See the Tommy Company Celebrate a Sensational Broadway Opening Night

The revival of The Who’s Tommy opened at the Nederlander Theatre on March 28, bringing the rock opera back to Broadway for the first time in over 30 years. The Broadway Show was there to speak with the stars, as well as director Des McAnuff, who helped craft the original piece alongside The Who's Pete Townshend and now returns to it with fresh eyes.

Ali Louis Bourzgui, who plays Tommy, explained that he watched Ken Russell’s 1975 Tommy film as well as footage of The Who in concert. “I did my homework,” he said, particularly noting the inspiration of Pete Townshend’s guitar-smashing antics with The Who. “I kept pieces of that within me, understood that energy and what it is to be a rock star and to have this sort of F.U. attitude and that grit.”

Alison Luff, who plays Tommy’s mother, Mrs. Walker, is feeling like a rock star on stage, too. “I love singing this music,” she said. “To get to sing The Who every night is very… I feel way cooler than I actually am.”

Adam Jacobs, who plays Captain Walker, promises audiences a show with irresistible rock-show energy. “The new fans coming in, they're gonna be really surprised at how visceral and just how electric the energy is,” he said. The impact and influence of The Who’s 1969 concept album, he added, should not be understated. “There's an entire genre of musical theater that wouldn't exist if Tommy hadn't broken through in a very revolutionary way.”

Despite its origins in music that’s more than a half-century old, The Who’s Tommy is resonating with a new audience, said McAnuff. “Gen Z is really claiming the show as if it's their own,” noted the director. After all, he added, “Gen Z is comprised of rebels just like the '60s generation that Pete and ultimately I was a part of.”