Nostalgia can be a powerful drug. So too can fandom. “The Who’s TOMMY,” which just officially launched its North American Tour at Playhouse Square, relies heavily on both.
Looking around on opening night, it was easy to spot a broad pattern in the age demographic of those who were bobbing their heads and bouncing their legs to the music with enthusiasm. Fans of the English rock band–Wholigans, if you will–are undoubtedly the ideal audience members for this show.
So that rather succinctly answers the question, “who is this show for?” But the question that continued to niggle away at me throughout the flash and spectacle of the 100-minute rock opera is not so simply satisfied; and that is the question as to “why now?”
In 1969, the Who released “Tommy,” a rock opera that tells the story of a fictional boy named Tommy Walker. “Tommy” was lauded by critics and was credited with revitalizing the band’s career. This ultimately resulted in a series of adaptations, including a ballet, orchestral version, film and a 1992 Broadway musical. The latter received 11 Tony nominations, and over three decades later, a 2024 production received a nomination for Best Revival of a Musical.
The revival closed on Broadway after 132 regular performances, and it then announced that a tour would launch from Providence Performing Arts Center in the fall of 2025. While that plan did not come to fruition, the show has officially kicked off its North American Tour here in Cleveland.
And that brings us back to the earlier posed question: why revive “The Who’s TOMMY” and take it touring across the continent now? The show is described by Playhouse Square as being “…back in a dazzling all-new production that feels more relevant than ever.” Additionally, “Tony Award-winning composer Pete Townshend and Tony Award-winning original director Des McAnuff find powerful resonance reexamining this classic story for today.” If relevant and resonant were the goals, “TOMMY” overshot that target by about thirty-four years.
The production leans on nostalgia and pre-existing fandom like a crutch. Merely approaching the musical with an appreciation for rock music and a fondness for envelope-pushing art is not enough to carry the show through its one-hour and forty-minute runtime. This is largely because the story fails to immerse and the performances fall short of engaging.
The show begins with a lengthy overture that follows the meeting and marriage of Tommy’s parents, the Walkers. Shortly after their marriage, Captain Walker (a stately Zach Fogel) is deployed to fight in World War II, leaving behind a pregnant Mrs. Walker (a charming Mia Bergstrom) as he parachutes into Germany. There, he is captured as a prisoner of war and presumed dead. Meanwhile, Mrs. Walker moves on, giving birth to Tommy and finding a new lover. Tommy is four when his father returns home unexpectedly and kills Mrs. Walker’s lover, and witnessing this sends Tommy into a traumatic shock, rendering him “deaf, dumb and blind.”
Young Tommy (a wide-eyed Mari Grossman) is shuffled and toted about the stage as he endures even greater traumas. He looks on with a blank expression as he’s run through countless medical tests, molested by his uncle, Ernie (a creepy Peyton Cassity), abused by his cruel bully of a cousin, Kevin (an expressive Kyle McFalls), and nearly subjected to “the charms” of a heroin addict and sex worker called the Acid Queen (a sultry Kris Lyons). Tommy’s only respite is found in pinball, where he can feel the vibrations of the machine. When grown Tommy (a cool Collin Flanagan) finally breaks free from his stupor, his miraculous recovery coupled with his pinball prowess propels him to celebrity and gains him a sort of spiritual leader status.
Audiences will feel sympathetic for Tommy, but there’s little else felt for any of the other characters save disdain and disgust. And playing observer as a catatonic child is subjected to all manners of abuse with zero consequences is a hard watch, no matter how catchy the music. From a high-level, big-picture perspective, Tommy’s condition is meant to represent humanity being spiritually asleep and willfully numb to the truth of the world. The deeper messaging is intriguing–and maybe even burgeoning on timely–but an apathy for the characters coupled with a production so saturated with spectacle leaves you feeling more empty than introspective.
And what a spectacle it is. Projection designer Peter Nigrini, lighting designer Amanda Zieve and scenic designer David Korins infuse the production with plenty of flash. It is a non-stop composite of pulsating lights, collaged graphics, scrims and moving set pieces that never pause to catch their breath. Lorin Latarro’s choreography is similarly unceasing.
Pete Townshend’s music is overseen by Ron Melrose and blasted out with great volume, so much so that it can feel as if the singers get drowned out by the milieu at times. Even Bergstrom, who plays Mrs. Walker and is undeniably the strongest vocalist on stage, can sometimes seem to be competing with the band. Overall, the vocals could benefit from an infusion of power and cohesion. It’s an eager cast with many performers early in their careers–four of whom have ties to Northeast Ohio. This lends the show a youthful energy, but there were more than a couple of moments on opening night where a lack of polish and precision was unfortunately evident.
If you consider yourself a Wholigan, “The Who’s TOMMY” might scratch a nostalgic itch. Approaching the show with an appreciation for the significance of the famous rock opera and a fondness for the bizarre will certainly help bolster your enjoyment, but even that isn’t enough to make the show feel relevant or resonant with new audiences. It’s perhaps telling that even my guest, a member of the target demographic, admitted to dozing off during the show–and with the volume of the music, that’s quite a feat.
“The Who’s TOMMY” runs through Oct. 11, 2026, at Playhouse Square,1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. Visit playhousesquare.org or call (216) 241-6000 for tickets, $48.40-135.
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