An evening of electrifying theater and maximum rock and roll, The Who’s Tommy will run at the Clarence Brown Theatre from April 16 through May 3. The production is sponsored by Schaad Companies.
The show is based on The Who’s 1969 double album “Tommy” by Pete Townshend.
The first musical work to be billed as a rock opera, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its “historical, artistic and significant” value.
After witnessing an accidental murder, traumatized young Tommy Walker retreats into his inner world, becoming “deaf, dumb and blind” to everything around him. For years, Tommy’s only connection to reality seems to be his own reflection in the mirror. Surviving a childhood filled with abuse and neglect, Tommy finds local fame through his unexplainable brilliance at pinball, and becomes “The Pinball Wizard.” But it isn’t until the mirror, Tommy’s haven, is shattered that he finds his way back to the real world and becomes a media sensation and leader to the teenagers who follow him.
Tommy’s life seems to be complete, but when he refuses to allow his followers to elevate him to the level of a Messiah he find himself isolated and abandoned. His passage through the ensuing moments of personal doubt and fear bring him to a new understanding of his life-and usher in a musical finale that is rock and roll at its absolute best.
“The show is about more than the story of a boy, it’s also about the phenomenon that was ‘Tommy,’ the album, back when The Who was first performing it in the late 60’s and early 70’s,” said Casey Sams, director.
The CBT production will be part rock concert, part stage show, and part circus act, all within the framework of a compelling story.
Preview for the show is Thursday, April 16. Opening night is Friday, April 17. The show runs through Sunday, May 3. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Matinees begin at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $5 to $33. For tickets, call the Clarence Brown Theatre box office at 974-5161 or online at www.clarencebrowntheatre.com.