JOE
McElderry says he can’t wait to step back into the role of Tommy. (PHK: Incredible - you wait ages for a good 'Tommy' story, then two come along together!)
The South
Shields singing star will be taking on the lead role in a new production of The
Who’s classic rock opera.
He’ll star
as “the deaf, dumb and blind kid who sure plays a mean pinball” at Blackpool’s
Winter Gardens in September.
He
originally played Tommy at a one-off show at the Prince Edward Theatre, in
London’s West End.
The
23-year-old, of Westoe, said: “The show is being put on by different people but
they asked me to do it because of that one-off performance.
“It’s
something really different to what people would expect me to do. I’m really
excited about it. I think it’ll be a lot of fun.
“Its songs
are by The Who so they’re quite different to the sort of thing I’d normally
sing but I love them and it’s such a great story.”
He added:
“I can’t wait to get started on rehearsals and to get out there. I’m really
looking forward to it.”
The
original album, on which the show was based, was written by Who guitarist Pete
Townshend in 1969, and became a smash hit in the West End and on Broadway.
It tells the
story of a deaf, dumb and blind pinball player who becomes an international
messiah, and includes classic Who songs such as Pinball Wizard, I’m Free and
See Me, Feel Me.
The role
of Tommy was famously played by Who frontman Roger Daltrey in the 1975 film
version.
Joe, who
has triumphed on reality shows The X Factor, Popstar to Operastar and The Jump,
has taken a leap into theatre in recent years.
As well as
his one-off performance of Tommy, he’s also starred in pantomimes Cinderella
and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and made a special appearance at the
Sunderland Empire during a run of Dirty Dancing in 2012.
Joe added:
“The one-off I did was more of a concert but this is the full show, so there’s
a lot more acting involved and it’s a real challenge.
“He’s
deaf, dumb and blind so he doesn’t react to anything that’s going on around
him, and it’s quite hard not to look
when people are singing and dancing around you.
“I really
love theatre and I imagine I will do a lot more of it, but it will always be
alongside what I already do because singing is my first love.
“One show
I’d really love to do would be a modern story, sort of similar to Grease, so
hopefully someone will write something like that.”
Joe is in
rehearsals for his new 100-date tour, Evolution, which kicks off at the Customs
House, in South Shields, on Saturday, February 21.
He said:
“I can’t wait to get back to touring because it really gets you in a routine.
“The show
is called Evolution so it’s going to be something really different. I’ve grown
up a lot and it’s a more mature show, but there’s still the pop numbers that
people can sing and dance along to.
“I’m going
to bring back some memories by doing some songs I haven’t performed in a long
time and sing some new ones too.
“I really
want to show people how much I’ve changed.”
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