The Who’s TOMMY

Stray Dog Theatre

Runs October 6-22, 2011

Reviewed by Lucy Moorman

This was my first visit to Stray Dog Theatre, located in the beautiful century-old Tower Grove Abbey that is used for arts, education and the community. Tommy is a rock opera written by Pete Townshend and Kit Lambert with contributions from the other Who members. It’s about a little boy who witnesses his father returning home from the war to find his wife in the arms of another man. He kills the other man. Since Tommy is a witness, his parents convince him to ‘not see it, hear it, or ever tell a soul what you know is the truth’ and Tommy retreats into his own private world in which he stares into a mirror. Years later in a fit of frustration, Mrs. Walker breaks the mirror and Tommy has a miracle cure. In spite of having been abused by a bully cousin, a sleazy uncle, and an acid queen, he emerges from his vegetative state somewhat enlightened.

The stage design featured an arched bridge that connected two higher points with the live band still visible behind the multi-layered stage. A large circle with the workings of a clock hung above the stage. Sometimes it was used as a multi-media effect showing different slides of war scenes during Captain Walker’s military career. Throughout most of the performance, was a single slide of fragmented pieces to symbolize Tommy’s fragmented mind. Perhaps this could have utilized more for example; a bigger break when he “goes to the mirror, boy” would have been good there. It was somewhat anticlimactic but the stage contained many interested levels making it easier to see the action.

The costumes and make-up were an odd mix of time periods reminiscent of Rocky Horror or Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Adult Tommy wore a strange type of vest over his shirt and wore baggy trousers. Other cast members were in knickers or fishnet stockings with mixed-up combinations of clothing.

The music under direction of Chris Petersen was great; they rocked on and sounded a great deal like the original. I was reminded of Pete Townshend’s broad, windmill-like stances as he struck his guitar and although there was no visual effect to this, the sound took me back to seeing The Who live many years ago.

The best acting came from all three Tommy’s who did a fine job. The youngest and a female (Audrey Manalang; her gender was totally unnoticeable), kept her deadpan focus. The ten-year old Tommy (Braden Phillips) kept that same focused stare straight ahead even with all the action going on around him. Not an easy task for a kid and he did a fine job. Also his plaintive “See me, feel me, touch me, heal me” during adult Tommy’s excursions into his private work in the mirror were deeply touching. Young Braden Phillips also had to play the abused Tommy as a young boy who was bullied and abused by a cousin “You won’t be much fun being blind, deaf and dumb but I’ve no one to play with today” and an uncle “Up with your night sheet. You won’t shout as I fiddle about.”

I found the Ensemble scenes a little over the top for a small theatre. The sound was too loud and became a mishmash of noise when the band was chugging along and the singers were all a top volume. I appreciated the gentler, more subtle variations well-played by adult Tommy (Antonio Rodriguez) who conveyed greater dimensions with his interactions with young Tommy as the alter ego and once he was “free.” This gave a level of sensitivity to the production. Captain and Mrs. Walker gave fine performances but were not believable as the parents of Tommy or in marriage to each other. One section that dragged on was the instrumental where young Tommy is being examined by various “specialists”. I’m not sure why it went on so long unless it was filling time to keep pace with the music but perhaps another dance sequence could have been used here to liven it up.

The highlight was "Pinball Wizard" with good choreography for a small stage. I liked the use of the real ball tossed about as the dancers were like the pings on the pinball machine. The clever use of a structure that looked like brass poles but was the basic shape of a pinball machine was creative and worked well.

Overall, this is a fine production of Tommy and well worth seeing. It runs through October 22.

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The Addams Family

The Fox Theatre, St. Louis

Reviewed by David Mount

As seen Sep 28, runs through Oct 9

If you had been spooked by the critics’ reviews which gunned down the 2010 Broadway production of The Addams Family, you should read on to discern that it has received a reprieve from the coroner, or at least by this reviewer and his companion... and a few thousand other audience members this Wednesday night.

From the first drawing of the lusciously-draped red velvet curtain (which to seasoned Fox-goers mysteriously replaced the signature curtain of the historical St. Louis showplace), the production was practically flawless. Apologies to Mr. Clemens for the resurrection of his assertion, but the reports of The Family’s death have been greatly exaggerated: this is a revived and rejuvenated production that has apparently provided a “new lease on life” for the famously-morbid family that got its start in cartoons drawn for The New Yorker magazine.

The Addams Family National Touring Company (© Photo by Jeremy Daniel)

If Charles Addams, the cartoonist who created the characters with whom many of us are familiar from their TV incarnation of the early 1960s, were alive today (he died in 1988), he’d have been very pleased by the very enthusiastic St. Louis reception on the second night in our town. I think that even Addams himself would have joined the rest of us snap-snapping to the instantly recognizable theme song and rolling in the aisles to the machine-gun quips of Gomez and his ghastly castmates.

Not to beat a dead musical, but it seems that whatever was wrong with the original production was addressed and rectified by the creative consultant, Jerry Zaks, a veteran Broadway producer of more than 30 shows. There were three new musical numbers added and some material deemed “lame” removed. And from the opening number through the final notes and choreography (Sergio Trujillo), strong vocal and dance capabilities of not just the leads and seconds, but the ensemble included, were in evidence. Even Pugsley, played by Patrick D. Kennedy, who appears to be all of about 12 years old, had incredible stage presence as he delivered a solo, “What If”, with all the confidence and poise of a seasoned veteran! And I can’t give away any secrets here, but there’s an operatic surprise waiting for you in the final number, “Move Toward the Darkness”.

The plot of this fast-moving morbidly-comedic musical revolves around an ethical dilemma facing the dashingly handsome Gomez Addams, the suave patriarch of this most unordinary family when he learns that his “little girl” Wednesday has grown up and fallen in love with and intends to marry a young man from a normal family. Of course, this wouldn’t be a problem except that the ever-faithful husband and devoted father Gomez, played by Douglas Sills, is deftly manipulated by Wednesday into something that Gomez has never done: keeping a secret from his “cara mia”, Morticia. Were it the only problem he is facing, this would not be so engaging, nor as funny… there are but “four things I would never do in this marriage”, says he.

Never the fool, Morticia (the stunning, and stunningly chilly Sara Gettelfinger) senses something is up when the perpetually morose Wednesday (Courtney Wolfson) is grinning from ear to ear on the day the fiancé and his family are to come to the Addams’ mansion in Central Park for dinner. In consulting with her devoted hubby, Tish soon discovers the non-disclosure and follows up on her way of dealing with such a deception. Even Pugsley’s world is turned upside down: his sister is abandoning him and he’ll not have anyone to torture him any more.

Unlike in the television series, Uncle Fester is not just a figure haunting the background here: he assumes the role of narrator in a Shakespearean manner, not unlike Gower inPericles, Prince of Tyre. In verse, he converses with the audience and explores some lesser-realized aspects of his nature than we could glean from the TV series. Blake Hammond, a Broadway veteran, not only looks the part, he sings, jibes, and charms his way into the audience’s collective heart.

The stage and sets, co-designed by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, are ingenious and clever; it soon becomes obvious why the famous Fox curtain is given a rest for this production. In addition, Natasha Katz demonstrates strikingly dramatic and effective lighting design that has won her two prior Tony awards for opera and theatre lighting.

I’ve been raving to my friends about this clever show and would go back to see it again if I had time. It’s kid-safe for even those about 9 or 10 years of age, even though there are a few slightly suggestive lines (I think they’ll go over the younger kids’ heads) and it’s not just funny; the show has a lesson about truthfulness and keeping secrets, even when they seem for the best. A very timely message is here too: acceptance of others regardless of their differences, i.e., “dead or alive”. It’s smart theatre in a very appealing, intellectual package.

The magnificently macabre Addams Family may be timeless and revived, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to hurry over to the Fox before rigor mortis sets in: the show will run for a total of 16 performances, but already four of those have “expired”. Tuesday through Saturday The Addams Family comes to life at 8 pm on the Fox stage. On Saturday and Sunday, matinees are at 2 pm with a Sunday evening show at 7:30 pm. An unusual Thursday matinee will show at 1 pm on Oct 6. But as in life or death situations, act now before the final curtain is drawn on The Adams Family on Sunday Oct 9. 

RED

St Louis Repertory Theatre

Reviewed by Verna Kerans

Riveting. That’s a good word to describe RED, a new play by John Logan now playing the St. Louis Rep through October 2. This is an intriguing look at Mark Rothko, the renowned painter whose paintings are done often in black and red. This play takes place from 1958 to 1960: a period when Rothko has established himself as an abstract-expressionist.

As the play opens we see numerous Rothko paintings around the stage. A new assistant has just been hired to do a lot of “go for” work. Getting coffee, cleaning brushes, cleaning the floor, etc. Brian Dykstra plays Mark Rothko and Matthew Carlson plays the young man, Ken.

Rothko asks Ken what he sees in the newest painting Rothko has done. It's pretty apparent the young man doesn't see much of anything and neither do we. We just have to imagine what confronts Ken on the imaginary wall. Ken is at a loss for words but tries to answer. He realizes that no answer will be sufficient. And thus begins his stint with the irascible Rothko.

By the time the 90 minutes go by in this compelling two-actor exchange, directed by Steven Woolf, you will never look at a Rothko painting in the same way… in fact, probably any modern painting in the same way. Rothko paintings are in many museums – the Tate in London, Washington, D.C. and here in our own St. Louis Art Museum, as well as others.

As the play progresses we see Rothko as an egoistic, driven man who is completing a series of commissioned paintings to hang in the dining room of the Seagram Building’s new Four Seasons restaurant. He is totally engrossed by how popular and in demand he and art have become, but by the conclusion of RED things have changed. The assistant, Ken, opens Rothko's eyes and demands Rothko look inside himself and confront himself as to his real purpose in life.

Throughout the play certain lines struck me with their importance. For example Rothko says to Ken “to surmount the past you must know the past”. Some painters that Rothko has seen are meaningful to him, like “Rothko, and Rembrandt, and Turner, Oh My“ but we know that for him the best paintings are his own. Rothko tries to awaken in Ken the same sensibilities he feels. He continues by pointing out how often we answer “Fine” to a question:“How are you? Fine” and "How do you like the painting? It’s fine". By this point in the conversation, Rothko has built himself into a frenzy and you begin to see what drives him... and probably all painters. He’s a little crazy and we can’t take our eyes off of him.

One of the most interesting scenes for me was of both actors, in silence, painting a base coat on a very large canvas. Somehow that simple act was highly interesting and the brush strokes were so different. The sheer size of this canvas struck me to see many different ideas forming in the color.

As I said, you’ll never look at a modern painting in the same way again after you see this play. Well-worth the time.

Plays through October 2. Call – (314) 968-4925

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