TOMMY The Rock Opera Comes To York Little Theatre 7/17-26

York Little Theatre will present the rock opera, Tommy, July 17 - 26, 2009. Written by The Who's Pete Towshend and Des McAnuff, Tommy first premiered on Broadway in April of 1993 and ran for 899 performances. It won 5 Tony awards including Best Original Score, and 6 Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Orchestrations.

Tommy began in 1969 as the fourth rock album released by the English rock band The Who. The double album is the powerful tale of a "deaf, dumb and blind kid," who is a pinball wizard and becomes the leader of an international messianic movement. In 1998 the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its "historical, artistic and significant value." In 2003 the album was ranked 96 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time." It is ranked 90 on VH1's "100 Greatest Albums of Rock and Roll."

In 1975 Tommy was adapted as a film starring Who member Roger Daltry as Tommy, and featured other members of The Who as well as Ann-Margaret as Tommy's mother, Oliver Reed as the boyfriend, and appearances by Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and Jack Nicholson. It was one of the first music films released with a multi-channel hi-fi soundtrack ("quintaphonic sound") and in many theatres it was presented with high-powered concert-style sound reinforcement, played at rock concert volumes.

In 1993 Townshend and Des McAnuff wrote and produced a Broadway musical adaptation of Tommy. This version adds a new song ("I Believe My Own Eyes"), reorganizes the musical numbers, and changes many lyrics. The most striking change from the previous versions is that Tommy Renounces his messianic role and returns to his family, embracing the normality that everybody else has and of which he has been deprived.

YLT's production, Directed by Artistic Director Eric Bradley Long, has a cast of 25 local performers and features, Geordy Fleming and Lee Howard as different ages of Tommy, Tatiana Dalton as Mrs. Walker and Aaron Dalton as Captain Walker. "I love the show," explains Long. "I am excited by the music and moved by the story. It has one of the most stirring finales of any musical."

The stage version is closer to the original concept album than the film. "The film is much angrier," explains Long who prefers the stage version. "The show is populated with characters who are on the outside and don't know how to connect in. The original music and stage show focuses more on how hard it is for people to make connections, deeper and truer, with each other." Long also feels that, unlike the movie, the show is very hopeful.

As a rock musical the show is driving and high energy. It features a rock band pit of 7 musicians lead by Musical Director, Joe Reed. And the choreography, by Kimberly Smith, is not typical of Broadway musical theatre dance. "It's more fusion," explains Long. "We're really trying to not take away from the honesty of the characters."

Tommy is the last Mainstage production in YLT's 2008-2009 Columbia Gas Season. It runs July 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 at 8 p.m.and July 19 and 26 at 3 p.m. Tickets which range in price from $10 - $20, may be purchased online at www.ylt.org or by calling the box office at 717-854-5715.

York Little Theatre is a nonprofit community theatre which values and nurtures the irreplaceable role of the arts and is dedicated to engaging and enriching its entire, diverse community in the dramatic arts through a broad range of professionally directed, entertaining, stimulating, and sometimes provocative performances.

York Little Theatre is located at 27 South Belmont Street, York PA at exit 19A of I-83, just south of Market Street. York Little Theatre is a proud member of The Cultural Alliance of York.

 

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