Pete Townshend on the return of “Tommy” to Broadway

Pete Townshend’s musical “Tommy” is returning to Broadway. The Who’s original rock opera about a “Pinball Wizard” has been reimagined for 2024, but it remains one of those rare Broadway shows where you already know the words to almost every song.

“Tommy” is the story of young Tommy Walker, who – after witnessing a murder – shuts down emotionally and becomes “deaf, dumb and blind”… and of a pinball prodigy, who is cured, in part, seeing his reflection in a mirror. .

Almost all of it was written in the late 60s by Pete Townshend, then in his twenties.

It was made into a flashy, surreal film in 1975 starring The Who and a who’s who of entertainment, including Elton John, Tina Turner, Jack Nicholson and Ann-Margret; and in 1993, director Des McAnuff convinced Townshend to bring it to Broadway, where it won five Tony Awards.

Townshend and McAnuff are back together, and now, while the world seems obsessed with looking in on itself, both are convinced that “Tommy” is more relevant today than ever.

Smith asked McAnuff, “Were you worried that people would see this as a nostalgia show?”

“Yes, absolutely,” he replied, adding, “It was less about, ‘Oh, you know, let’s rework it for a modern audience.’ It’s that everyone is wandering, looking in a mirror, trying to escape a hostile universe, even if it’s a black mirror. But it resonates in a new way. There’s a relevance now that we didn’t necessarily think 30 years ago. “

In Townshend’s original version, Tommy was a rock star. But a friend of Townshend, who was critical (And a pinball fanatic), thought it was a tired idea.

So Townshend came up with a solution overnight: “I said, ‘Well, I could change him. So instead of being a rockstar, he was a pinball player. I was grasping at straws !Anyway, so the next day I sent him the demo…”

“I’m sorry, the next day?” asked Smith. “Did you just write it, ‘Pinball Wizard’?

“Yeah! And he called me on the phone and he said, ‘Pete, it’s five stars and an extra ball!’ Regardless, he gave it a great review.”

Tommy is played by Ali Louis Bourgzui. And talk about a baptism of fire – this is her first-ever Broadway role. He admits that meeting Townshend was intimidating: “Yes, I really wanted to make sure I did his article justice,” he said.

It’s the same thing for choreographer Lorin Latarro. There’s not a lot of dialogue in “Tommy”, so each the move is important.

When asked for her favorite section, she said, “We call it the elastic section of ‘Pinball Wizard’ (when the kids jump off the pinball machines). And some guys get so high off these pinball machines. It’s pretty. cool!”

“Tommy” has been on The Who’s playlist for years now. But for Townshend, it’s always been about more than just an album. He was quoted as saying that each iteration of “Tommy” took something away from him. “Yeah, I don’t remember the context of the quote, but I’ve said so much, and sometimes I throw stuff out there just to sound smart,” Townshend said.

But for example, in 2017, when the Who performed “Tommy” at the Royal Albert Hall, Townshend had an anxiety attack: “I sing ‘Acid Queen’ when the Who play,” he said. “And I was singing ‘Acid Queen,’ and I remembered a memory that I never remembered before. When I was a kid and I lived with my crazy grandmother, I was around four and a half. When I was six and a half, I was abused. And I remembered it. I never remembered it before. And I almost stopped and walked off the stage . So that kind of thing happens. ‘Tommy’ is really heavy in a lot of ways.”

But it’s the heaviness – and the music – that resonates with people. So now, “Tommy” reaches yet another generation.

“When someone says, ‘Oh, you went to see ‘Tommy,’ what was it like?’ It’s about conveying how you were affected,” Townshend said. “Does it matter? Or is it just – dare I say it – is it just ABBA, you know? And the thing about ABBA and their success, it’s just originally the brilliance of the music , and you tend not to go any further, and the story “has been imposed from the outside on the music. In this case, what you actually have is a story that underlies some really good music, some rock music and some pop music and some show tunes, that’s worth thinking about. “

Smith asked, “So what are your hopes for ‘Tommy’ this time?”

“We just hope it lasts a while,” he replied. “Des and I were determined to bring the show to Broadway with our fingers crossed, because there are a lot of other great things coming up. But for me, it was just for the romance.”

“Romance? What do you mean?”

“Broadway!” Townshend smiled. “You know, it’s so great to be on Broadway!”

For more information:

Story produced by John D’Amelio. Editor: Steven Tyler.