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November 22, 2002
Tommy rocks Centennial
Keogh plays deaf, dumb and blind kid convincingly.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
Uncle Randy has done it again. "Who?" you ask. Who exactly!
Uncle Randy productions brought the opening night of The Who's Tommy
rock musical to the Centennial Theatre Nov. 14, giving the audience
almost two hours of high-tempo entertainment.
Directed by local Jewish community member Richard Berg, Tommy
tells the story of a four-year-old boy who witnesses his father
murder his mother's lover. After listening to his parents convince
him not to say that he saw or heard anything, Tommy becomes deaf,
dumb and blind.
As an awkward 10-year-old, played by Ryan Keogh, also from the Jewish
community, Tommy discovers a unique ability to play pinball and
his fame begins to grow. Years later, as a young adult, played by
Neil Minor, Tommy regains his senses and handles his overwhelming
fame by returning to the love of his family.
The original script and music for Tommy was written by Pete
Townshend of The Who and was a Broadway hit in the 1990s.
Playing a child who couldn't speak, Keogh had no problem remembering
his lines, though he did have a few short singing roles when older
Tommy had visions from his past.
With that said, Keogh offered a more-than-convincing performance,
handling the difficult task of reacting, or not reacting for that
matter, to the fast-paced action that constantly surrounded him.
Most impressive was how Keogh managed not to laugh, not even crack
a smile, as many of the cast members tossed him around like a rag
doll and screamed in his face.
With the exception of a few minor opening-night technical difficulties,
the cast and crew of Tommy did an excellent job carrying
a challenging script that left very little time for them to even
stop to wonder how they were doing.
Tommy plays at the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver
until Nov. 24. Tickets can be purchased by calling 604-984-4484.
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