Gareth Keegan of ‘The Who’s Tommy’ is center on the projected screen, flanked by, from left: Joe Beauregard, Terence Reddick, Timothy John Smith and Sara Kapner. Andy Mientus is in front. Photo by Adams VisCom for the DCPA NewsCenter.

He’s a clown, an ethical dog trainer, a Seinfeld fan … and, on stage, he’s bad-boy cousin Kevin in The Who’s Tommy    

MEET GARETH KEEGAN
Australian Gareth Keegan, who plays Cousin Kevin and Lover in The Who’s Tommy for the DCPA Theatre Company, has previously performed in Jesus Christ Superstar, and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on American stages. TV credits include “Instinct” (CBS) “The Good Fight” (CBS). Australian theatre credits include Tony in West Side Story, Gaylord Ravenal in Showboat, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Mickey in Blood Brothers, Stormy in the world premiere of Cat Stevens’ Moonshadow, Gabe Goodman in the Australian premiere of Next To Normal (for the Melbourne Theatre Company), Frankie Valli alternate in the Jersey Boys (Australian tour), The Rocky Horror Show and A Beautiful Thing.

• Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
• Home now: Jersey City, N.J.
• Training: B.A. in Musical Theatre from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
• What’s your handle? @justgarethkeegan on Instagram
• Twitter-sized bio: Aussie dog lover. Theatre actor. Clown. Believes in free speech and individual thought. Is married to a beautiful Aussie beach gal. Motorcycle rider. Beatles fan.
• Got a web site? garethkeegan.com
• What would you be doing if you were not an actor? Either an ethical dog trainer, a teacher or a mechanic.
• Bucket-list role: Hopefully it hasn’t been written yet. Something I can originate and put my heart and soul into, and be free in that character.
• One role you were completely miscast for: Hah! My very first big TV role. I was 24, playing a 37-year-old Catholic police officer with seven children. When they shaved off my moustache, I looked 12, and they gave all my lines to someone else.
• What’s playing on your Spotify? The Scorpions, and Crosby Stills and Nash. I find a lot of new music is trash, so I stick with bands that make me feel something. I am a fan of a quality song, no matter what genre.
• One time you saw greatness play out in front of you: I still laugh in every episode of Seinfeld. The writing is genius, and it’s one of those shows where the writers were intelligent and brave enough to give a big (bleep) you to the producers and stick to their guns. A revolutionary show for sit-coms.
• One thing we don’t know about you: My wife and I foster dogs who were rescued from the dog-meat trade and natural disasters.
• One thing we should be doing to foster the next generation of theatregoers? I think we should be doing the opposite. It’s quite narcissistic to assume they need our help. I say let them have their space, and learn and fail on their own. That’s where great work comes from.
• What is The Who’s Tommy about? It’s a musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff based on The Who’s classic 1969 rock opera. Young Tommy retreats from the world after a traumatic incident, but a newfound talent for pinball introduces him to the fame and fortune of success.
• Why does The Who’s Tommy matter? This version strips away the bells and whistles, and focuses on relationships struggling through trauma. What defines a person? What defines happiness? I could go on forever about it but I think that sums it up.
• What do you hope audiences get out of seeing The Who’s Tommy? A melted face from the killer psychedelic rock score.
• What do you want to get off your chest? Fame. It’s just (bleep). People who push their agendas on other people.

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

Our two Cousin Kevins: Gareth Keegan and Charlie Korman from opening night of the DCPA Theatre’s Copany’s ‘The Who’s Tommy.’ Photo by Bamboo Booth for the DCPA NewsCenter. See more here.

The Who’s Tommy: Ticket information

Based on The Who’s iconic 1969 rock concept album, Tommy is an exhilarating musical about the challenges of self-discovery and the resilience of the human spirit. When young Tommy retreats into a world of darkness and silence after a deeply traumatic incident, he must navigate a harsh and unforgiving world with no hope of recovery. But when he discovers a newfound talent for pinball, he’s swept up in the fame and fortune of his success. Tommy and his family give new voice to The Who’s classic stadium rock as they navigate the troubles and joys of being alive.

• Presented by DCPA Theatre Company
• Performances through May 27
• Jones Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex
• Call 303-893-4100 or BUY ONLINE

Previous NewsCenter coverage of The Who’s Tommy:

• Director Sam Buntrock on riding the rock ‘n roller coaster
• Opening night photos and celebration
• Broadway’s Alex Brightman sings praises of The Who’s Tommy
• Video: Your first look at The Who’s Tommy at the Denver Center
• Video: Tommy’s Andy Mientus, Lulu Fall sing for Denver Actors Fund
• Game on: 10 things we learned at first rehearsal
• Our interview with Tommy star Andy Mientus
• How The Who went from smashing guitars to blowing people’s minds

Photo gallery: The making of The Who’s Tommy at the Denver Center:

The photos above are from the making of the DCPA Theatre Company’s new production of The Who’s Tommy, spanning the first day of rehearsal on March 13 to the Opening Night performance on April 27. To see more, click on the image above to be taken to our full gallery of photos.