{"id":244437,"date":"2011-07-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-07-25T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/san-diego-repertory-theatre-opens-36th-season-with-the-whos-tommy\/"},"modified":"2011-07-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-07-25T07:00:00","slug":"san-diego-repertory-theatre-opens-36th-season-with-the-whos-tommy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/san-diego-repertory-theatre-opens-36th-season-with-the-whos-tommy\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego Repertory Theatre opens 36th season with \u201cThe Who\u2019s Tommy\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"San<\/a>
B. Slade plays the title role in \u201cThe Who\u2019s Tommy.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Grammy award-winning artist to play title role<\/p>\n

By Charlene Baldridge |<\/strong> Reportero SDUN<\/p>\n

Artistic Director Sam Woodhouse opens the San Diego Repertory Theatre\u2019s 36th season with \u201cThe Who\u2019s Tommy,\u201d July 16\u2013Aug. 14 on the Lyceum Stage, Horton Plaza.<\/p>\n

Written by the Who\u2019s Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff (then artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse), the rock musical premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in 1992.<\/p>\n

The story concerns Tommy, who at age 4 witnesses his father accidentally kill his mother\u2019s lover. As a result, the child becomes blind, deaf and mute, and the only thing he responds to is an old pinball machine. Dubbed the \u201cPinball Wizard,\u201d Tommy begins a magical journey out of the darkness of disability, a tale told in scores including \u201cPinball Wizard\u201d and the unforgettable \u201cSee Me, Feel Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two-time Grammy Award nominee and African-American B. Slade (formerly known as Ton3x) plays the title role. Slade, who received a 2008 San Diego Critics\u2019 Circle Award for his appearance in San Diego Musical Theatre\u2019s \u201cDreamgirls,\u201d said that after that ceremony Woodhouse, who had directed him earlier that year in the Rep\u2019s \u201cPrincess and the Black-Eyed Pea\u201d congratulated him on his award and said, \u201cWe love you at the Rep. I want to build something around you.\u201d After agreeing,<\/p>\n

Slade said he then waited three years for Woodhouse\u2019s email. But finally, the long anticipated day arrived, and the pair met \u201cat a quaint little North Park restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen [Woodhouse] said, \u2018I want you to be Tommy,\u2019 I thought he meant maybe Mr. Walker, something like that.\u201d Slade said, recalling how he then asked, \u201cWho\u2019s Tommy?\u201d<\/p>\n

After realizing what Woodhouse meant, Slade was overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means so much to me, especially at this time, to have someone truly believe in my raw, God-given talent; to have him think enough of me to plan this project to showcase me. It\u2019s so overwhelming my heart is full,\u201d Slade said.<\/p>\n

African-American Tommys are uncommon and perhaps unprecedented, but Slade (nee Williams) comes from a long line of \u201cfirst\u201d achievers. His father was the first African-American head football coach at San Diego City College and the first African-American on the board of directors of the California Teachers Association. His grandfather put together the first black firefighters union.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone says that black entertainers come from broken, drug-infested, gang-filled homes. I truly grew up in \u2018The Cosby Show\u2019 with the Huxtables. I had balance with my father being a teacher and my mother also an educator. They made sure I was well-rounded enough and exposed to all kinds of music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slade, his father and his grandfather attended Horton Plaza\u2019s opening day in 1985. \u201cI was a little boy, so
\nthrilled by the architecture. Now I have difficulty seeing it in my head\u2014walking down to the Lyceum and seeing that yellow poster with my face on it and the marqu\u00e9e that reads \u2018The Who\u2019s Tommy with B. Slade.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Once he gets over the shock, Slade\u2019s next goal is to play another role normally assigned to a white actor\u2014the title role in a Broadway production of \u201cJesus Christ Superstar,\u201d a role noted for its high notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an actor and as an intense vocalist, Ted Neely [who played the role in Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s musical from 1973-2010] is my vocal inspiration, which is why I sing as high as I do now,\u201d Slade said.<\/p>\n

For information and tickets, visit sdrep.org or call (619) 544-1000.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grammy award-winning artist to play title role By Charlene Baldridge | SDUN Reporter Artistic Director Sam Woodhouse opens the San Diego Repertory Theatre\u2019s 36th season with \u201cThe Who\u2019s Tommy,\u201d July 16\u2013Aug. 14 on the Lyceum Stage, Horton Plaza. Written by the Who\u2019s Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff (then artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse), the […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":244438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"San Diego Repertory Theatre opens 36th season with \u201cThe Who\u2019s Tommy\u201d","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}