The Who’s rock opera Tommy is coming back to the stage in the form of a musical. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Tommy becoming a Tony award-winning musical. Now they are ready to launch an entirely new production, but not on Broadway. They will be doing so at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.
Like the original stage production, this one is being directed by Des McAnuff and features a cast of 28, a nine-piece band, and brand new staging.
Commenting on the new production, Pete Townshend says,
“In 1969, when I originally wrote Tommy with The Who, nobody had ever written popular music songs about trauma, nobody talked about bullying. Then, working with Des on the staged theater piece, we broke the established rules for a musical show. Now, the current generation is breaking all of those rules again — and what Des is suggesting is that we honor that. I can’t wait to see how this show connects with Chicago today.”
McAnuff adds,
“In many ways, I think the world has caught up to Tommy Walker, which makes it exciting to revisit The Who’s Tommy for a new generation who, possibly more than any other, has a broad appetite for all kinds of music and storytelling.”
Opening night is June 26th with shows through July 23rd.
