What We Know So Far About the The Who's TOMMY Broadway Revival

A sensation is coming back to Broadway! As BroadwayWorld reported earlier this week, the newly reimagined production of The Who's TOMMY will open on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street) on March 28. Preview performances will begin March 8, 2024. What do we know so far about the much anticipated new revival?

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.

The musical originally opened at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California, on 1 July 1992. It transfered to Broadway's St. James Theatre on March 29, 1993 and closed on June 17, 1995, after 899 performances. Directed by Des McAnuff, with choreography by Wayne Cilento, the original cast included Michael Cerveris (Tommy), Marcia Mitzman (Mrs. Walker), Jonathan Dokuchitz (Captain Walker), Paul Kandel (Uncle Ernie) and Cheryl Freeman (The Gypsy/Acid Queen), plus an ensemble that included Alice Ripley, Christian Hoff, Norm Lewis, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Michael Gardner, Michael McElroy and Sherie Rene Scott.

The original Broadway run was nominated for ten Tony Awards in 1993 and won in five categories.

Thirty years later, McAnuff brought the show back to Chicago's Goodman Theatre, where it went on to become the highest grossing production in the history of the Goodman. The Chicago cast included: Ali Louis Bourzgui as Tommy Walker, Adam Jacobs as his father, Captain Walker and Alison Luff as his mother, Mrs. Walker. Joining them are John Ambrosino as Uncle Ernie; Bobby Conte as Cousin Kevin; and Christina Sajous as the Acid Queen. Check out what the critics had to say!

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

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. 

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.

Highlights from The Who's Tommy at The Goodman Theatre:

"Sensation": 

"Pinball Wizard":