Cerveris, Dokuchitz, Mitzman, Ripley, Lewis Set for The Who's Tommy Benefit Concert
By Adam Hetrick
29 Sep 2008
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Michael Cerveris
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| photo by Aubrey Reuben | The original Broadway cast of the Tony-nominated rock musical The Who's Tommy will reunite for a one-night-only benefit concert Dec. 15.
Rockers on Broadway and the PATH fund present the 15th anniversary concert presentation of The Who's Tommy that will serve as a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, the Broadway Dreams Foundation and the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation.
Original cast member Donny Kehr, who is also the founder of Rockers on Broadway, will stage the 8 PM concert presentation at the August Wilson Theatre.
The Who's Tommy: 15th Anniversary Benefit Concert will include photo stills of the electrifying 1993 Broadway production as well as Wendell K. Harrington's Drama Desk-winning projection designs. Original band members will back the benefit concert.
Michael Cerveris, who earned a Tony nomination for the title role, will reunite with original Tommy cast members Marcia Mitzman (Mrs. Walker), Jonathan Dokuchitz (Mr. Walker), Cheryl Freeman (Gypsy/Acid Queen), Anthony Barrile (Cousin Kevin), Paul Kandel (Uncle Ernie) and Sherie Rene Scott (Sally Simpson).
The company will also feature original cast members Alice Ripley, Norm Lewis, Christian Hoff, Donnie Kehr, Michael Arnold, Bill Buell, Maria Calabrese, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Paul Dobie, Tom Flynn, Roman Fruge, Jody Gelb, Pam Klinger, Lisa Leguillou, Lee Morgan, Timothy Warmen and national tour cast member Destan Owens as the Hawker.
"After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia, and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors. As an adolescent, he’s discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar," press notes for the production state.
The Who's Tommy open on Broadway on at the St. James Theatre April 22, 1993. Des McAnuff earned a Tony Award for his direction of the rock musical that received eleven Tony nominations including Best Musical. Pete Townshend penned the score for the musical that features a book by Townshend and Des McAnuff.
The Who's Tommy: 15th Anniversary Benefit Concert is sponsored by Base Entertainment, The Dodgers, The Frye Company, Joseph J. Grano Jr., Kevin & Tamara Kinsella, and SONY/BMG Masterworks.
Tickets, priced $52-$502, are available by visiting Telecharge, or by phoning (212) 239-6200.
The August Wilson Theatre is located at 245 West 52nd Street, in Manhattan.
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