Tommy (Greenwich Theatre)

Tommy was first released in 1969 by gods of rock, The Who. A concept album, it tells the story of a boy so traumatised by a post-war childhood event that he becomes deaf, dumb and blind, and is only redeemed from his isolated state by a stunning ability to play the pinball machines that were the height of teenage sophistication at the time.

Tommy was subsequently filmed, and then made into a musical in 1992, here revived by director Michael Strassen, with music and lyrics by The Who's Pete Townshend.

The Greenwich show is a high-energy production, with its young cast giving their all vocally and in the dance sequences, tightly choregraphed by Mark Smith. There's some imaginative staging and a solid design from Nik Corrall, although he sidesteps any attempt at creating the pinball machine that forms the heart of the story.

Tommy is a curious mix of musical-theatre pizazz and rock grunge, which don't always sit comfortably together. But the fundamental problem is that the show's narrative remains as thin as it ever was.

There are plenty of characters, but they're all so mean, selfish or otherwise flawed that it's difficult to engage with any of them except Tommy himself. Even his mournful mum, sung with passion by the beautiful Miranda Wilford, gets bored with caring and ditches her responsibilities in the end.

Paedophile Uncle Ernie is played with grim gusto by John Barr, who caricatures him heavily in an attempt to make Ernie more clown than villain. But his big number, "Fiddle About", is such a hideous and detailed account of child abuse that it risks alienating the audience entirely.

Times may have been different when this show was written, but it hasn't aged well.

However the saving grace is, of course, the music, and Townshend's gift for melody as well as rock anthems is evident throughout.

As Tommy, Ashley Birchall brings a tender vulnerability to the lead, and gets the best numbers. His touching "See Me, Feel Me", has a melting beauty, and he gives at least one credible Roger Daltrey-esque scream during "I'm Free". It's an intensely demanding vocal role, and Birchall does well to sustain it for the final, uplifting chorus of "Listening To You", which finally unlocks the audience restraint.

And full credit to the band, led by MD and guitarist Kevin Oliver Jones, with Lauren Storer on keyboards, Paolo Minervini on bass and Kamil Bartnik on drums, who all come into their own for a barnstorming closing number that reminds us what this show's strongest suit is all about.

Tommy runs at the Greenwich Theatre until 23 August 2015. For more information or to book tickets, click here.