The Who's TOMMY To Open On Broadway In 2024

The Pinball Wizard is back! The newly reimagined production of The Who's TOMMY will open on Broadway in the Spring of 2024.

Three decades after the epic pop-culture musical theatre sensation first bowed on Broadway, original Tony Award-winning creators Pete Townshend (music, lyrics, book) and Des McAnuff (book, direction) have reunited to bring the story of Tommy Walker to today's audiences.

Following a critically acclaimed, award-winning, run at Chicago's Goodman Theatre (where it was the highest grossing production in the history of the Goodman), The Who's TOMMY will open on March 28, 2024 at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street). Preview performances will begin March 8, 2024.

 

Casting for The Who's TOMMY on Broadway will be announced soon.

 

With music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff, The Who's TOMMY is directed by Des McAnuff.

 

The Who's TOMMY creative team includes choreographer Lorin Latarro (Into the Woods, Mrs. Doubtfire and Waitress);  music supervision and additional arrangements by Ron Melrose (Jersey Boys on Broadway, London and National Tour); musical direction and additional orchestrations by Rick Fox (Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar); set design by David Korins (Hamilton, Beetlejuice, Here Lies Love ); projection design by Peter Nigrini (Here Lies Love, MJ and Dear Evan Hansen); costume design by Sarafina Bush (for colored girls..., Pass Over on Broadway); lighting design by Amanda Zieve (Broadway associate on Escape to Margaritaville and Allegiance); sound design by Gareth Owen (Back to the Future, & Juliet and MJ); and wig and hair design by Charles LaPointe (Hamilton, Beautiful). Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting/Merri Sugarman, CSA. Additional Chicago Casting by Lauren Port, CSA and Rachael Jimenez, CSA. Tripp Phillips is the Production Stage Manager and Bespoke Theatricals is General Manager. 

“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 story-telling,” said Des McAnuff, who originated the acclaimed production of The Who's TOMMY at La Jolla Playhouse, followed by its long-running Broadway engagement (1993-1995).”

“While the music remains as glorious as ever, our world years later is unimaginably and irrevocably changed. As a result, there's so much more we all can recognize—and celebrate—in our protagonist's evolution, as a collective deeper understanding of mental health has sharpened our lens. Tommy Walker's triumph over devastating childhood trauma, to enlightened leadership, to ultimately recognizing the folly in which he's surrounded himself is an ‘Amazing Journey' to discover anew.”

“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,” said Pete Townshend.

“Then, in 1993, working with Des on the staged theatre piece, we broke the established rules for a musical show. 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."

“Being asked to join the creative team of TOMMY is a dream come true. It's the OG rock musical. Des and Pete are visionaries,” said Lorin Latarro. “I'm focused on creating a contemporary movement vocabulary that feels like it could be from any era. I am interested in pushing story inside the dances, and still building to dance breaks that have high velocity. I'm also a mother and I see the domestic aspects of this family as both brutal and profound. The work of motherhood without the joy of a hug from your child is sobering.” 

"It is an honor and privilege to bring TOMMY to New York”, said producers Stephen Gabriel and Ira Pittelman. "We're looking forward to sharing this unique new production with the countless fans who have loved TOMMY through the years and to introducing the iconic rock opera to the next generation of theatergoers.”

 

Myth and spectacle combine in The Who's exhilarating 1969 rock opera, TOMMY—including the unforgettable anthems “I'm Free,” “See Me, Feel Me,” “Sensation” and “Pinball Wizard.” After witnessing his father shoot his rival, the young Tommy Walker is lost in the universe, endlessly and obsessively staring into the mirror. An innate knack for pinball catapults him from reticent adolescent to celebrity savior. 

 

The Goodman production of The Who's TOMMY recently won 9 Joseph Jefferson “Jeff” Awards, the most for any show this season, including Best Director for Des McAnuff and Best Production.

 

Pete Townshend's prior awards for The Who's TOMMY include a Grammy Award (1993) for the Original Broadway Cast Recording, Tony Award for Best score (1993), Toronto's Dora Mavor Moore Award (1995) and the UK's Olivier Award (1997).  For directing The Who's TOMMY, Des McAnuff received previously, the Tony and Drama Desk Awards (1993), Toronto's Dora Mavor Moore Award (1995) and the UK's Olivier Award (1997).

Watch a trailer for the new musical: