‘Tommy’: an Almost Sensation at Winters Lane

SHOW INFORMATION: Through August 3.  Fri – Sat at 8PM, Sun at 3PM.  At the Q Theatre on the campus of CCBC – Catonsville.  Tickets are $20 at the door and $18 in advance.  Go to www.winterslaneproductions.org for information. 

◊◊◊ out of five.  2 hours, 15 minutes, including intermission.  Adult language, themes, sexuality, drug use and use of firearms.

 

Winters Lane Productions has always been one to take risks – a brief look at their history shows that, with shows like The Life and Dreamgirls under their belts.  So it really isn't all that surprising that they'd tackle The Who's Tommy, which opened this past weekend at CCBC – Catonsville.  What is surprising is the unevenness of the endeavor, which results in a well-intentioned, but not great night of local theatre. 

As I discussed in my recent review of West Side Story at Toby's Baltimore, there are definite pros and cons to using a recorded score.  Like West Side, it makes sense with a show as huge and through-composed as Tommy.  The immense amounts of staging required nearly make a recording a must, given that it never changes and can be thoroughly relied upon.  Still, this Tommy suffers considerably more for the lack of a live set of musicians – it is first and foremost a rock opera, after all.  And the lack of oomph that a live performance would give the show is noticeably lacking – that is to say, perhaps that safety in a recorded score is a tad too safe.  And it isn't for lack of talent on the part of the cast or its director, Anya Randall Nebel. 

The gigantic Q Theatre stage, made more so by a decided lack of scenery, affords the equally huge cast plenty of space to work in, and the sheer quantity of space takes up that much more musical time to move from place to place.  The Overture alone is a 5 to 6 minute piece of nonstop staging.  One imagines the logistics of planning it, along with the numerous costume changes for each cast member must be mind numbing.  But, while the Broadway version of Tommy (not to be confused with the record version or the film version) was non-stop dance and stylized movement, here we have what amounts to walking in patterns to (mostly) the beat of the music.  And watching people walk around an empty stage gets pretty old pretty fast.  That said, when the cast finally gets to dance (choreography by Becca Vourvoulas) they do a very respectable job, hinting that they just might have been up for more throughout.  The young men of the company are especially good dancers, led by one of local theatre's better dancers, Michael Rostek, who plays the Pinball Wizard among other roles.  The young ladies of the ensemble fare less successfully, as more than a few of them seem more interested in how their gauzy skirts twirl or how their outrageous wigs stay still while they shake themselves into a frenzy rather than trying to create any sense of character. 

The main cast - the Walker family – nearly makes up for all of the show's shortcomings.  Mark Briner brings a world-weary edginess to his role as Captain Walker.  He looks exhausted, desperate, and bitter all at once which gives his character considerable depth.  He also has a nice voice and he uniformly remembers both his accent and emotion.  He is particularly good in his duets with Mrs. Walker, "Do You Think It's Alright?" and "I Believe My Own Eyes."  Gary Adamsen's Uncle Ernie is creepy from start to finish – a sort of Uncle Fester/serial killer sort of vibe, if you will.  This makes the uncomfortable song, "Fiddle About" all the more uncomfortable, but it also renders "Tommy's Holiday Camp" a decidedly unfunny, grotesque act in the second half.  Chris Rudy is a scene-stealer, so focused and in the moment is he.  He easily loses himself in the bratty and later sinister aspects of Cousin Kevin.  His scene where he piles little Tommy into a trash can and rolls him down the stage is chilling.  But it is his easy smile that both lures you in and repels you when it is too late that makes his transformation into Tommy's keeper and advisor completely realistic. 

Other standouts include Chelsea Mitchel as the Gypsy ("Acid Queen"), who in one number shows us everything this Tommy could have been.  What energy and presence!  And her voice?  Wow!  And then there is Justin Briner, who at first glance might be someone you don't notice as he blends perfectly in with the ensemble, but then, as the Pinball Lad, he opens his mouth and reveals amazing voice.  Playing Tommy at age 4 is Mareike Nebel, a real-life 6 year old who has the stage presence of a seasoned veteran.  And at the performance I attended, the relatively difficult role of Tommy at age 10 (he is completely unresponsive) was portrayed amazingly by Matthew Demetrides (he alternates in the role with Reed Webber).  Master Demetrides is unflinching and incredibly focused, which makes the various abuses Tommy takes all the more chilling.  His plaintive "Tommy…Tommy…Tommy" is heartbreaking. 

But the real star of the evening is Ms. Vourvoulas, who in addition to her choreographer job, also plays Mrs. Walker.  Her take on the role is complex – equal parts Donna Reed, desperate housewife, and fierce mother bear.  She attacks the role with an exhausting energy and the skill with which she navigates the staging, the emotion of the songs and the range her character must show is no less than remarkable.  Her soaring belt in "Smash the Mirror" is breathtaking, as is her acting.  Ms. Vourvoulas belongs to that very small group of local talent that is completely professional level. 

Other members of the cast, however, don't come out so well.  In multiple roles, Rob Pallante makes all the wrong impressions, and even garners a laugh when after being shot dead as Mrs. Walker's Lover, he immediately reappears at the head of the Walker family Christmas dinner table no less.  Why the laugh?  Because he has made no adjustment as to switching characters.  And, considering the impact she has on the ultimate ending of the story, Lizzy Denning's Sally Simpson is remarkably dull.  Why would anyone listen to her, let alone be drawn to her?  Maybe it is genetic, for her parents (Rich Levinson and Kendra Keiser) are equally without charisma. 

Perhaps worst of all is the unfortunately one note performance of Stefan Alexander Kempski as Tommy.  I think it says a lot when the younger version, in almost complete catatonia holds more interest than the same character who gets to sing and narrate his own story.  Mr. Kempski's soulful eyes no doubt earned him the role, but that is simply not enough.  Nowhere is he more awkward then during the scenes where he has become a pop icon.  He has no star quality, and a decidedly thin voice, most evident in "Amazing Journey" and "Sensation."  Then, too, there is the joyless "I'm Free."  He hits almost all of his notes, but there is no emotion behind the songs.  It is only in the finale, "Listening to You," that we get a fuller glimpse of what he might have been.  He builds the song nicely and leads the company in a rousing power ballad that leaves the audience on a high. 

Ultimately, this Tommy is very well sung (kudos to Tiffany Underwood's musical direction) and has moments of real stage flare.  But this time around the pinball machine seems to be stuck on tilt.

 

PHOTOS courtesy of Winters Lane Productions.  TOP:  The Younger Walker Family: (L to R) Matthew Demetrides, Gary Adamsen, Mark Briner (seated), Becca Vourvoulas and Chris Rudy; The Older Walker Family: (L to R) Stefan Alexander Kempski, Gary Adamsen, Mark Briner (seated), Becca Vourvoulas and Chris Rudy.