The upcoming run of the acclaimed rock opera, which is comprised of music and lyrics by the iconic rock group’s songwriter and guitarist Pete Townshend, will be directed by Des McAnuff – who was in charge of the original production between 1993 and 1995.
He said: “‘Tommy’ combines myth and spectacle in a way that truly soars. The key question with any musical is ‘Does the story sing?’ and this one most certainly does.”
The show tells the story about a “deaf, dumb and blind boy”, who “becomes lost in the universe”, and McAnuff says the tale couldn’t be more fitting today.
He said: “Tommy is the antihero ground zero.
“He is the boy who not only rejects adulthood like Holden Caulfield in ‘The Catcher In The Rye’, but existence itself.
“He becomes lost in the universe as he stares endlessly and obsessively into the mirror at his own image.
“This gives our story a powerful resonance today as it seems like the whole world is staring into the black mirror.
“The story of Tommy exists all too comfortably in the 21st century. In fact, time may finally have caught up to Tommy Walker.”
The schedule for the new dates and a venue is yet to be revealed.
In June, The Who’s ‘Tommy Orchestral’ album was released to mark its 50th anniversary.
The band’s frontman Roger Daltrey toured the seminal 1969 LP ‘Tommy’, which the opera is based on, in full with his band and local orchestras across America last summer, and they released the record featuring the timeless music of Pete for the milestone.
The new orchestration featured on the classic record was directed by renowned composer and arranger David Campbell – who has worked with music royalty including Adele, Radiohead, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Carole King and his son Beck.
‘Tommy’ was recorded live between Bethel in upstate New York – the home of the first Woodstock Festival – and Budapest, five decades ago, and was produced by Roger and Keith Levenson, who worked on the ‘Tommy Musical’.
Roger’s live band is comprised of Pete’s younger brother, guitarist-and-vocalist Simon Townshend, Frank Simes (guitar), Scott Devours (drums), Jon Button (bass), and Loren Gold (keys).
The Who had said that their Teenage Cancer Trust show at The Royal Albert Hall in 2017 would be the final full performance of ‘Tommy’, however, they have continued to play parts of the opera on their current ‘Moving On! Tour’ with a full symphony orchestra.
You’ll discover music news first following Noise11 on Twitter
Comment on the news of the day, join Noise11 on Facebook
Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio
