Several West U area residents will be featured performers in Theatre Under The Stars’ and Humphreys School of Musical Theatre’s upcoming production of “The Who’s Tommy.”
The production is based on the 1969 rock opera album “Tommy” by music hall of famer Pete Townshend.
Featuring an all teen cast of students from TUTS’ Humphreys School of Musical Theatre, “The Who’s Tommy” takes the stage at Zilkha Hall in the Hobby Center Sept. 10-11.
Broadway veteran and original “The Who’s Tommy” cast member Michael Tapley will direct.
Episcopal High School junior Austin Arizpe is a featured performer in “The Who’s Tommy” and has appeared in such productions as “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Pippin,” “The Tempest,” “Dracula,” “When You Wish,” “School House Rock” and “The King and I.”
Ian Bouillion, a 16-year-old Strake Jesuit College Preparatory student, will be appearing in the upcoming performance as “Kevin’s Father.”
Bouillion recently won a St. Agnes Theatre Award for Best Leading Actor as “Jack” in “Into The Woods” and was nominated for a Tommy Tune Award for his role as “Thenardier” in “Les Miserables.”
St. John’s School sophomore Sam Burkett is in his sixth year of training at the Humphrey’s School of Musical Theatre and has performed in 10 TUTS shows.
Some of Burkett’s previous shows with TUTS include “13 - The Musical,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Gepetto & Son.”
Mia Gerachis, a 15-year-old Episcopal High School student, will be portraying the “Acid Queen” in “The Who’s Tommy.”
Gerachis has appeared in such productions as “Oliver,” “Annie,” “Seussical” and “Once On This Island.”
She was recently nominated for a Tommy Tune Award as Best Supporting Actress in her role as “Chaperone” in “The Drowsy Chaperone.”
HSPVA junior Christian Warner has been on tour for several productions since he was 9 years old.
He played the role of “Nipper” in “Oliver” and “Young Simba” in “The Lion King.”
After traveling for five years he returned to Houston and worked with TUTS in several shows including “13 - The Musical,” “The Stephen Schwartz Project,” “Aladdin Dual Language,” and “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“The Who’s Tommy” chronicles the life of a child trapped inside his own mind and his family’s desperate attempts to free him. As an adolescent, he discovers an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and that leads him to international stardom once he is freed from a catatonic state.
The cast of “The Who’s Tommy” is composed of 30 students from the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre including Austin Arizpe, Melissa Beaird, Aaron Boudreaux, Monica Brown, Ian Bouillion, Sam Burkett, Emily Coleman, Rebecca Eckert, Mia Gerachis, James Hamrick, Sean Hardin, Brooke Humphrey, Austin Jacobs and Ryan Jacobs. Also in the cast are Mark Jammal, Connor Jones, Drew Jones, Ryan Kennedy, Dylan Lambert, McCall Montz, Ryne Nardecchia, Sydney Roberts, Morgan Starr, Terran Swonke, Sandy Valles, Charity Van Tassel, Christian Warner, Katy Wilson and Chris Wolff.
Michael Tapley, the Artistic Director for Theatre Under The Stars’ Tommy Tune Awards, will direct the production. Tapley began his career with TUTS in 1973 while appearing in “Kismet.” Over the years he has appeared in such TUTS productions as “Gypsy,” “The Sound of Music,” “A Chorus Line” and “West Side Story.” Tapley has also appeared on Broadway, most notably, in m “The Who’s Tommy.”
Assisting the director is Shay Rodgers, a native Houstonian who is currently in her 23rd year with Theatre Under The Stars. Through her time at TUTS, Rodgers has held various roles including student, performer, teacher, production assistant, choreographer, stage manager and now manager of education.
John Cornelius serves as music director for the performance. Cornelius has been the music director, arranger and composer for a number of theaters including The Great Caruso, The Ensemble Theatre, Main Street Theatre and Theatre Under The Stars’ Humphreys School.
Tickets for “The Who’s Tommy” are available online at www.tuts.com, by phone at 713-558-8887 or in person at the Theatre Under The Stars box office at 800 Bagby in downtown Houston.
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