The Broadway Theatre Review: The Who’s Tommy

By Ross

With a sharp u-turn from the future to the past, The Who’s Tommy roars into the Nederlander Theatre with every fantastical visually projected trick in the book, paraded out into war and beyond. It’s the strongest of beginnings, amped up to oblivion with the volume turned up as high as the corresponding visuals. It’s passionate, hyperactive, and jaw-dropping as it parachutes its way into our senses, demanding us to take in the neon frameworks and wicked constructions that fiddle about. Directed with a flair for the intense by Des McAnuff (Broadway’s Ain’t Too Proud), the revival, with music, lyrics, and book by The Who’s Pete Townshend (McAnuff shared book credit), never shifts out of the high gear that it quickly shifts into, roaring forward with a force to be reckoned with, and it won’t back down until we submit to its abstractionisms and complicated storytelling.

Ushered around the stage, designed with intensity by David Korins (Broadway’s Here Lies Love), with pulsating lighting by Amanda Zieve (Old Globe’s Hair), captivating projections by Peter Nigrini (Broadway’s Beetlejuice), and an almost numbing sound design by Gareth Owen (Broadway’s & Juliet), several faceless bodies construct vivid scenarios with a forceful energy worthy of the abstractionisms on display here. Costumed by designer Sarafina Bush (Broadway’s How to Dance…), the robotic units keep the formula moving at a sharp pace, giving off a creepy Squid Game vibe that never lets up. The story flies forward inside the clarifying complication that exists in the brain of young Tommy, the son of a couple thrown apart and together again by war and tragedy.

The unpacking is miraculously filled to the edges with disturbing abuse and violent energy inflicted on the innocent. The boy goes blank after witnessing the murder of his mother’s new lover by an unknown father who was thought killed in World War II. The incident sends poor young Tommy into some sort of damaged shock that all the doctors in the world, it seems, can’t nudge him out of. Coined and rubbed together by the music that, to be honest, is somewhat distancing and superficially embodied, in between moments of catchy repetition, the boy is fiddled with and abused, giving the rendering a complicated stance of casual indifference to horrific encounters.

But when the music and performances soar, thanks to the phenomenally gifted cast that never is given a moment of peace and rest inside the frenetic and visually captivating choreography of Lorin Latarro (Broadway’s Mrs. Doubtfire), The Who’s Tommy completely takes you on a journey filled with emotional empathy and complicated connection. It is dutifully delivered most energetically by a cast of pros, particularly the magnificent Alison Luff (Broadway’s Escape to Margaritaville) as the mother, Mrs. Walker; a gifted Adam Jacobs (Broadway’s Aladdin) as the army father, Captain Walker; a sharp John Ambrosino (Las Vegas’ Jersey Boys) as the creepy Uncle Ernie; and a menacing Bobby Conte (Broadway’s Company) as the sadistic Cousin Kevin. Each finds their authentically crafted space within the visually hypnotic chaos to unpack their personal trauma and complications for us all to see (although I must admit I wanted a more punishing ending for the two relatives that inflicted the disturbing abuses on the young, “deaf, dumb, and blind” kid. A sharp look and a downcast shamed eye just wasn’t enough).

But the revival is really all about that kid, Tommy, and the trauma he experiences that first sends him into that self-isolated blank space. And the idolatry he experiences once the mirror is shattered. It’s a darkness that even the well-voiced Acid Queen, played with a fair Tina Turner energy by Christina Sajous (Broadway’s SpongeBob…), can’t turn around. It’s a bit prolonged, this journey filled with repetitive reimaginings, all before he is shattered out by an overwhelmed mother who can’t take it anymore. Played by a trio of fine and determined actors; Olive Ross-Kline (Off-Broadway’s The Waiting Room) as Age 4 Tommy; Reese Levine (Ahmanson’s The Secret Garden) as Age 10 Tommy [alternative performances: Cecilia Ann Popp (CAA’s Willie Wonka) and Quinten Kusheba (School of Rock/Regional) respectfully]; and most impressively, Ali Louis Bourzgui (Goodman’s Layalina) making his Broadway debut as the young adult Tommy; the evolution of the Pinball Wizard stares out at us blankly with a surprising amount of emotional connection and empathy. We feel him, see him, and most definitely want him to be healed by the warmth of maternal touch (and not the touch of that disturbed Uncle). And in that connection, we find the fullness of The Who’s Tommy.

In the hands and body of Bourzgui, Tommy projects himself into our racing hearts, even with the overwhelming reverberating sound that sometimes overwhelms a story that meanders about more than half of the time. The sound echoes throughout, courtesy of music supervisor and arranger Ron Melrose (Broadway’s A Bronx Tale) and music director, Rick Fox (Broadway’s Dr. Zhivago), sharing orchestration credit with Steve Margoshes (Studio 42’s Smokey Joe’s Cafe), and Bourzgui, in a star-making flip of the pinball paddle, fills the theatre with his equal edgy charm and fascinating charisma in a manner that is hard to ignore. He has a voice that surprises and alters our expectations each and every time he is given the opportunity. He doesn’t sound like the others; all expert Broadway singers and dancers who deliver solidly at every turn. But in a way, that is exactly what makes this production of The Who’s Tommy something to lean into. His voice carries the piece to an alternative plane, giving it an expected velvety projection that separates his soul from everyone else clamoring for his attention. It’s compelling theatre, even when blasted by the overwhelming volume and vibrations of the music and sound when taken down a windy road that doesn’t always register. Yet, it takes that meandering, sometimes disconnecting, musical and gifts it into our laps, to either love or to hate. I can honestly understand both reactions, although I mostly leaned towards a “Feel me. See me, Touch me. Heal me.” kinda love. Even if it is surrounded by loud and frenetic chaos and distractions.