The Who's Rock Opera ‘Tommy' Is Closing on Broadway Again
The Who's Rock Opera ‘Tommy' Is Closing on Broadway Again
The Who's Tommy, the rock opera that originally ran on Broadway from 1993 through 1995, is closing once again. The revival of the show at the Nederlander Theater opened in March earlier this year and will close its curtains on July 21 after 132 standard performances and 20 previews.
Tommy isn't disappearing for good, though. The production, which received a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical Revival, will embark on a national tour in 2025. The first performance on the tour will take place next fall at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI.
Like the 1993 original, the new version of Tommy was directed by Des McAnuff. When the revival was first announced in 2019, with plans to open in 2021, McAnuff shared: "Our new production of Tommy will be a reinvention aimed directly at today. 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."
He added: "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."
And time has now caught up with him once again. As reported by the New York Times, Tommy was capitalized for $15.7 million and has not recouped those funds after a strong open but notable drop in box office sales.
The Who's Tommy starred Ali Louis Bourzgui as Tommy, Alison Luff as Mrs. Walker, Adam Jacobs as Captain Walker, John Ambrosino as Uncle Ernie, Bobby Conte as Cousin Kevin, and Christina Sajous as The Acid Queen.
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