The Who’s Tommy lands on the Tulsa PAC stage September 9

Based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album Tommy by The Who, The Who's Tommy is an exhilarating story of hope, healing, and the human spirit. The tale of a pinball-playing, deaf, dumb and blind boy who triumphs over his adversities has inspired, amazed and puzzled audiences for more than 40 years. The Tulsa Project Theatre now brings the musical to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s John H. Williams Theatre September 9-18.

After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia, and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors. As an adolescent, he's discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar.

The Who's Tommyfeatures an exhilarating score that is timeless in its youthful appeal, giving the show a cross-generational appeal that has made it a smash-hit in high schools and colleges around the world.

The musical, which won five 1993 Tony Awards, including Choreography and Original Score, features an exhilarating score by Pete Townshend that includes The Who’s hit songs See Me, Feel Me(Listening to You) and Pinball Wizard. It was translated to the stage by theatrical wizard Des McAnuff (director of Jersey Boys) into a high-energy, one-of-a-kind theatrical event.

The 1969 two-disk Tommyalbum emerged as a masterpiece at a time when albums were becoming more important than hit singles in the rock and roll era. The concept had spun around in Townshend’s head for a few years. According to UltimateClassicRock.com, “Townshend wanted to do something to fully capitalize on the album as a continuous art form. He also wanted to reach new audiences, ones who had not been particularly interested in the Who’s blasts of Maximum R&B, and people he felt would be interested in a longer musical piece.”

Townshend and McAnuff worked together on the musical, bringing it to the stage in 1995. It hit Broadway in 1993, where it played for nearly 900 performances.

The Tulsa Project Theatre’s production of The Who’s Tommy opens September 9. Show times are 7:30 p.m. on September 9-10 and 15-17, and 2 p.m. September 10, 17 and 18. Tickets are $25 to $35 and may be purchased at the TPAC ticket office at 101 E. Third St. in Tulsa, by phone at (918) 596-7111 or online at MyTicketOffice.com.

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