The Magazine of St Aloysius' College ⢠'Men for Others' ⢠Issue XLVII ...
The Magazine of St Aloysius' College ⢠'Men for Others' ⢠Issue XLVII ...
The Magazine of St Aloysius' College ⢠'Men for Others' ⢠Issue XLVII ...
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<strong>The</strong> Three Tommys (Peter Slaven, John Slaven and Daniel Verschuer).<br />
remarked, but to touch people’s hearts and to shape<br />
people’s values.<br />
Last week, audiences in the Great Hall would have<br />
been drawn into Tommy at various levels – not only an<br />
evocation <strong>of</strong> their youth in the 70s, energetic music, a state<br />
<strong>of</strong> the art set, but also to reflect on deeper issues. Tommy,<br />
though a little confrontational, was a perfect example <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Ignatian adage <strong>of</strong> “going in by the other person’s door and<br />
leading them out your own”. In this case, the entrance was<br />
a doorway <strong>of</strong> popular culture, the messiness <strong>of</strong> people’s<br />
lives and the reality <strong>of</strong> sin. <strong>The</strong> exit was redemption and<br />
healing. It was, in fact, a Christ story.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first half presented us with a zoo <strong>of</strong> characters,<br />
most stunted and less than human – prisoners <strong>of</strong> their<br />
limitations and <strong>of</strong> sin. Uncle Ernie was a drunkard and a<br />
child abuser. Cousin Kevin was a bully and a coward. <strong>The</strong><br />
Gypsy Acid Queen would have us believe that drugs and<br />
sex could yield the only liberation. <strong>The</strong> central character<br />
is Tommy, whose name means “twin”. Appropriately it<br />
would seem, he is twinned with youthful images <strong>of</strong> himself<br />
keeping him trapped in a world <strong>of</strong> innocence be<strong>for</strong>e he<br />
was traumatised by his father’s murder <strong>of</strong> his mother’s lover.<br />
<strong>The</strong> brooding structural sin <strong>of</strong> the Vietnam War, <strong>of</strong> brutal<br />
gang behaviour, and <strong>of</strong> the drug scene hangs heavy over<br />
Tommy and the audience who is privy to his life. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
are false prophets aplenty who fail to release Tommy<br />
from the prison <strong>of</strong> his mind, the crippling guilt associated<br />
with that murder. “How can he be saved?” chorus his<br />
acquaintances at one point. Even Tommy’s parents are<br />
on the verge <strong>of</strong> giving up on him. <strong>The</strong>y would “like to<br />
declare that devotion and care is the life to live”, but<br />
they are drained. Until his mother smashes the mirror <strong>of</strong><br />
Tommy’s introversion and he is freed. <strong>The</strong> crowds hound<br />
Tommy, looking <strong>for</strong> miracles and his pinball prowess. But<br />
he wants to retreat from the celebrity stakes. <strong>The</strong> crowds<br />
follow him to his house. “<strong>The</strong>re’s more at the door!” goes<br />
up the cry – the simple workers are welcomed, the elderly<br />
and sick find a place. “Come into our house, come to<br />
me now!” Is this starting to sound familiar? Is this religious<br />
language and metaphor? Is this Gospel? Of course it is.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re follows a reconciliation <strong>of</strong> all who have hurt Tommy<br />
and they are surprised at his ready <strong>for</strong>giveness <strong>of</strong> them.<br />
All is healed. All are redeemed. <strong>The</strong> rousing closing song<br />
includes the line, “I climb the mountain, I see the glory”. It<br />
could be a revivalist meeting. Tommy is the Christ-figure.<br />
All shall be well. Against all odds, good triumphs. And our<br />
hands are clapping in time with the trans<strong>for</strong>mation.<br />
This is why plays are always to be found in the Jesuit<br />
curriculum. <strong>The</strong>y both entertain and instruct. And as well<br />
as shaping values, they <strong>for</strong>m the character <strong>of</strong> the dramatis<br />
personae and those who support their craft. <strong>The</strong>y become<br />
self-confident and focussed; disciplined yet creative; more<br />
willing to take risks and stretch themselves; contributing<br />
to and trusting in the team; accepting the dry drill <strong>of</strong><br />
committing lines and moves to memory <strong>for</strong> a polished<br />
outcome; honing talents and skills, front and backstage;<br />
striving <strong>for</strong> the magis. It is powerful <strong>for</strong>mation. Those who<br />
saw the fruits last week would endorse all this and join me<br />
in congratulating all the players, staff, parents and Old<br />
Boys involved.<br />
Faye Ryan, who directs plays at Loyola Academy in<br />
Illinois, once remarked that “the arts are a primary path in<br />
the human journey to truth, with theatre as one <strong>of</strong> the most<br />
visible, communal and accessible <strong>of</strong> those paths”. We<br />
know that, too, half a world away.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first followers <strong>of</strong> <strong>St</strong> Ignatius styled themselves as<br />
companions, and their group a company. Our players also<br />
call themselves a company. <strong>The</strong>re’s meaning there.<br />
Fr Ross Jones SJ<br />
Curtain Call.<br />
As the Producer <strong>of</strong> Tommy 2008, looking back I can<br />
only wonder and be amazed by the combined talents and<br />
generosity <strong>of</strong> so many colleagues, parents and girls and<br />
boys which made this such a memoroable musical. Another<br />
clear case <strong>of</strong> the product being far in excess <strong>of</strong> the sum<br />
total <strong>of</strong> its parts. This seems to happen <strong>of</strong>ten at <strong>St</strong> Aloysius’<br />
<strong>College</strong>.<br />
Mr Michael Hissey<br />
Producer<br />
Director <strong>of</strong> Music<br />
<strong>St</strong> Aloysius’ <strong>College</strong><br />
A Jesuit School <strong>for</strong> Boys _ Founded 1879 aloysiad / page 37