OLATHE, Kan. – The theatre students at Olathe East High School have performed in dozens musicals, but they say their latest undertaking may be the most different, challenging and rewarding project they’ve done to date.
“I think the coolest thing is the music because it’s got this heavy rock n roll that you don’t see a lot of times in musicals,” said Courtney Miller, 18, a senior at Olathe East.
The musical is “Tommy,” by The Who. When they learned this would be their latest performance, most had to Google who The Who even were.
“I would say it’s definitely helps us that we don’t know who The Who are, just so we’re not imitating them and so we can develop our own characters,” said Blake Thomas, 17-year-old senior. “This is such a challenging experience because this is a rock opera., there’s no [dialogue], so you have to focus more on your singing.”
In the original version of Tommy, one of the characters smashes a mirror. For their rendition, the Olathe East students wanted to do something different, so in true rock n roll fashion, they smash guitars instead.
“I remember one of the things Pete Townsend did after every concert is he smashed a guitar on the stage I thought what a cool way to honor him, said theatre director Eddie Shafer.
Shafer said their version of “Tommy” will have pyrotechnics, a rotating stage and parachuters.
“When I could marry theatre with rock n roll, I thought that was the coolest thing ever,” said Shafer. “We’ve treated this show like it’s a rock concert with a story to it. So, I would just tell people, come for the music, stay for the story.”
And if you have an old guitar lying around, Shafer asks that you donate it to his students’ production, so they can go out in true The Who fashion by smashing them on stage.
To donate a guitar, call (913) 780-7120 or drop it off at Olathe East High School at 14545 West 127th Street in Olathe.
Olathe East’s Theater Department will perform The Who’s “Tommy” Feb. 2, 3 and 4 at 7:30 pm with a matinée performance on the 4th at 2:00 pm. Tickets for adults are $8.00 and $6.00 for students. Order your tickets early by calling 780-7889 or email sgoreec@olatheschools.org.
This is such a challenging experience because this is a rock opera., there’s no lyrics, so you have to focus more on your singing.
