Tommy (Musical) - CSUB 2020

Right before California shut down most gatherings to shelter-in-place for Covid-19, we were able to attend CSUB’s production of Tommy. My eldest is a big classic rock fan, so we went together to see this. 

Written mostly by Pete Townshend, with contributions from Des McAnuff and the rest of the Who, Tommy is a rock opera that was originally an album centered on the song “Pinball Wizard.” It was adapted for stage in 1992, and that is the version we saw. 

The plot is a bit bizarre: young Tommy becomes deaf, blind, and dumb after witnessing his father (recently released from a POW camp) kill his mother’s lover after a fight. He remains unresponsive for years, until he turns out to be a pinball savant, playing entirely by feel. Later, his mother smashes the mirror in which Tommy saw the killing, and Tommy suddenly recovers his senses. He becomes a celebrity, but becomes disillusioned with the way his fans look to him as a spiritual leader, so he withdraws from public life to be with his family. 

College productions are a bit unpredictable, in part because the student talent varies from year to year. In general, CSUB has high production values, and often some great acting. The weakest part has typically been the dropoff from the best actors and singers to the lesser ones. In this case, this was apparent between the best singers and the ones that were in a bit over their heads. 

The good news is that the part of the adult Tommy was played by Natalie Love, who was excellent. Also outstanding in a bit part was Jan Mateo Tugab, with electrifying dance moves and solid singing. The overall ensemble was good, but a few of the singers tended to drift on pitch from time to time when singing alone. 

The live band was a real treat. Anchored by local pro and veteran of several outstanding local bands, drummer Cesario Garaza, the band was tight all night, well balanced, and energetic. For the most part, it was pros, not students - and that is how they sounded. For me, that was the best part. 

I also loved the creative set, which evoked a pinball machine. Whoever handles set design and construction at CSUB deserves major props for both creativity and craftsmanship - sets have been consistently great for years. 

It is sad right now that all theater in the state of California is shut down indefinitely, although I support the decision. I am looking forward to a return to normalcy, and will be out there supporting our local arts scene as usual. 

 CSUB needs more publicity photos - this is the only one I could find.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Source of book: Borrowed from the library

This was this month’s selection for our “Literary Lush” book club. One of the things I enjoy about this club is that I end up reading interesting books that I never would have discovered on my own. Daisy Jones and the Six is definitely one of those books I had no idea existed, and likely would never have decided to read. Let me say at the outset that this book wasn’t really my cup of tea. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t my kind of book. 

The basic idea of the book is that it is a rock mockumentary. It’s a book about a fictional rock band (that kind of sort of resembles Fleetwood Mac, maybe?) I think Reid’s point is to write a book that looks at the rock and roll lifestyle from a more female perspective, and the book sort of does that. But I have to wonder why it had to be a fake band rather than a real one. I found it hard to get interested in or invested in the characters, because they and their songs didn’t actually, you know, exist. 

The usual rock biography stuff is in there. The band members sleeping with each other. Lots of booze and drugs. All night songwriting sessions. Drama. Lots and lots of drama. It’s stuff that you expect. 

It might have been one thing if the characters were somehow unique or compelling (as in the case of The Air You Breathe), but they really felt like stereotypes of particular rock stars. Or perhaps like real rock stars who had the identifying details removed. 

On the more positive side, Reid did a good job at keeping the voices of each character distinct - and their stories straight. After all, each has a different perspective and memory of events. 

One thing our group agreed was a significant misstep was the twist at the end: (spoiler alert!) the “author” of the story is the daughter of the male lead singer. The problem with this is that there seems to be no freaking way that the characters would actually be open her - particularly her parents. I mean, who tells their kid about all the sex and drugs in that kind of detail? Or spills their guts about their problems with their spouse? It seems implausible. And unnecessary to the story. 

My wife also noted that despite the lurid details, the language itself was rather naive. Not really much cussing. 

Overall, not the best book we have read, although diverting in its way. 

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Due to Covid-19, this was our first book club discussion via Zoom.  While not as good as an in-person meeting, it worked, and helped keep us all from feeling isolated. 

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Just for fun, here is the list of books that our book club has read. At least the ones I have read too. Most of these were read for the club, but a few were ones I read previously - those posts pre-date the club discussion - and some I read afterward, because I missed the discussion. 

Calypso by David Sedaris

The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

There There by Tommy Orange

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Educated by Tara Westover

Stiff by Mary Roach

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne

Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin

Never Mind by Edward St. Aubyn

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

Artemis by Andy Weir

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov 

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore