After just four months, the revival of The Who’s Tommy musical is closing on Broadway.
Despite its successful pre-Broadway run in Chicago, Tommy’s strong opening in New York has seemingly tapered off quite quickly. The show’s stint on Broadway kicked off in March, and its final performance is now set for July 21st, as reported by The New York Times. (Get tickets to the last shows here.)
Get The Who’s Tommy Tickets Here
Once officially closed, the revival of Tommy will have played 20 previews and 132 proper Broadway performances. The revenue brought in during this time won’t be enough to offset its $15.7 million budget.
The struggles of Tommy are indicative of Broadway’s troubles as a whole, as ticket sales still have yet to return to pre-pandemic numbers. Despite this, Broadway is packed with shows, including other rock and pop music-based productions, like Sufjan Steven’s adaptation of Illinois and the Fleetwood Mac-nodding Stereophonic (which are both reportedly doing quite well), as well as the Huey Lewis and The News-featuring The Heart of Rock and Roll. The latter did not fare well, as it’s set to close after just two months.
Fans should fear not, though, as this isn’t the end of Tommy. The production will now hope to revive its hype by taking the show on the road, with a national tour kicking off in the fall of 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island.
The revival of Tommy follows the initial Broadway production from 1993, which in turn was adapted from The Who’s beloved 1969 album of the same name. For the production, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend penned the score and co-wrote the book. The story follows the titular Tommy, a pinball wizard who can’t hear, speak, or see due to childhood trauma.
The 2020s revival brought back the original director, Des McAnuff, and starred Ali Louis Bourzgui. It initially debuted to mostly positive reviews, even nabbing a Tony nomination for best musical revival.
The news of Tommy’s closure is only the latest update in The Who’s battle with the modern reality of live events. Both Roger Daltrey and Townsend have hinted that The Who won’t return to the United States due to skyrocketing costs, and Daltrey recently expressed his distain for fans looking up setlists before going to shows. Despite this, Daltrey is currently on a solo tour (pick up tickets here).