THE WHO’S TOMMY Broadway Previews — Page 5

East Village said: "I saw Friday’s preview and visually the show is in great shape. The music & sound is perfect. If anything I thought it should be louder but it buildsthroughout the first act as it should.

Every scene with Ali Louis Bourguizis a revelation however narratively the show is all over the place and incomprehensible at times. If you don’t know the material then Tommy’s transformation into an adult and the entire Sally Simpson story could be lost on you —that’s all the problem with the director.

I don’t think the show feels regional as some have pointed out but there are no standouts or show stoppers with any of the featured performers — again, they aren’t directed to be that way and that’s a problem. Acid Queen needs to be a show stopper but it’s a mess that doesn’t advance the plot, doesn’t make sense as directed and could be cut!

But let me get away from the weak parts less this feel like a mediocre review which it is not. If you love the music and love stage design you’ll be in for a treat. I didn’t know you could do thingsvisually like this on stage.I was one of the first to jump to my feet and I don’t think anyone walked away disappointed."

I saw the same performance you did literally and figuratively, specially the Acid Queen scene—total confusion and disappointing performance. But  my group of 4 loved the show and couldn’t stop talking about it afterwards. Interestingly, there were 3 teens sitting in front of me and I thought “for them, this must be similar to my experience seeing No No Nanette in the ‘70s. They did not return for Act II.

I won the lotto on Thursday.  I went in as a Tommy novice and found the production exciting—it scratched a "direction- and choreography-driven rock opera" itch I didn't know I had, and I wish I saw more shows like that.  I found the direction and choreo kinetic and I especially enjoyed the dance-heavy, wordless sequences.  It was refreshing to see something less literal, where the way the story’s told is more interesting than what’s on the page.  I personally liked the sleek/futuristic feel and didn’t find the design elements cheap or lacking.  Having read more about the original production (which I didn't see) since Thursday though, I kind of wish they punched up the designs more.  This production will tour well, but it would’ve been thrilling to see a Tommy that pulled out all the stops.

No real cast standouts to me, though everyone was solid.  I suppose the individual actors' performances aren’t as much the focus in a musical like this, but there were some missed opportunities for the performances to elevate the show imo (like Acid Queen, which was more weird than anything).  Alison Luff's Smash the Mirror was the vocal highlight, and the cast is giving 110% with the choreography.  It's an odd show and story for sure.  I didn't know the album lyrics super well going in and there were parts where the narrative wasn't entirely clear to me, though I did catch up. They could’ve done more to build up/clarify the cultishness of Tommy's following—what his followers' obsession is like, why the militaristic uniforms, what kind of leader Tommy's devotees view him as, etc.

I had no issues with the sound.  Judging by the more recent reports on here having fewer volume complaints, perhaps they've toned it down?

What I did take issue with is how much action is staged at or towards the back of the stage.  Now, I knew my cheap lotto seat was partial view and expected obstructions.  While I missed a good deal of staging, it didn't impact my ability to follow what was going on.  But I was in the most centered partial view seat in my row and can't imagine the sightlines were meaningfully better just one, or even two, seats over.  I'm not surprised people are missing action from non-partial view side orchestra seats.  Additionally, there were moments where the projections would frame what was happening onstage, like in the Overture.  I could see what was happening behind the "frames" by looking around them from the side, but I worry they'd block people trying to look through them (unless they're more see-through than I think). 

I get wanting to fill the stage with the large cast they have, but it just felt unnecessary to stage that much of the show so far upstage.  It's like they're creating sightline issues when they don't need to.

rachelfran said: "I won the lottery ticket for tonight -- i'm wondering what time you got your ticket.

I know the email said an hour prior -- which seems very late .. was it that late?

Did anyone move from their very side view seats to better located seats if the show is not sold out?



Thanks

"

My ticket email came through at 3:45 pm.

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "Overall (this was my first live exposure to TOMMY), I enjoyed this quite a bit, but I do have to say something was up with the lead's mic last night (or his diction, honestly)? I could understand everyone else very clearly, but about 65% of his lyrics were lost, which...was unfortunate.

And I did miss the actual physical pinball machine from the original production (thank you, YouTube). Would'v also loved more physical set pieces. Other than that, it's a bit of a rehash of the original production in almost every aspect, it seems, but overall, it's wildly entertaining. I'd love to see Bobby Conte get a Tony nomination - he was so great in COMPANY and was a standout for me in this as well."

I was disappointed that they didn't include a real pinball machine as well. I wonder if they'll reconsider before they freeze the show. 

 

There are set pieces that suggest a pinball machine. Generally, this production is less concrete than the original and it sort of goes with that vibe. In some ways, I think it's sort of smart it moves away from pinball being such a central image... but I too missed the pinball machines.

 

Last night I won a lottery ticket in the mezz row F seat 19; Normally I prefer Orchestra, but I saw so many saying they had partial view from the side in the orchestra and this one turned out better.  If I missed anything -- I wasn't aware of it. I was able to see all projections and the full stage.

This was also my first Tommy experience of any kind.  I'm of age to have seen the film and/or the prior broadway show but didn't.  The album was a fave of my late husband so I was excited to go in memory of him.

I found it very uneven overall ... some I loved and some not so much. 

The couple next to me laughed out loud at the gun scene early on and blamed poor acting.

I agree that the lead in the first half was unintelligible.  The second half was fine, so I don't know if it was a choice to subdue his words technically or not. Overall, he did a great job and his mini mes had a lot of love from the crowd.

I was completely underwhelmed by the Acid Queen scene. Christina Sajous has a great voice, but the scene was either poorly staged, poorly acted or both. It definitely needed more.

I read a review of the Chicago outing (i think it was Chicago?) and they had pinball machines in the lobby for show goers to play ... Wish we had that kind of space to do something like that.  

 

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "Overall (this was my first live exposure to TOMMY), I enjoyed this quite a bit, but I do have to say something was up with the lead's mic last night (or his diction, honestly)? I could understand everyone else very clearly, but about 65% of his lyrics were lost, which...was unfortunate.

And I did miss the actual physical pinball machine from the original production (thank you, YouTube). Would'v also loved more physical set pieces. Other than that, it's a bit of a rehash of the original production in almost every aspect, it seems, but overall, it's wildly entertaining. I'd love to see Bobby Conte get a Tony nomination - he was so great in COMPANY and was a standout for me in this as well."

 

EDSOSLO858 said: "Today’s matinee has been cancelled due to illness in the cast; the evening performance is still on as of now."

They were doing a put-in instead of having the matinee. Two of the leads are out sick and their understudies will be making their debuts tonight.

quizking101 said: "ACL2006 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Today’s matinee has been cancelled due to illness in the cast; the evening performance is still on as of now."

They were doing a put-in instead of having the matinee. Two of the leads are out sick and their understudies will be making their debuts tonight."

Which leads? I’m going tonight"

No clue. My friend that was supposed to see the matinee said he heard the band/orchestra on and off while he was waiting in the lobby to exchange his tickets. An usher also said they had two leads out sick which is why the matinee was cancelled.

Adam Jacobs and Christina Sajous are out. 

David Paul Kidder and Afra Hines are on as Captain Walker and Acid Queen

Not sure what to make of this. First time exposure to the show- i remember being a small kid and hearing about this cool "rock musical" by the Who, and it feels like since then the novelty of rock+opera+broadway has maybe worn off a bit? Not trying to take away from the revolutionary nature of this piece but it didnt really do much for me. 

This is a very sleek production-- lots of silver bright lines and some impressive tight choreography. But its a bare-set-minimal-presentation sorta thing, and its pretty to look at, but with such an involved story, I kinda found myself having to guess what they were going for a bit too much. It feels like this is geared towards the people (and there were plenty there tonight) who are revisiting a classic and appreciating the new sleek spin on it. Im just not that guy. 

One of the strangest parts to me was the role of Tommy-- Ali Bourzgi has an INCREDIBLE vocal tone and sings with real power/charisma. But am I nuts or is he a small supporting character in Act 1? I kept waiting for him to break out and show us Who Tommy Is (or Why He Is The Lead) but it didnt happen. Act 1 ends with a very strange Acid Queen visit, that is staged kinda underwhelmingly (they go to her, she suggests she can seduce/enlighten the boy, but then.... they leave her to herself?), and then we head into the big event- Pinball Wizard--which is a blast! but is again, Tommy free. This absence of Tommy-ness created too big a hole for Tommy to be able to fill in Act 2. And the score gets blander and more repetitive in Act 2, also, so i just felt underwhelmed.

The mezzanine was not full, and I actually thought the crowd was restless/bored a bit, but at the end of Act 2, in what i thought was a rather unremarkable moment, the cast stepped to the lip of the stage, and the audience LEAPT TO THEIR FEET applauding and screaming, so I was definitely in the minority in my bewilderment. 

It wasnt all bad. I could listen to Bourzgi forever and hes giving a riveting, focused, performance. Production just seems to drown his character out a bit. I thought the only other interesting character (ie funny, exciting) was Bobby Conte's Cousin Kevin-- he sounds great, and I couldnt help but wonder where those powerful belts and vocals were in his Company solo. He was definitely a highlight tonight. (Shoutout also to Sheldon Henry whose voice snapped me to attention). 

Des MacAnuff gave a self-indulgent speech to kick things off, but gave a nice shoutout/warning re the actors taking on roles on barely any notice. David Paul Kidder pulled it off subbing for Adam Jacobs, and if he missed any cues or lines, I didnt notice it. I thought both Captian and Mrs Walker were pretty thankless roles though. More kudos to Afra Hines, who looking at her bio I must have seen in the ensemble of 4-5 shows, a real pro, proving her worth and stepping into Acid Queen with total ease. Its a mess of a scene, but its tricky movement and some real singing, and I dont think you would have ever known it was her first night, let alone with minimal rehearsal. 

 

PipingHotPiccolo said: "One of the strangest parts to me was the role of Tommy-- Ali Bourzgi has an INCREDIBLE vocal tone and sings with real power/charisma. But am I nuts or is he a small supporting character in Act 1? I kept waiting for him to break out and show us Who Tommy Is (or Why He Is The Lead) but it didnt happen."

Tommy really is a supporting role. From a Tony perspective, thinking back to the original, Michael Cerveris was up for featured, not leading. Which given the time probably had more to do with billing than the role itself, but also was appropriate. It's a real ensemble piece, Tommy included, with no one really a lead in the traditional sense. 

PipingHotPiccolo said: "quizking101 said: "I echo most of the sentiment of the previous post. I did find myself lost a few times because the minimalism doesn’t help keep the involved story on track sometimes.

Ali Bourgzi is currently my personal front runner for the Tony. The man has a set of pipes on him that could blow the roof off the Nederlander and had the charisma to match when he is portraying the thoughts of Tommy’s “locked in” self.

“Pinball Wizard” was a highlight for sure (and probably their Tony number), but also “I’m Free” gave Ali a chance to really show off his rock vocal range and “Smash That Mirror” gave Alison Luff the same opportunity. Bobby Conte also has a nice meaty supporting role and I could see him in an awards race too.

David Paul Kidder did a fantastic job as Captain Walker given his extremely limited rehearsal, but also AFRA HINES WAS FANTASTIC. She was giving something between Nicole Scherzinger and Tina Turner and, as I’ve told others, you never would have guessed that she had 2 hours of rehearsal. At the stage door, the entire line was screaming for both of them and David was tearing up.

Final Note: Ihave never, in seeing nearly 300 shows in my life - experienced a standing ovation before the finale number was over. That was an electric moment"

But did it feel earned? The show doesnt allow for many traditional applause moments, so maybe i misjudged, but it just felt messy and the audience felt mostly muted except for a few obvious Tommy-heads who were rocking along to a score they already knew. The standing ovation/burst of appreciation came out of left field for my group, we thought it was "planted" at first. And it came at such an odd time- the actors were still singing, in a pretty boringly staged moment?

Always glad others are enjoying what eludes me."

I think it was earned. The group near me seemed anxious to applaud and was glad to have that release. I know I did.

My friend and I used that forced standing ovation to make an easy and fast exit. This was such a disaster. If anyone can prove the “In the future” concept works I will eat my hat. The evening felt like a director had decided to fire his original collaborators to prove to the world the original success (and awe) was all because of him. What this revival proved is that is not the case. Bring back Bob Crowley!