It’s Tommy!!! It’s the Pinball wizard!!! See me, heal me, touch me, hear meee!!!!
ahem.
Awesome orchestra. Awesome dance choreography.
Great leading man Robert Markus who has a great voice for rock’n’roll.
The story itself … well, it’s difficult. I’m not so sure if a great Rock-album translates so well onto the stage. Tommy, who has witnessed his father – just home from the war – shoot his mother’s lover. When he is advised to forget what he saw he becomes mute to his surroundings, autistic in his behaviour. And he is again victimised by his drunk uncle who molests him. Only in front of a pinball machine he actually shows he is able to see and hear. He becomes the Pinball wizard, winning every game, coming to stardom.
And it is only when his mother, trying to get any reaction out of him, destroys the mirror he otherwise spends time staring at, that he breaks out of his shell. By now he has a pop star following, but when he just tries to be normal, to live with his parents, they turn from him – and we are back to See me…
The music is great and very well interpreted. The play less so. I hear it was Des McAnuff’s last directing work here and he also wrote the book. oh well…
Theatre and me 