The Magazine of St Aloysius' College • 'Men for Others' • Issue XLVII ...

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