The previews of Tommy at the Stratford Festival in Ontario have been a huge success so far, and the audience was treated to an extra special moment as Pete joined the cast onstage to take a bow Wednesday night. Pete has been in town to help promote the show, which officially opens on May 30. 

Pete will be joining Des McAnuff and the cast once again Friday morning, as featured guests on the Q with Jian Ghomeshi radio program on CBC.  So be sure to tune in tomorrow morning! Here is a description from the CBC radio website of what will be on it.

“Live performance throughout the show from the cast of Tommy, a modern remount of the "pinball wizard" rock musical by The Who's Pete Townshend that's currently in previews at the Stratford Festival. Director Des McAnuff, who adapted and directed the production. Pete Townshend, guitarist and songwriter for The Who, on his influence both in rock music and as composer and lyricist of the hit musical Tommy. From Cannes, Quebec director Chloé Robichaux on her film Sarah préfère la course. Elvira Kurt's Cultural Hall of Shame.”

Photo by Ann Baggley Courtesy of Stratford Festival

Today marks the fourth anniversary of the UK stage production of Quadrophenia, which opened on May 9, 2009 at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth.  To celebrate this event, we have posted a Quadrophenia stage productions page in the Musicals section of this site.  Many thanks to Tom Critchley for donating content to this. Check it out!

The revived musical stage production of Tommy began previews at the Stratford Festival yesterday, and is scheduled to run May 30 through October 19. 

Opening night came a day after Des McAnuff received Canada’s highest civilian honour, when he was invested into the Order of Canada for a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to community and service to the nation. 

To celebrate, we have posted the history of Tommy stage productions, which details the background of the original 1993 Des McAnuff production, in a new Musicals section on this site.

More information about the previews and Des McAnuff’s award is available at stratfordfestival.ca.

Twenty years after its Broadway première, Tommy returns to the stage in a new production helmed by its co-creator and original director, Des McAnuff. The spectacular musical that swept the Tony Awards in 1993 starts previews on Saturday, May 4, at the Avon Theatre.
 
The third rock musical produced by the Festival in recent years, Tommy will be the biggest musical ever staged at Stratford. A technical marvel, the show will feature massive LED screens and extraordinary automated set pieces that light up, explode, spin and tilt.
 
“Working on a show like Tommy is a revelation of just how far we have come in such a short time in this digital age,” says Mr. McAnuff, who was invested into the Order of Canada earlier today. “We are able to do things visually and in sound that we could never have dreamed of before. We have done our very best to rethink the visual storytelling while at the same time being careful to maintain the integrity of the story we all believe in so passionately.”