But Captain Walker reappears at their family home, his face badly burned, and, in a fit of madness, Frank kills him. Walker is an RAF pilot on leave and, when he is reported missing, presumed killed in action, Nora remarries holiday camp entertainer Frank ( Oliver Reed), who after the war becomes a strip club manager and a drunken, negligent stepfather to her little boy Tommy. I can’t believe that anyone making this film believed that gay and paedophile were interchangeable, but it was a clumsy irony.Īnn-Margret and Robert Powell play Nora and Captain Walker, a wartime married couple seen first where the film is to climax: in Borrowdale in the Lake District, the location for a number of Russell’s films. The Uncle Ernie scene was the one I found most upsetting when I saw this originally as a teenager, though watching it again now I realise I had failed to clock a very dodgy touch: Uncle Ernie is reading Gay News, with its “Obscenity Trial Triumph” headline. (Dennis Potter’s BBC TV play Brimstone and Treacle was banned for something comparable.) Tommy has lost his senses due to a trauma relating to sex and violence as a child, and finally retreats into the seraphic mystery of being a passionately worshipped public figure. This is a character even Roald Dahl would have flinched from imagining: cracking an egg into his glass of 70s warm beer and then proceeding to “fiddle about” with the blind, deaf, dumb and Christ-like young Tommy, played by Roger Daltrey. It is 44 years since it arrived in cinemas, and we were all shocked at that extraordinarily horrible scene with the paedophile babysitter Uncle Ernie, played by Keith Moon. Into a whirlwind of music and imagery for a few hours.K en Russell’s bizarre and ineffably seedy and fetishistic rock opera Tommy, based on the Who’s 1969 concept album, is now on rerelease. I highly recommend this musical for anyone who wants to lose oneself Television screens, made the performance viewable from any direction. Poor acoustics, the energy and sound of the band, coupled with the giant Musical director Wendy Bobbitt ably conducted theīand, which featured the talents of guitarist Scott Totten and former Rod With no mistake, the musical Tommy is a rock and roll performance After all, the Who was a rock and roll band knownįor their pounding chords and bass notes. Making the audience forget that they were the "bad guys."Īs a fan of the original Tommy performed by the Who, I was quiteĭoubtful that the same story could effectively be produced as a Whereas Tommy's oppressors, the drunken Uncle Ernie, played by StephenĪnderson, and Cousin Eddie, played by Michael Arnold, were quite comedic, The adult Tommy, played by Steve Isaacs, lacked the raw power of Rogerĭaltrey, whose portrayal in Ken Russell's movie version of Tommy,ĭefined in many ways the angers and emotions of the Woodstock Generation, Picked up and "thrown" about from cast member to cast member as if he was a Miss Levenson, at only eight years of age,ĭemonstrates both cuteness and talent, giving rise to a promising careerĪhead, while her brother Brett amazed everyone with his ability to be The traumatized young Tommy is played by siblings Rachel Beth Levenson,Īnd Brett Levenson, who are the innocent four-year-old Tommy, and His back against his fans, longingly to return to a normal life. Miraculously, Tommy becomes cured, as he gains "rock star" status.Įventually, Tommy is overwhelmed by all this fame and fortune, and turns Talent as he gains both fame and fortune, in breaking the records for the Through the pinball machine, Tommy discovers his hidden Mother and father struggle to find a means to cure him, Tommy gets abusedīy both his Uncle Ernie, and his Cousin Kevin, who unwittingly introduces Upon seeing his father kill his mother's lover, Tommy becomesĭumb, blind, and mute, irreversibly traumatized by the experience. Tells the story of Tommy Walker, a young boy growing up in Post-World War Songs such as "Pinball Wizard" and "I'm Free," the speakers overwhelmed theĪudience with a pounding, thunderous bass.īased on Pete Townshend's famous 25-year-old rock opera, Tommy Video projections, and over 20 tons of scenery and equipment. Illuminating a 30-foot wide screen, 13 personal computers used to control What appeared to be seamless scene changes involved 27 slide projectors Unlike last year's production at theĬolonial Theater, which was plagued with technical problems and computerĬrashes, the Wang Center's larger stage helped ease the complicated T ommy triumphantly returned to Boston last Wednesday, opening toĪ sellout crowd at the Wang Center. Book and Lyrics by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff. Tommy (Steve Isaacs) is surrounded by his new followers after they discover his gift as a "Pinball Wizard" in The Who's Tommy, written by Pete Townshend, and playing at the Wang Center. PDF of This Issue Townshend's Tommy returns to Boston with fine staging
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