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.”
