Pinball wizardry from Tisch

Even before the curtains rise, you can tell by the unassuming Nazi posters and battle sounds that something bizarre is about to take place. The Tisch School of the Arts' mainstage production of "The Who's Tommy" does not disappoint.

The plot is masterfully discomfiting, even in its simplicity. The first few minutes are a concatenation of dialogue-less scenes, ending when 4-year-old Tommy Walker (Alex Goley/Corey Desjardins) looks in a mirror and witnesses his dad, Captain Walker (Nik Walker), killing his wife's boyfriend in a fit of rage. The Captain and Mrs. Walker (Rachael Duddy) convince him that he neither saw nor heard anything; as a result, Tommy becomes deaf, dumb, blind and apathetic, interested in nothing except the mirror that robbed him of his innocence (which he blindly gazes into for hours on end).

From then on, the play follows Tommy through his tribulations, which include being molested by the various relatives he gets shipped off to and being bullied at a youth club. At the club he finds fleeting success as a "pinball wizard," but his parents continue to seek out a cure for his ailments. One day, out of frustration, Mrs. Walker smashes the mirror and inadvertently cures him. He instantly becomes a public sensation for his "miraculous" recovery and the story ends with a happily-ever-after of sorts as Tommy reconciles with his childhood.

Sure, the narrative is implausible — Tommy apparently "plays a mean pinball" by his "sense of smell" — but this is because the musical was written at the height of the psychedelic movement by a sufficiently insane Pete Townshend. The psychological journey is more important than the show's realism.

Replete with revolving mirrors, flashing lights, a disco ball and over-the-top costumes, the stage design captures the show's fantastic element perfectly. "Tommy" has been under scrutiny since its conception for having an infamously large budget, but the production dispels any doubts one might have had about whether the money would be put to good use.

Kent Gash's direction breaks the barriers of theatrical convention with flair. As for the music, classic rock fans will enter the experience with a justified bias (it is, after all, The Who), while others should enter with an open mind. The music can get loud and jarring, but the instrumentation is recreated flawlessly. The acoustics of the auditorium are generous to the performers, but some vocalists — those, for example, in the first rendition of "Pinball Wizard" — fall short of the mark. Additionally, the choreography, though effective for the plot, is just about average by itself.

Small weaknesses aside, "Tommy" is a relentless barrage of talent. The performers' unwavering passion gives the audience no choice but to sing along.

"The Who's Tommy" runs through Feb. 13 at the Abrons Arts Center (466 Grand St.). Tickets ($10-$20) are available through theatermania.com or by phone at 212.352.3101.