The Who’s Tommy, which garnered five Tony Awards during its time on Broadway in the ’90s, will return to the Great White Way in 2021.
The original Broadway show ran for 889 performances from 1993 to 1995 and revolved around a deaf, dumb, and blind pinball wizard from The Who’s 1969 rock opera. While the new version of the Tommy will keep the same name, it will consist of a more modernized story, director Des McAnuff said in a statement to Rolling Stone, noting that Tommy “combines myth and spectacle in a way that truly soars.”
“Tommy is the antihero ground zero,” McAnuff said. “He is the boy who not only rejects adulthood like Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, but existence itself. He becomes lost in the universe as he stares endlessly and obsessively into the mirror at his own image. This gives our story a powerful resonance today as it seems like the whole world is staring into the black mirror. The story of Tommy exists all too comfortably in the 21st century. In fact, time may finally have caught up to Tommy Walker.”
Tommy, the group’s fourth studio album, helped The Who become a staple in the music industry with hits like “Pinball Wizard,” “I’m Free,” “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” “See Me, Feel Me,” and “Overture From Tommy.” The concept album went on to be made into a film in 1975, as well as a production by the Seattle Opera in 1971. A musical then opened at the La Jolla Playhouse in 1992, followed by the Broadway play in 1993.
At this time, the 2021 cast and venue have not been announced. Interested theatergoers can head on over to the musical’s new site to learn more information and stay updated.