REVIEW: Tommy

It really has been an amazing journey for Tommy since The Who released the original double album in 1969. Hyped as the first rock opera, it did have an operatic structure – an overture, an “underture,” certain recurring musical themes – and Pete Townshend’s expansive ambitions (including borrowing the “Amazing Journey” riff from his previous “mini-opera,” “Rael,” on The Who Sell Out). With some dissenters, it did generally get critical praise and strong popular support, driven in part by “Pinball Wizard” as a hit single.

Tommy didn’t win a Grammy until being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. By that time, Tommy has been turned into a 1971 production by the Seattle Opera, a 1972 all-star orchestral recording by the London Symphony Orchestra (with Steve Winwood, Richie Havens, Merry Clayton), and, of course, Roger Daltrey), the fevered 1975 film directed by Ken Russell (with Elton John, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, and again Daltrey as Tommy), and the 1993 Broadway production directed by Des McAnuff, which originated at the La Jolla Playhouse and had a three-year run, earning Tony Awards for Best Director and Best Choreography.

Why then the current revival at the Nederlander Theatre? You can make the case there’s a demand, certainly among baby boomers who pay big bucks for yet another Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan tour. The Who haven’t toured since 2022, while Daltrey has a tour involving The Who catalogue coming this spring (including dates at Bethel Woods and the Capitol Theatre) with a band featuring Simon Townshend and Zak Starkey, but no Pete. The Who hasn’t released a new album since 1983; the most significant release was the 11-disc Who’s Next/Life House deep dive for completists this past fall.

So with Townshend’s blessing (and promotion) and McAnuff once again directing, we have a chance to revisit this cultural icon. Having seen the 1993 production, I have several takeaways. While the score is unchanged, the staging is very different: more futuristic, with simple rectangular shapes representing doors, windows, the central mirror, and, yes, the pinball machine; a faceless ensemble with masks resembling Star Wars’ 3-CPO;  more projections; sharper choreography, with Lorin Latarro, using angular moves that echo the set; more punch in the musical performances (especially the shredding guitar); and perhaps louder (as Jesse Green complains in his New York Times review), but without sacrificing the mix or the ability to hear the words.    

Despite the absence of big-name stars, the cast is, by and large, pretty strong, especially Alison Luff as Tommy’s mother, Mrs. Walker, and Adam Jacobs as Captain Walker. Ali Louis Bourzgui, a recent Ithaca College graduate, is decent as Tommy, but without the vocal range and magnetic stage presence of Michael Cerveris, who made his Broadway debut in the 1993 production and went on to star in Titanic and several Sondheim productions. (The child Tommies, age 4 and 10, whose roles consist largely of staring blankly in the distance.) Christina Sajous as the Acid Queen is somewhat disappointing, especially when compared to Tina Turner’s riveting performance in the film. But some of that may be owed to this revival’s staging, where Captain Walker brings Tommy to see the Acid Queen, but changes his mind, so there’s no psychedelic experience.

There are other changes as well. “Pinball Wizard” follows directly after “Acid Queen” – an effective way to close Act One. Townshend’s newer song, “I Believe My Own Eyes,” a duet for the Walkers (also used in 1993) sets up “Smash the Mirror,” followed not by “Sensation,” but by “I’m Free” (with its leading question “How can we follow?”). This does make dramatic sense; the plot outlines in the original album were always a bit problematic. “Tommy’s Holiday Camp,” a song for Keith Moon in both album and movie, has been cut. Now, after Sally Simpson’s violent episode at Tommy’s concert, fans are welcomed to the Walker home.  Faced with discontented fans, instead of urging them to be more like him to heighten their enlightenment, Tommy encourages them to live their normal lives. In both cases, they reject him, saying “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”

The musical concludes with the plaintive “See Me, Hear Me” (with older Tommy singing a duet with his younger selves). That segues into the anthemic finale:

Listening to you, I get the music
Gazing at you, I get the heat
Following you, I climb the mountain
I get excitement at your feet

Right behind you, I see the millions
On you, I see the glory
From you, I get opinion
From you, I get the story

It builds slowly, adding singers until the whole ensemble is onstage, and you’re inexorably drawn to a standing ovation. What exactly is the glory of Tommy’s story? How can we follow? I’m not sure, aside Townshend’s worship of his avatar Meher Baba in 1969, if he’s ever made that clear. Perhaps in 2024 the rise of autocracy is relevant. I suspect it’s the timeless music, more than any message, which will move audiences in 2024, just as it has over the years. 

Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman