The Who’s ‘Tommy’ to return to Broadway in 2024
After first premiering on New York’s live stage in 1993, the Broadway adaptation of The Who’s rock opera Tommy is set to return in 2024.
The production is based on the pioneering LP that Pete Townshend wrote for The Who, released in 1969. It’s returning to Broadway with the director of the original show, Des McAnuff. When talking about the outlook of the latest adaptation, McAnuff claimed the world is catching up with the story of the original record, stating: “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.”
Meanwhile, Townshend said: “In 1969, when I originally wrote Tommy with The Who, nobody had ever written popular music songs about trauma, nobody talked about bullying, domestic sexual abuse was a subject that was virtually censored. Then, in 1993, working with Des on the staged theatre piece, we broke the established rules for a musical show.”
He continued: “Now, the current generation is breaking all of those rules again—and what Des has achieved with this incredible new production honors them and their courage and audacity. I can’t wait to see how this newly empowered show connects with younger Broadway audiences today. I hope the younger ones come, for they will identify in an entirely new and important way with Tommy’s tumultuous life. Meanwhile, longtime fans of Tommy, The Who and all their music will be blown away by this new show.”
Before the original stage production, Tommy was adapted into a movie starring each band member of The Who, with Roger Daltrey playing the titular role. Daltrey was later involved in another adaptation of Tommy, which took to the stage with orchestral backing in 2019.
For the latest version, the crew features a cast of and crew known for bringing Broadway spectacles to life, having worked on shows including Rent, Jersey Boys, Hamilton, and Escape to Margaritaville.
Meanwhile, Townshend recently confirmed plans to adapt his 2019 novel The Age of Anxiety into a rock opera.
“I am still developing the score and recording the music. I am also working on a documentary about the project, from its inception in 2007 until today,” he noted to The Sun. Townshend added: “I’m probably two years off completing it, at which time I hope to perform it with a full opera and a cast of guest singers.”
Listen to Tommy below.
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