The Who’s Tommy rock opera is returning to Broadway in 2024

Classic rock opera The Who’s Tommy , first staged on Broadway in 1993, is making a comeback in March 2024. This new revival will be helmed by original director and co-writer of the book which is the musical’s source material, Des McAnuff, while fresh blood Stephen Gabriel and Ira Pittelman will produce it.

Co-writer of the book with McAnuff, Pete Townshend also wrote the musical’s lyrics and music. In his statement to the press, he said, “ 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.”

He continued, “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 those rules again– and what Des has achieved with this incredible new production honors them and their courage and audacity. “

At the end, Townshend expressed his excitement to see how this revived version would resonate with the young Broadway audience. The musical boasts of an impressive track record with the original playing 27 reviews and 899 performances between 1993 to 1995, winning five Tonys out of eleven nominations. After the revival’s successful initial run-through at the Goodman Theatre this year, from June to August, the rock opera won nine of Chicago’s Jeff Awards and became the highest-grossing production in the history of Goodman.

The Who’s Tommy synopsis on the official Goodman Theatre page offers an intriguing read, “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.”