THE WHO'S TOMMY set for 2013 Stratford Festival directed by DES MCANUFF

[LYLS3637]

Posted: 1/11/13 at 10:39am

Here's hoping Pete Townshend can be convinced to pull an ALW and fight for a revival!

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/166579/paul-nolan-jeremy-kushnier-more-set-for-stratford-festivals-tommy-directed-by-des-mcanuff/

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/11/13 at 2:13pm

Very interesting. I'd love to see how his Tommy would look today compared to the original production.

[NotAnotherSN]

Posted: 1/11/13 at 2:26pm

I imagine it will be LED heavy. Maybe something closer to a rock concert. I saw video of a production once that had the band in silhouette as the centerpiece of the production and I'd like to see it get back to it's rock roots. I really actually happened to like what he did with Superstar (he actually made me like the show!), and I hope he approaches the show with fresher eyes.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/11/13 at 3:04pm

Correct me if I'm wrong, but his original production was very heavy on the use of projections and video, so the use of LED in this one would not be very revolutionary, just following the evolution of the technology.

[winston89]

Posted: 1/11/13 at 3:37pm

The one thing that Des better make sure gets changed are the orchestrations. I remember being in middle school and discovering The Who's album Tommy for the first time. I was excited to get my hands on the Broadway cast album when I found out it was a show. And, when I did I was so frustrated with what I was listening to because of the orchestrations. Sure, it was loud. However, volume and orchestrations are two different things. It didn't sound like The Who. It came off sounding like a lighter version of The Who.


I remember reading an interview with Roger Daltrey long after the show was said and done about his views on it. And, he said that he too wasn't a fan of the orchestrations as well. Now, musicals with a more modern rock sound weren't popular in 93. But, now that they are becoming the norm maybe they can revet back to how the album is supposed to sound when being performed live. Rather than muffling down the sound to appeal to a wider audience.

[darquegk]

Posted: 1/11/13 at 5:06pm

Look to the sound of the film version more than the original Who album. The Tommy LP was a light, mostly acoustic album that lacks the "heavy" sound that The Who are best known for; by the mid seventies when the film premiered, the power chords, synth washes and raw vocals that the band is famous for had been introduced into the score.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/11/13 at 6:00pm

I prefer the Broadway orchestrations, actually. Probably because it supported the music and book in terms of storytelling rather than being just a parade of songs on a concept album. Loved the Broadway staging and preferred both Tommy and Blood Brothers over Kiss of the Spider Woman that season. Would love to see it come back in a similar production with perhaps just a bit of sprucing up.

[someone.else's.story2]

Posted: 1/11/13 at 7:29pm

I actually liked the 90's Des McAnuff version, but would love to see it a bit darker this time. Should be interesting!

[NotAnotherSN]

Posted: 1/12/13 at 12:30am

AEA: Either way, I'd like to see (or rather, here) more of a "The Who" sound. Look to their live albums for the kind of sound that I think would be more in line with the "contemporary" rock musical.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 1/13/13 at 10:07am

Saw it on Broadway and loved it, would be interesting to see what they would do for a revival.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/13/13 at 11:53am

Haven't we realized that people reviving their own work isn't such a great idea? Lapine with the Into the Wood revival, etc.