O.C. Register on L.A. Tommy

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/tommy-james-johnson-2074496-alice-ripley?slideshow=1


'Tommy' sounds good but looks bad
Review: A new staging of The Who's famous rock opera emphasizes sound over
visuals, with mixed results.
By PAUL HODGINS
The Orange County Register

Back in the day - don't ask me to tell you how far back - headphones were
one of the de rigueur badges of adolescent alienation. You wore them to shut
out the world as you listened to yourmusic. Those anthems to teen living in
all its messy glory seemed to imprint themselves directly on your cerebellum
when you were ensconced in the comforting cocoon of your Boses or
Sennheisers. As a part of a communally shared experience, though, headphones
are a bit disconcerting.

They're a required element of an odd new production of "The Who's Tommy" at
the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre. A pair of Bose headphones is perched on your
seatback when you enter the venue, and sound designer James Johnson hovers
over the mixing board at the back of the hall, tweaking dials and checking
balances to give you his preferred mix of music and dramatic sound effects,
which he recorded himself.

The result is a strange experience that has its rewarding moments but seems
oddly disconnected from reality. And it's not helped by a threadbare and
under-rehearsed production, which gives you precious little to look at while
you're listening and makes you wonder if the show's entire budget has been
lavished on what you hear, not what you see.

This "Tommy," which is based on Des McAnuff's clever, Tony-winning 1993
stage adaptation of The Who's unwieldy rock opera, is full of curious
contrasts in quality. The cast includes some top-drawer musical theater
talent: Tony nominee Alice Ripley is Tommy's mother, Mrs. Walker; Jenna
Leigh Green, who played Nessarose in "Wicked" at the Pantages Theatre, is
Tommy groupie Sally Simpson; '70s rock-funk singer Nona Hendryx plays a
memorably kinky Acid Queen, dressed in chain mail that must have been
ordered from an S&M catalogue.

Yet Brodie Alan Steele's sets look wobbly and meagerly funded. Tommy's
mirror, the story's most crucial set element, acts like a moody teen when
it's in motion; I half expected it to zoom out of the building in
embarrassment. The flying effects, by Icarus Rigging, are awkward, and the
actors look insecure in their harnesses. And Brian Michael Purcell's
direction suffers from fuzziness in the details. Many scenes are static.
Performers often stand around with little to do but concoct reactions for
minutes on end.

Some actors meet these challenging conditions better than others. Ripley is
a performer of considerable emotional range, and with her classic good looks
and powerful voice she can be magnetic in the right part (she's also a
"Tommy" veteran - she was in the original Broadway production). But Ripley
doesn't always make her character's direction apparent. She eschews the
Ann-Margret approach of voracious sexpot, yet there are fundamental
conflicts in the role - Tommy's mom is both a caring parent and responsible
for his deaf, dumb and blind condition - and Ripley fails to meld them into
a satisfying whole.

Hank Adams has more success as Tommy's perverted Uncle Ernie. He brings a
haunting inner turmoil to a character too often treated as a clownish
caricature. Adams' self-hating Ernie is reminiscent of the tortured Uncle
Peck in Paula Vogel's "How I Learned to Drive."

There are a few other high points in this very bumpy ride: Hendryx's
menacing Acid Queen, Green's needy Sally, the powerhouse voice of Clifton
Oliver (sadly, he's relegated to minor roles). As the title character, Aleks
Pevec certainly owns the Daltrey-esque hair, and he has an impressive rock
voice, but his interpretation tends toward the generic.

Johnson's aural artistry is the main reason to see and hear this "Tommy,"
and you'll have to be pretty impressed with it (and very forgiving of the
show's many other shortcomings) to enjoy yourself. Johnson, a talented
industry veteran, performs some amazing wizardry with the sound coming
through your headphones. When paratroopers leap from their plane, you hear
the "whomp" of the chute deploying. Legendary guitarist Ronny Drayton, who
leaves the band to make a stage appearance, is cranked way up in the mix -
sometimes too much - but the blend of musicians, singers and effects can be
magisterial.

Which leads to an obvious question: Why not perform this sound-dominated
"Tommy" as an oratorio? You'd save the trouble of building an elaborate set
on the cheap, relieve actors of the burden of climbing around on it and
keeping in character when they're not singing, and focus everyone's
attention on the best element of the show. Hey, it worked for Handel!

-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com
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