Street Theatre Company Announces TOMMY, 2/22-26

Continuing the sold-out success of Street Theatre Company's In Concert series, February brings The Who's rock musical Tommy to the stage for an electrifying In Concert performance. Peter Townshend's tale of a young boy's journey from pain to triumph is a night of rock and roll musical theatre not to be missed. After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia, and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors. As an adolescent, he's discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar. The exhilarating score is timeless in its youthful appeal, giving the show a cross-generational appeal that has made it a smash-hit around the world.

The production team, led by director Cathy Street, is putting a hip new spin on the production, placing it in a neo-apocalyptic/steampunk arena. "I had always been thinking that this show needed a hip, rock vibe," says Street, "and when steampunk was brought to my attention, it seemed like a great fit. With the show taking place in 1940's wartime but also being very modern rock and roll, we also thought it would be really neat to emphasize those conflicting elements by making it a visual journey in time travel, as well." The production features many new faces to the STC stage including Holly Shepherd as Mrs. Walker and Ben Van Diepen as Captain Walker, with local favorite Michael Holder stars as Tommy. The show also features a cast of over 20 singers including Saaneah Jamison (last seen in STC's Hairspray) as the Acid Queen.

This production is at STC for one weekend only. Performances are February 22-26, with shows Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets are $16 and $14 and are available online at www.streettheatrecompany.org. Performances are at Street Theatre, 1933 Elm Hill Pike, just off the Briley Parkway. For more information, call 615-554-7414.

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