Tommy Andrews (Theresa Scafani) Character Analysis

Overview

Tommy Andrews is the stage persona of Theresa Scafani, a male impersonator who performs at the Telegraph Club in 1950s San Francisco. She first appears in Last Night at the Telegraph Club as a newspaper advertisement that captivates the protagonist, Lily Hu. Over the course of the novel, Tommy evolves from an abstract image into a flesh‑and‑blood woman whose swagger, voice, and kindness both thrill and unsettle Lily. Tommy embodies the tension between performance and identity, serving as a catalyst for Lily’s self‑discovery and a living symbol of queer visibility in an era of repression.

Plot Role and Significance

Tommy’s role in the novel is twofold: she draws Lily into the queer world of the Telegraph Club, and she later becomes a personal touchstone through brief, charged encounters. In Chapter 1, Lily spots the ad for Tommy Andrews “male impersonator” and, despite her parents’ warnings, secretly tears it out and hides it in her pocket. This act of concealment marks the beginning of Lily’s secret curiosity about queer culture. When Lily finally visits the club with Kath in Chapter 20, Tommy’s performance—singing “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered”—electrifies Lily and forces her to confront the physical reality of a woman who dresses and acts like a man. Later, Tommy’s private interaction with Lily in a back room (Chapter 31) deepens Lily’s confusion and desire, and Tommy’s offhand comments later in Chapter 42 reveal her past as Theresa Scafani, “Ingénue of North Beach.” Tommy thus bridges Lily’s imagined fantasy and the lived experience of queer community.

Motivations and Character Traits

From the evidence, Tommy is shown to be confident, perceptive, and protective. Onstage she commands the room with a “swagger” and a “cocky smile,” yet backstage she notices the nervous teenager Lily and gently challenges her age (“Eighteen going on sixteen, I think”). Tommy’s motivation appears to be living authentically through her performance. She has crafted a stage identity that allows her to express a masculine style that might have been punished elsewhere. Her past as Theresa Scafani, “only a mediocre lounge singer,” suggests that the Tommy persona is both a creative outlet and a survival strategy. She also displays a kind of playful flirtation with patrons, but when she senses Lily’s vulnerability, she pulls back, telling her “You better go back to your girlfriend.” This mix of boldness and care defines her.

Chronological Arc

Tommy’s arc in the novel is fragmented, seen only through Lily’s eyes.

• Early 1951 (Chapter 1): Lily first sees Tommy’s ad in the Chronicle. The image of a handsome man in a tuxedo stirs something “still” inside her. She tears out the ad and washes the ink from her hands, hiding her act.
• March 1951 (Chapter 20): Lily and Kath attend the Telegraph Club. Tommy performs, and Lily is overwhelmed by the contrast between the photograph and the living performer—the pomade, the signet ring, the husky voice. The audience applauds wildly.
• Same night (Chapter 21): During intermission, Tommy passes Lily in the hallway, calls her “China doll,” and later that evening, in a quiet room, gently touches Lily’s face and calls her “sweet sixteen.” She advises her to return to “your girlfriend,” then withdraws.
• Later, 1951 (Chapter 42): At the after‑party at Tommy and Lana’s apartment, Tommy is not present for most of the conversation. Lana reveals that Tommy used to be Theresa Scafani, and that she named herself after the “long‑lost Andrews sister.” This scene gives background but no further interaction with Lily.

Tommy does not appear again in the main narrative; her story remains peripheral, yet her impact on Lily is lasting.

Relationships

• Lily Hu: Tommy’s relationship with Lily is one of brief, intense encounters. Tommy is the object of Lily’s first queer fascination. She flirts with Lily but also treats her with a kind of gentle authority, not taking advantage of her youth. Lily feels “queasy, self‑conscious confusion” when she realizes Tommy is a real woman, not a fantasy.
• Lana (Tommy’s partner): Lana is the blonde woman who accompanies Tommy in the club and hosts the after‑party. In Chapter 42, Lana tells the younger women about Tommy’s past, calling her “more of a Tommy anyway.” Their relationship appears stable and affectionate.
• Regulars at the Telegraph Club: Tommy greets patrons by name (“Frannie, hello. How’s Midge?”), indicating she is a fixture in the community. Claire and Lana are friends from outside the club.

Key Decisions and Consequences

The novel does not show Tommy making major life choices with long‑term consequences; her decisions are small gestures of authenticity and care that ripple through Lily’s emotional landscape.

Themes and Symbolism

Tommy is a living symbol of several themes explored in the novel:

• Secrecy and identity: Tommy’s stage name and costume are a public performance that hides her private self. She navigates the line between being visible as a performer and concealing her personal life from a homophobic society.
• Queer desire and self‑discovery: For Lily, Tommy represents the possibility of a queer life that is not just hidden but celebrated. Tommy’s ease onstage—treating flirtation as “the most normal thing in the world”—gives Lily a model for desire without shame.
• The Red Scare and McCarthyism: The club itself operates in a context of surveillance (the Stoumen v. Reilly ruling allows gay bars but the Lavender Scare persists). Tommy’s performance is an act of defiance against the era’s pressure to conform.
• Chinese‑American identity and assimilation: Tommy’s remark “We don’t see many Orientals around here” highlights the racial segregation of queer spaces. Lily’s presence in the Telegraph Club is itself a crossing of both racial and sexual boundaries.

Tommy also embodies the theme of family duty vs. personal truth indirectly: her decision to become a male impersonator likely involved leaving behind traditional female roles, much as Lily must eventually choose between her family’s expectations and her own desires.

Five Questions and Answers

1. Why does Lily tear out the Telegraph Club ad in Chapter 1?
Lily is instantly drawn to the photo of Tommy Andrews, which stirs a feeling she cannot name. She hides the ad because she knows her parents would disapprove of any interest in a “male impersonator.” The act is her first step toward secretly exploring queer culture.

2. How does Tommy’s performance affect Lily’s understanding of herself?
Tommy’s live performance shatters Lily’s imagined, safe version of her. Lily sees a woman who moves “like a king” and sings with a husky voice, and she realizes that queer desire is embodied, not abstract. This confrontation with reality frightens Lily but also deepens her attraction and curiosity.

3. What does Tommy mean when she calls Lily “sweet sixteen”?
Tommy suspects Lily is underage (the legal drinking age was 21, and fake IDs were common). By calling her “sweet sixteen,” Tommy gently calls out her youth and inexperience. She also uses the term affectionately, but immediately follows with “You better go back to your girlfriend,” steering Lily away from a potential mistake.

4. How does Tommy’s past relate to her present identity?
Lana reveals that Tommy was once Theresa Scafani, a “mediocre lounge singer.” Theresa performed in a feminine style, but Tommy Andrews allows her to dress in a tuxedo and adopt a swaggering persona. The name “Andrews” was chosen because she thought of herself as the “long‑lost Andrews sister,” linking her to the famous singing sisters while subverting gender norms.

5. Does Tommy return in the novel after the after‑party scene?
No. After Chapter 42 (which takes place at Tommy and Lana’s apartment), Tommy does not appear again. The narrative focus shifts to Lily and Kath’s deepening relationship. Tommy’s role remains that of a catalyst: she opens a door for Lily, but Lily must walk through it on her own.