BWW Interviews: Ben Van Diepen Plays Captain Walker in TOMMY IN CONCERT at Street Theatre Company

The Who's Tommy in Concert is the next offering from Street Theatre Company, continuing the sold-out success of its In Concert series, running for six performances February 22-26. STC's 2011 In Concert offerings-Chess in Concert and Ragtime in Concert-were both included in First Night's Top 11 of 2011 Outstanding Theatrical Events.

STC artistic director Cathy Street directs a cast that includes Michael Holder as Tommy, Holly Shepherd as Mrs. Walker and Ben Van Diepen as Captain Walker.

Pete Townshend's tale of a young boy's journey from pain to triumph is a night of rock and roll musical theatre not to be missed. After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia, and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors.

As an adolescent, Tommy is discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar. The exhilarating score is timeless in its youthful appeal, giving the show a cross-generational appeal that has made it a smash-hit around the world.

The production team, led by director Cathy Street, is "putting a hip new spin on the production, placing it in a neo-apocalyptic/steampunk arena," she explains.

 "I had always been thinking that this show needed a hip, rock vibe," Street says, "and when steampunk was brought to my attention, it seemed like a great fit. With the show taking place in 1940s wartime but also being very modern rock and roll, we also thought it would be really neat to emphasize those conflicting elements by making it a visual journey in time travel, as well."

On the day before Tommy in Concert bows at STC's venue (conveniently located at  1933 Elm Hill Pike), get to know Ben Van Diepen, who plays Captain Walker, better. Just coming off his gig as music director of Blackbird Theater's Pacific Overtures, he turns his attention now to Tommy in Concert.

What character do you play? Captain Walker.

What's the most challenging aspect of this concert version? Tommy is such a large scale, big feel kind of musical, so the intimate space at Street provides both advantages and challenges to telling the story. 

What's your earliest memory of Tommy? Until I was called to audition, I really didn't know Tommy at all. I knew "Pinball Wizard," but nothing else.

What was your most recent Nashville stage role before Tommy? My last performance onstage was playing Tybalt in the Nashville Shakespeare Festival's production of Romeo and Juliet. Most recently, I was musical director and conductor for Blackbird Theatre's production of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures. 

What was your first Nashville stage role My first stage role in Nashville was Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar with the Boiler Room Theatre.

Have you ever played pinball or are you strictly a video game kind of guy? I've never been much of a gamer in any respect, but I'd certainly lead more toward video games. I've definitely played PInball Wizard on Guitar Hero, though. 

Why should people come see Tommy in Concert? Tommy isn't produced all that often anywhere, so its actually a pretty rare opportunity to hear some cool music and witness this interesting and bizarre story.

Tommy in Concert features many new faces to the STC stage including Holly Shepherd as Mrs. Walker and Ben Van Diepen as Captain Walker, with Michael Holder (acclaimed for his performance in Altar Boyz at STC as part of First Night's Top 11 of 2011) stars as Tommy. The show also features a cast of over 20 singers including Saaneah Jamison (last seen in STC's Hairspray) as the Acid Queen.

Tommy in Concert is presented for one weekend only. Performances are February 22-26, with shows Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, at 8  p.m., Saturday at 2  p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets are $16 and $14 and are available online at www.streettheatrecompany.org. Performances are at Street Theatre, 1933 Elm Hill Pike, just off the Briley Parkway. For more information, call (615) 554-7414.

 

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