CMTS Plays a Mean Pinball in Tommy

From the celebrated Broadway musical to the famous 1975 movie featuring Elton John, Jack Nicholson, Tina Turner, and Eric Clapton, Columbia Musical Theater Society (CMTS) brings a fresh outlook to The Who’s Tommy. Inspired by the British rock band’s fourth album, Tommy—the story of the “deaf, dumb, and blind kid” who becomes a spiritual leader—has been performed numerous times and in various forms. Tonight marks its opening on a Columbia stage.

The idea for this project was born out of love for The Who’s music. Two years ago, CMTS proposed a staged production of Tommy, but it conflicted with the Varsity Show. Today the ensemble includes new artists to the medium as well as a group of talented rock musicians. Most of the cast has not seen the movie but loves The Who’s music, and collectively, director Greg Keilin, CC ’09, hopes that all of these factors will add to the freshness of the show.

So what will be different from the movie? Everything. The musical is designed to enhance the lyrical aspects of the album: the band takes center stage and the acting occurs around it. “The original movie was made in the seventies—it is full of psychedelic images and visual bombardment. We hope to refocus the attention on the music,” said Keilin.

The acting is not neglected, though—the cast consists of 19 actors and six musicians. The action flows over the stage and onto the sides, where the scenery will be subtle: illustrations by artist Danielle Ash, CC ’10, will be projected on screens on either end of the stage, creating a delicate background set. The overall effect of this is a much more intimate environment, where the audience will be able to participate. The idea is to do something theatrically different and involve the spectators in a way that isn’t usually done—to create a feeling similar to that of a rock concert. “In the same way we engage musicians and actors that aren’t used to a musical setting,” Keilin said, “we hope to engage the audience.”

Both cast and crew seem excited to finally perform this week, as auditions began in August and rehearsals in early September. An eclectic group though they may be, they seem to be the ideal ensemble for this psychedelic musical. Although their aspirations are high, their ideas on how to innovate on this unique rock classic are original and grounded.

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The Who’s Tommy will be performed on Nov. 7 (at 10:30 p.m.) and 8 (at 8 and 10:30 p.m.) in the Roone Arledge Auditorium of Lerner Hall. Tickets are $5 with a CUID, $10 without a CUID, and $20 for reserved seats, and are available for purchase at the Lerner Box Office.