NOW PLAYING–From left, Michael Byrne, Jonathan Bluth, Ryan Beaghler, Nick Newkirk, Nikko Arce and Adam Rayzor are in the cast of “Tommy.” While watching Conejo Players’ incendiary production of The Who’s “Tommy” last weekend I realized not only what a remarkable show it is, but how influential it’s been as a force on the Broadway scene.

“Tommy” began as a two-disc concept album, released in 1969 by the British rock band The Who. The album helped legitimize rock once and for all, as group member and creator of the show Pete Townshend described it as a “rock opera.” Its nontraditional formula brought rock a newfound respect.

When the show, in a production directed by Des McAnuff, finally reached Broadway until 1993, it became a smash hit, winning five Tony awards.

The influence of “Tommy” reverberates on Broadway today, with successes like “Spring Awakening,” “Rock of Ages” and “American Idiot.” Its most apparent successor, “Next to Normal,” resembles it in form (a sung-through score with songs that appear and reappear, sometimes without beginning or end), design (a vertically oriented, bare bones set), and story (the redemption of a family that struggles through the illness of a central character).

Director Shawn Lanz has done a masterful job of bringing “Tommy” to the stage. The production is superb from top to bottom— from the powerful five-piece rock band above the proscenium to the intelligent use of lighting, effects and stage space to masterful acting and singing by the cast.

Taking nothing away from the actors, the most powerful presence in this realization of “Tommy” is drummer Scott Mundy. There’s probably no musical as driven by the drumming as “Tommy.” In a tribute to the no-holds-barred work by The Who’s Keith Moon, Mundy is rhythmic kinetic energy; the relentless drive of his performance, especially in the songs “Sensation” and “Pinball Wizard,” is the churning magma in the volcano of a score, propelling just about all of the action on the stage. Mundy’s only negative is that his work is so mesmerizing, you take your eyes off the actors to watch him perform.

The production of the story of a young boy who is traumatized into a deaf, dumb and blind catatonic state after witnessing his father murder his mother’s lover, utilizes three actors playing young Tommy Walker.

Maxwell Kilpatrick and Corey Fogelmanis, as the 4-year-old and 10-year-old Tommy, respectively, are poised and professional in their ghostly cameos; both sing their recurring solos on “See Me, Feel Me” beautifully.

Three local favorites make their Conejo Players debuts in this show. Nick Newkirk plays the grown-up Tommy and, in the first act, the boy’s inner self, trying to reach out to his parents but unable to do so because of his condition.

Newkirk is a magnetic presence in his glistening white robes. Bearing a slight resemblance to The Who’s Roger Daltrey doesn’t hurt either; Newkirk’s power and passion are entrancing.

Kyle Caldwell, with his all- American, red-headed, frecklefaced good looks, is perfect as Captain Walker, who suffers the guilt of his son’s withdrawal from the world. Jonathan Bluth, one of the most versatile character actors on the local scene, is dastardly as the sadistic Cousin Kevin, who revels in his torment of the helpless Tommy.

Also excellent are Megan Rayzor as the sweet-natured Mrs. Walker, Darrienne Gross as the decadent Acid Queen, and especially Luis Cardenas as the slimy, opportunistic Uncle Ernie, who exhibits a powerful tenor in his solos “Fiddle About” and “Tommy’s Holiday Camp.”

The Who’s “Tommy” should not be missed. See it. Feel it.

The musical plays through Sat., July 24. For tickets, call (805) 495- 3715 or visit www.conejoplayers .org.