The Starlight Theater Company has turned on the heat with Miss Saigon, done it’s best not to cry for Evita, and tamed the jungle with Tarzan, but for the 2016-2017 season, they decided to just play some pinball.

The Who’s Tommy, a musical about a deaf, dumb, and blind boy who also happens to be a Pinball Wizard, opened on January 12 and ran until January 22.

“We​ ​always​ ​try​ ​to​ ​do​ ​a​ ​different​ ​style,​ ​genre,​ ​of​ ​musical​ ​and​ ​we​ ​haven’t​ ​done​ ​a​ ​rock​ ​one​ ​since Hairspray,​ ​so​ ​it​ ​was​ ​time​ ​to​ ​do​ ​another​ ​rock​ ​musical,” director Betsy Cornwell said. ​

The musical follows the story of Tommy Walker, who after accidentally witnessing a murder, goes psychologically deaf, dumb, and blind. The first act of the musical follows that event, and steps taken to try to cure him.

“The Tommy that I play, he starts out, and he’s kind of the narrator of the story, and the whole first act is just him seeing his life and looking back at the occurrences that have happened to him,” senior Jackson Walker said.

The first act also chronicles the mental and physical abuse that happens to Tommy from his abuser, Uncle Ernie and bully, Cousin Kevin.

“I think he’s very envious of Tommy because Tommy gets all this special treatment and Kevin just kind of gets left behind in the shadows, so I think he’s just searching for that attention,” junior Blake Pousson said.

At the end of Act One, Cousin Kevin takes Tommy to an arcade, where he showcases his talent for pinball and becomes the Pinball Wizard, despite his disabilities.

“Pinball Wizard is my favorite number because the energy is just so high and it just really gets me going, I love performing that song, I really just forget everything else,” Pousson said.

The plot takes a major turn during Act Two, as Mrs. Walker is able to set Tommy free by smashing the mirror he witnessed the murder through. After he’s set free, he becomes a rock star, and develops a very strong fan base.

“The second act starts out, and he’s, deaf, dumb, and blind, and he gets freed from his catatonic state. And then kind of gains a following and teaches people that they shouldn’t aspire to be anyone other than themselves,” Walker said.

Tommy includes almost the entire company, and presents a challenge for all performers, as the show is a rock opera; opera meaning that the music does not stop for dialogue, and rock in that the music falls in that genre.

“Since it’s a rock opera the music almost never stops, and in traditional musicals we have little breaks throughout the show for the musicians, the musicians kind of have to be engaged through the entire act which is quite a lengthy amount of time,” music director Randy Cantu said.

Tommy was developed by British rock band, The Who, as an album in 1969. It was then made into a movie in 1975, and the Broadway premiere was in 1993.

“How the Tommy story happened was The Who lounging around in a living room, or a garage, or whatever just thinking like ‘what if there was this kid who was deaf, dumb, and blind, but was like, really good at pinball,” senior Eli Schoolar  said. “This story, this concept, although it’s now gone from an album,  to a movie, to a musical, deep down in that album core the story concept has just been crafted so originally, and so, it just feels so creative.”

Bowie’s production sold out twice out of  the 8 shows, and many of students have said that they won’t forget the Pinball Wizard any time soon.

“Pinball Wizard,​ ​even​ ​though​ ​that’s​ ​the​ ​epic​ ​number,​ ​it​ ​just​ ​gets​ ​me​ ​so​ ​pumped up​ ​because​ ​the​ ​music​ ​is​ ​so​ ​epic​,” senior dance captain Emma Haschke said. “As​ ​an​ ​individual​ ​there’s​ ​so​ ​much​ ​artistic​ ​freedom​ ​with​ ​how​ ​you​ ​move​ ​to​ ​the music​ ​and​ ​I​ ​love​ ​that​ ​aspect​ ​of​ ​it​ ​where​ ​I​ ​basically ​just​ ​have​ ​a​ ​good​ ​time​ ​on​ ​stage.”