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continued from pg 37...In fact, Wade is shaping the production according to the principles ofGesamtkunstwerk, which translates variously as a “total work of art,”“universal artwork,” or a “synthesis of the arts.” First introduced in an1827 essay by German writer and philosopher K. F. E. Trahndorff,Gesamtkunstwerk appeared again in print in 1849, when Wagner cited it asan apogee of aesthetic ideals.“It’s not just about the singers and the performers, but it’s the total graphicnature of the piece,” Wade said, “where the scenic design and the lighting… are equally part of the entire flow of the piece.” Translation: all of theelements of the show play off one another for optimum juxtaposition anddissonant harmony. In Tommy, this heady mix of concepts simply meansthat actor movement, dance steps and set design alike mesh in seamlessrhythm for dramatic visual effect. As the sets glide quickly across theWade stage, they will echo the primacy and fluidity of modern dance.“There’s been a lot of discussion between the designers and choreographerand musical director to ensure that things flow together.” One slightmiscalculation would have the same result of a male dancer arrivingtardily at center stage to catch his prima donna in mid-flight. To conveythe anxiety within the sensory-deprived boy, Wade’s crew shot nearlysix hours of video capturing moving Mylar images which conjure themirror that becomes Tommy’s only solace.“This [musical] has taken me longer to block than anything I’ve ever donebecause of that,” Wade said.Rock opera, history lesson, or psychodrama, Tommy ultimately pivots onthe rogue’s gallery of characters that Townshend created. As the lead,Kevin Berger is a third-year transfer student able to handle both theemotional rigors and musical duties of the role. The Theatre Arts majorprevious appeared in the SUNY production of Twelfth Night.As Tommy’s mother, Mrs. Walker, Jenna Kate Karn must play a hugemaw of neediness and self-absorption, alternately neglecting him outof shame and coddling him with an almost incestuous fervor. FreshmanTheatre Arts major, Karn also competes on the school equestrianteam. Michael Blais, a first-year student currently studying theatreperformance, plays Captain Walker, the war casualty who returns homeunexpectedly. He plans to study audio engineering while pursuing aThe three actors who play Tommy, l- r: Elias Scott-Childress, Kevin Berger and James Highland.38 | rollmagazine.commusical career. Stephen Kalogeras plays oleaginous Uncle Ernie, areprehensible character with an impish streak. A freshman Psychologymajor with a Theatre Arts minor, Kalogeras belongs to the campusa cappella group, Male Call. As the ultra-sadistic Cousin Kevin, IanWhitt celebrates his third SUNY Mainstage production with Tommy.Previous SUNY performances include Twelfth Night, Red Masquerade,Feed Me All Night Long, Fresh Dance, and Fresh Act.Since opera has the freedom to presentconcepts writ large, Townshendand McAnuff’s Tommytakes the opportunity totelegraph ideas with forceover subtlety. Seen throughpresent-day eyes, Tommyeasily be a narcissistic realityTV star or a fallen evangelist.“This particular play captures theidea of what happens in this age ofinstant celebrity,” Wade said. In themusical’s central coup de theatre,Tommy escapes his psychosomaticprison and is devoured by a fawningpublic. They feed his ego to a fearsomelevel, only to revolt when he has gainedtoo much power.In the Broadway dramatization of Townshend’s tale, instances ofbilious black comedy are often swapped for grand slapstick. ButTownshend and McAnuff went too far in rejiggering the finale. On the1969 Decca album, Tommy ended his journey a broken man, abandonedby his followers. In the 1975 movie, director Ken Russell gave the fauxsavior a resurrection, when a shirtless, well-built Roger Daltrey greetsthe rising sun at film’s end. However, in its journey from the La JollaPlayhouse in California to the St. James Theatre on Broadway, Tommyregretably offers a saccharine eleventh hour change of heart. Thenewly-minted guru suddenly curbs his egotism and begs forgivenessof his wronged family and inner circle. Critics balked at the dubiousnarrative detour; Wade and his crew are “still struggling” with it.“I think it was a way to get to a sense of hope at the end of the play,”Wade said. “I think it was probably a device to satisfy the audience, asmuch as anything else.”Because Tommy is a SUNY New Paltz production, students will notonly learn to build sets, stitch together costumes and project theirvoices, they also receive a crash course in World War II Britishhistory. A faculty scholar has explained to the cast the show’s socioculturalcontext, recounting an era in which every day life rangedfrom greengrocer rationing to sleepovers in the tube stations asGerman bombs rained down.“Where it could have just been a rock and roll concert,” Wade said,“[Tommy has] become this great educational vehicle for all of them.”The SUNY New Paltz School of Fine & Performing Arts presentsThe Who’s Tommy, at McKenna Theatre, SUNY New Paltz campus,May 5, 6, 7, at 8 PM, May 1 & 8 at 2 PM. Box Office: 845.257.3880.See www.newpaltz.edu/theatre for information.