April 22nd was the 30th anniversary of The Who's ‘Tommy’ opening on Broadway. On June 13th, previews for a new version of the musical will launch at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
Much like the original stage production, this new one is being directed by Des McAnuff and will feature a cast of 28, a nine-piece band and all-new staging.
Pete 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. 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 added, “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.A behind-the-scenes video of the production is up on YouTube.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]