Review by Verna Safran

The story begins in a war plant in 1943 that is making airplanes. Captain Walker (Krystof Kage) becomes a pilot and parachutist and is missing in action, without knowing his wife (Rachael McCauley) is pregnant. Mrs. Walker takes up with another man, and when Captain Walker returns home, the men fight and Walker kills the lover in self defense. The four-year-old Tommy witnesses the killing in a mirror and becomes traumatized, giving the appearance of being deaf, dumb and blind.

As if that one trauma weren't bad enough, Uncle Ernie (A.J. Methvin) babysits when the boy is ten and sexually molests the child, figuring the kid can never tell on him. And Cousin Kevin (David FM Vaughn) and his pals taunt the boy and stuff him in a garbage pail. Medical doctors and psychiatrists can do nothing to cure the child, and even the ''gypsy'' woman (played to the hilt by Ayanna Abney who can belt with the best of them) turns out to be a druggie and a fraud. Meanwhile, Tommy becomes a champion pinball player, which mystifies everyone, since he supposedly can't see what he's doing. It is not until his mother, in a rage of frustration, breaks the mirror, that the mature Tommy (Brian Walker) breaks the spell which had him paralyzed.

But this show goes beyond the ''rags to riches'' musical formula and moves into another dimension with an examination of the nature of celebrity. Tommy, the recovered disabled person and pinball champ is literally put up on a pedestal. A TV camera is on him constantly and he is swarmed with reporters asking him personal questions. People such as Cousin Kevin, who were cruel to him before, claim to have helped him. A crowd of strangers follows him into his home, but then they grow bored and sing ''We'll forsake you, maybe rape you, but forget you, better still.'' and everyone but his family walks out on him.

Then we go one step further -- for this is not ''Bye, Bye Birdie'' - - and the finale becomes a profound examination of the nature of love.

Eric Hurst has been developing a company that can sing as well as act. His leads in this show are outstanding. Rachael McCauley is sweet but strong as the mother; Krystof Kage, a dead ringer for the young Stacey Keach, is fine, and in Brian Walker, who is both Tommy and the Narrator, a star is born.

The two children who play the young Tommy's deserve a special round of applause. They had to act catatonic, be pushed and carried around without moving a muscle or changing expression -- something hard enough for an adult, but a tremendous feat for a child. Emily Slayden was Tommy at age four and Amy Jenkins was Tommy at age ten, and both were superb.

But this is an ensemble production, and what makes Eric's troupe come close to being a repertory company is that everyone works together for the good of the whole. Folks like Amber Phillips, Alan Nelson and Duncan Hoehn, who played starring roles in other A La Carte productions, seem to be happy playing several ensemble parts in this one. It's a huge cast, but Eric has them moving in unison, even doing fairly consistent British accents.

All the elements that make for a spectacular production come together to make this play work and this work play. Film images are projected on the back wall throughout. They were put together by Scott and Bobbie Freese, Claudia Vaccaro and Jenny Wilhelm, and they tie in and complement the action on stage. Eric tells me they could have used video that comes with the show, but decided to spring for creativity and do their own.

The choreography by Michele Ackermann is brilliant. ''No tap,'' she lamented to me, since she loves tap dancing, ''but plenty of jazz.'' The ''production numbers'' were all show-stoppers, and the solos by Tommy when he is ''free'' and by A.J. Methvin, a barker at a Tommy theme park (he also plays the wicked uncle) were fascinating to watch.

Even the lighting plays a role, or maybe we should say ''especially the lighting,'' because without the special effects designed by Scott Freese, the show would have lacked the pizzazz that it has. The costumes, by Wanda Tillman, move us from the 1940's into the 1960's with accuracy, color, and effect appropriate to each character. And of course the musical direction by Sarah Hess, keeps the music exciting without drowning out the singers.

This is the culminating production of the Theatre A La Carte's 10th Anniversary season, and it's a must-see. Performances June 16, 22 and 24 are at 8:00 p.m. at the Tallahassee Little Theatre, with a 2:00 matinee on Sunday June 25. There's also a 10th Anniversary Gala performance Saturday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m. with all seats $25.00. It's a black-tie evening featuring a champagne buffet, commemorative souvenirs and a performance of Tommy.. Proceeds will support future productions, which next year will include Stephen Sondheim's Assassins and the musical classic Peter Pan with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, music by Mark Charlap and additional lyrics by Comden and Green and additional music by Jule Styne.

For Tommy reservations, call the TLT box office, 224-8474. The Who's Tommy won five Tony awards when it was first done as a stage show in 1993, including Best Original Score for Pete Townshend. If they gave awards for excellence in Tallahassee, I'd give it another one.