It took a while, but my show photographs from The Clarence Brown Theatre production of The Who’s Tommy  are now loaded onto my flickr account.

There are lots of photos there!

(There may still be a few photos out of order, and I’m still working on some of the descriptions.  If I’ve mislabled a photo or left your name out (or called you someone else!), please let me know!0

Click here to view the Tommy slideshow.

Click here if you’d rather view the set in raw form.

And of course you may access all my CBT show photographs from the Photos menu item on this intranet. 

The Clarence Brown Theatre production of The Who’s Tommy  has achieved its single ticket goal!

In spite of the economic downturn, we’ve had great single ticket sales this year. We thank all our patrons!

The response to Tommy  has been terrific — with the best “buzz” in years. We did have maybe a half dozen people who voiced objections to the “disgusting” elements of life presented on stage, but literally hundreds who told us it was their favorite CBT show in recent times.

But all good things must end — Tommy  closes Sunday afternoon!

Earplugs are still free…

We love Tommy.

Audience members love Tommy.

And then there are reviewers…

Actually, the Clarence BrownTheatre production has received some great reviews from The Knoxville News-Sentinel  and The UT Daily Beacon.  Now, Kieron Barry writing in Metropulse  joins the chorus.  He says in part:

Director Sams serves also as choreographer, and it is here that her gifts truly come alive, with ensemble dancing that is high-spirited and rugged yet wholly disciplined. The most outstanding moments are those using wires, and Jonathan Visser’s Tommy is given almost carte blanche with these. His early flight to the roof by hanging onto a small balloon is but a prelude to the balletic, hypnotic extravagances of the second act.

Visser once again proves himself an actor worth watching. He happens to have a strong resemblance to Conan O’Brien, and indeed shares a manic, twitchy alertness with the comedian, which he uses here to his advantage, most especially in the climax to Act One, when, pinball-bound at last, he jerks and tremors in endless tactile frisson.

It is “Pinball Wizard,” of course, that is the high point of Tommy, and the pedalled crescendo in the build-up to this song is as unbearably exciting as anything by Rossini. The music reaches its apotheosis when the most famous phrase in the show is sung with unbelievable intensity by the leering, mohawked Quinn Q. Cason. Here he is given just a few syllables, but the effect is mesmerizing.

For all its minor flaws, the show is a glorious, messy, lovable production that is so strongly felt and urgently delivered that it’s difficult not to be won over by the sheer passion of the artists and the grandiosity of its vision. It’s the first show I’ve seen in the Clarence Brown that makes the space seem too small.

The Who’s Tommy  runs through May 3.  Tickets are still available for most performances — call the Clarence Brown Theatre Box Office at (865) 974-5161 or online at http://www.clarencebrowntheatre.com/.

More great reviews keep coming in for the Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of The Who’s Tommy.  Monday’s UT Daily Beacon  features a review by Ben Whiteside, “Play uses spectacle to captivate“:

The Clarence Brown Theatre is ending the 2008-2009 season with a bang with its stage production of The Who’s 1969 magnum opus “Tommy.”

The Grammy Hall of Fame-inducted rock opera tells the story of the blind, deaf and dumb Tommy Walker, his troubled childhood, and his pinball- and miracle cure-aided ascent to greatness. This production provides some spectacular eye candy, fantastic and faithful renditions of The Who’s original music, and plenty of reasons to yell and cheer.

“Tommy,” one of the four “Main Stage Productions” of the season (five smaller productions took place in the adjacent Carousel or Lab Theatres), is truly a spare-no-expense outing for the Clarence Brown Theatre. With a total of no fewer than 32 cast members, a full rock band, elaborate set design (including an on-stage video camera and several projectors and screens used in conjunction to fantastic effect) and several instances of high-flying wired suspension in addition to many other exciting extravagances, “Tommy” will certainly not disappoint fans of spectacle.

…

“Tommy” is unquestionably the most technically impressive, fun and exciting production of the Clarence Brown Theatre’s ’08-’09 season. It is epic in scope and has great music and plenty of fantastic visuals to keep you engaged. If you haven’t gotten the chance to see any of the productions in this nearly impeccable season, please do yourself a favor and check this one out. Bring your friends, family, co-workers, significant other(s) — whatever, just get there. You won’t be disappointed.

We’re still going through our show photos, but we’ll include another one here to whet your interest:

The Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of The Who’s Tommy  is receiving thunderous applause and glowing reviews.

Here’s a sample from Harold Duckett in the Knoxville News-Sentinel:

“The Who’s ‘Tommy’” is banging the rafters and literally rising up into them at the Clarence Brown Theatre through May 3. It opened Friday.

Pete Townshend’s song cycle about the traumatization and ultimate redemption of Tommy, after a decade of being deaf, mute and blind, hits every lick under Casey Sams’ direction and in Christopher Pickart’s inventively industrial set.

Tickets are still available for most performances — Call The Clarence Brown Theatre Box Office at 974-5161 or order online!

It’s the time of the year when the flowers are blooming, leaves are coming out, and the Clarence Brown Theatre is unveiling its upcoming 2009-2010 Season!  Today is the big day for changing the big banners on the front of the building to those for next season’s lineup.

(To order season tickets, use https://www.uttheatre.org/order).

As you can see from the poster in the foreground, we still have our finale for the 2008-2009 Season to run through May 3 — The Who’s Tommy.  We’re finishing in style while look forward to next year!

As we prepare to open the Clarence Brown Theatre production of Tommy, here’s a nice radio commercial to enjoy and share with your friends: 

Play Tommy  commercial

Other stories concerning this production: 

From The Tennessee Journalist

From Tennessee Today (UT Staff/Faculty E-Newsletter):

The Who’s Tommy at the Clarence Brown Theatre Now Through May 3  

An evening of electrifying theatre and maximum rock and roll, The Who’s Tommy will run at the Clarence Brown Theatre from April 16 through May 3. The show is based on The Who’s 1969 double album Tommy by Pete Townshend. The first musical work to be billed as a rock opera, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its “historical, artistic and significant” value. The production is sponsored by Schaad Companies.