph Baker plays the 10-year-old "Tommy" with a restraint that shows
remarkable maturity and an ability to respond to direction.
The adult "Tommy" is Jeff Obermiller. After getting warmed up to his persona
as the "free" Tommy, Obermiller becomes quite convincing in his personification
of the rock era of the '70's through the eyes of Townshend.
While not totally achieving the range of inflections that were trademarks of the Daltry
"Tommy," Obermiller acquits himself with a performance that moved inside the
audience's psyche by the show's end.
Wade Corder, as Capt. Walker and Deborah Wicks La Puma as Mrs. Walker move in and out
of the rock opera with credible performances that brought a continuity to the
"Tommy" story.
Arron Rothbart as Cousin Kevin showed flashes of brilliance, but his microphone seemed
to drop off at inopportune moments during his scenes.
Amy Lynn Holster, a student to Chantilly High School, shows evidence of a budding
career on stage in her ESP debut as Sally Simpson, the young follower of "Tommy"
who after being injured at one of his pinball events is the catalyst for Tommy's fall from
favor in the show.
She took charge of her small role and was convincing as an innocent groupie.
The ensemble group worked tirelessly with maintaining the musical background and
continual movement of the sets. They were a source of motion and music in tune with the
show.
The appearance and show stopping brilliance of Jessica Gammon as Gypsy near the end of
the first act is worth the price of admission alone.
She portrays the drug addicted siren who is supposed to lure the young Tommy out of his
dark world. Gammon performs the one solo, "Acid Queen," that revs up the
intensity of the show to the limit. She was the only performer to seamlessly integrate
choreography into her scene. Dazzling is the word for Gammon on this evening.
For all of the performers, except Gammon and Kritzler, the sound from my seat often had
a monaural effect that could have been the result of the positioning of speakers.
I know wireless microphones are today's technology, but it's annoying in scenes where a
hug is involved. The audience hears the thud of the couple's coming together and then a
muffled sound as the microphone is covered.
The lighting was superb, and as important as it would have been to any 70's rock show.
Lighting design by Les Zidel gets the job done with excellence once again.
Computer projection design by Craig Braquet was crucial to the setting of the scenes
and the mood of the show.
The audience was drawn into the sounds of the 70's by the superb playing of Joseph Gems
and his small combo consisting of keyboards (Myke Dombrow and Joe Gems), guitars (Scott
Dyer, Peter Hamm and Scott Ready), bass (Paul Frields), drums (Guy Stevens) and French
horn (Josh Yaphe).
At the show's end, the audience, after a standing ovation for the cast, turned their
applause into the rhythmic clapping associated with rock concerts.
More than half of the audience stayed for another three or four minutes until the last
note was sounded -- clearly as dual tribute to the lasting quality of the Townshend music
and to the energy and skill of the ESP orchestra.
Glitches and quibbles aside, the Elden Street Players paint a broad generous portrait
of the rock era of The Who with a panache that comes from talent and hard work.
"Tommy" should be a hard ticket over the next couple of weeks.
© Copyright 1997 Times Community Newspapers
