A reinvented version of the Who’s classic rock opera Tommy will return to Broadway in 2021, its director said.

Des McAnuff oversaw the 1993 production, which won five Tony Awards and gave him one of his two Best Director wins. The show was based on the stage version he co-wrote with Pete Townshend.

“Our new production of Tommy will be a reinvention aimed directly at today,” McAnuff said in a statement (via Deadline). “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.”

Describing the Tommy character as “the antihero ground zero,” McAnuff noted that the character "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.”

Patrick Catullo, co-producer alongside Hal Luftig, said he’d seen the ‘90s show on his 16th birthday. “It completely blew my mind and is the singular reason I pursued a career in theater,” he said. “The story is timeless and it’s one of the best scores ever written. I am beyond excited to present Tommy not only for its existing fans, but to introduce it to a new audience as well.”

 

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