TOMMY Reunion Benefit Concert Plays August Wilson 12/15

The Path Fund / Rockers on Broadway presents The Who’s TOMMY: 15th Anniversary Benefit Concert.  Directed by Donnie Kehr, this one-night-only milestone event featuring the original cast of the groundbreaking Broadway musical will take place Monday, December 15 at 8:00 PM at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street).  Proceeds will benefit Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, Broadway Dreams Foundation and the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation. The event was announced in September to great excitement, the evening is set to be a truly exciting concert.

The Who’s TOMMY: 15th Anniversary Benefit Concert will reunite the original Broadway cast live onstage: Michael Arnold, Anthony Barrile, Bill Buell, Maria Calabrese, Victoria Cave, Michael Cerveris, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Paul Dobie, Jonathan Dokuchitz, Tom Flynn, Cheryl Freeman, Romaine Fruge, Jody Gelb, Christian Hoff, Todd Hunter, Paul Kandel, Donnie Kehr, Tracey Langran Corea, Lisa Leguillou, Norm Lewis, Marcia Mitzman, Lee Morgan, Alice Ripley, Sherie Rene Scott, Timothy Warmen, with national tour alum Destan Owens appearing for original cast member Michael McElroy.  Directed by Donnie Kehr, and original show projections by Wendell Harrington with original production photos by Peter Cunningham. 

Rockers On Broadway was founded in 1993 by Donnie Kehr during the Broadway run of The Who’s TOMMY, in which he was appearing at the time.  Inspired by his collaboration with Pete Townshend, Kehr created Rockers on Broadway, offering musical theater performers an opportunity to sing with a rock band in a concert environment – ultimately creating a raw energy and edge that could be transferred back to the Broadway stage.  Kehr remarks, “It is our mission to bring together the worlds of rock 'n roll and Broadway in a unique way, while supporting inspirational charities including Broadway Cares / Equity Fights Aids, Broadway Dreams Foundation and the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation.”

The PATH Fund, Inc. (Performing Artists That Help) was formed as a result of the success of Rockers on Broadway and aims to give artists of all kinds an avenue to share their unique talents while helping raise money for charities that benefit the arts and entertainment communities that inspire their livelihood. 

The Who’s TOMMY, Pete Townshend’s tale of a young boy’s journey from pain to triumph, is the most electrifying evening of rock and roll ever to play in a theater.  After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia, and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors.  As an adolescent, he’s discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar.  The Who’s TOMMY open on Broadway on April 22, 1993 and has since been seen in countless productions around the globe.

The rock opera TOMMY, first performed by The Who in 1969, was originally conceived by Pete Townshend and Kit Lambert with contributions to the development by John Entwistle, Keith Moon and Roger Daltrey.

The Who’s TOMMY: 15th Anniversary Benefit Concert is sponsored by Base Entertainment, The Dodgers, The Frye Company. Joseph J. Grano Jr., Kevin & Tamara Kinsella, and SONY/BMG Masterworks.

The Who’s TOMMY is presented through special arrangement with Musical Theatre International (MTI).  All authorized material are also supplied by MTI.  421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 / (212) 541-4684 / Fax: (212) 397-4684 / www.MTIShow.com.  

All proceeds will go to support Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, Broadway Dreams Foundation and the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation.  Broadway Cares / Equity Fights Aids gives assistance nationwide to persons living with HIV/AIDS and Breast Cancer: www.broadwaycares.org.  The Broadway Dreams Foundation’s mission is to brighten the future of young talent.  Through their programs, they bring young performers closer to their Broadway dreams, regardless of financial status.  BDF believes that dramatic arts, fun and education must work hand-in-hand to cultivate young minds. The Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation was established in 1995 to find better treatments and cures for the movement disorders dystonia and Parkinson's disease and to provide medical and patient information.

The Who’s TOMMY: 15th Anniversary Benefit Concert is set for Monday December 15 at 8:00 PM (doors at 7:00 PM) at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street, between Broadway & Eighth Avenue).  Tickets are available through www.Telecharge.com or by phone at (212) 239-6200, or in person at the August Wilson Theatre Box Office.  Tickets range from $52.00 - $502.00 (Premium Orchestra Seats).  

For more information visit www.rockersonbroadway.com.

Photo Credit Kerry Long