Pinball Wizard, I’m Free, We’re Not Gonna Take It, Amazing Journey, The Acid Queen…

The powerful tale of a deaf, mute, and blind pinball player who becomes an international messiah bursts onto the Evan Theatre stage at Panthers this May. The Who’s Tommy is a theatrical adaptation of the original chart-topping rock album released in 1969. The exhilarating score is timeless in its youthful appeal, giving the show a cross-generational appeal.

After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatised into catatonia, and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbours. As an adolescent, he’s discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar.

This production of The Who’s Tommy is set in a world where physical human contact is reduced to a bare minimum in favour of viewing the world through a screen. It plays on the fears of technology and scientific development, taking us into the world of ‘reality’ TV and YouTube fame, where everything a family does is seen by the masses, criticised and commented on. The design takes inspiration from contemporary festivals such as Coachella and Glastonbury to blend the look of now with that of the iconic 60s and 70s.

Tommy is a musical not often performed, so don’t miss your chance to catch it!