The reviews are rolling in for the revival of The Who's seminal rock opera Tommy'. Pete Townsend's swirling, kaleidoscopic score punctuates the fantastical tale of the titular character Tommy (played by Ali Louis Bourzgui), who descends into a catatonic state when he witnesses the murder of his mother's lover at the hands of his father. Despite being deaf, blind, and dumb, Tommy discovers he has a prodigious talent for pinball, marking him for worldwide fame and glory. A surprising celebration of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, this classic production has earned its place in musical theatre history.

See what the critics had to say about Des McAnuff's (Jersey Boys, Big River) current revival debuting last week at the Nederlander Theatre below.

The Reviews

Timeout: 
"The show works, and its epic choral finale somehow feels genuinely rousing and healing. As musical theater, Tommy is limited. On its own terms, it's often sensational."

Vulture: 
"With Tommy, if the dissonance is sometimes distancing, it's also fascinating. Though I spent long stretches of the show intrigued and amused rather than earnestly rocking out, I was never not entertained. I had plenty of questions, but I also had a damn good time."

Theatrely: 
"Truth be told, I was not expecting to be as bowled over by this story, or this revival, as I was. But there's no arguing with talent, and with so much prowess on and off the stage, Tommy is an electric paean to rock immortality, and talent wherever one can find it."

Theatremania: 
"This new version adds another layer, exploring how our overreliance on technology can turn us into mindless sheep. It had me from start to finish, and it's an amazing journey I'd love to take again."

Entertainment Weekly: 
"In 1975, Tommy was adapted into a deliciously delirious film that featured the tagline, "Your senses will never be the same." Now, The Who's Tommy carries that torch forward in its own radical, one-of-a-kind adventure that truly has to be seen to be believed. See it, feel it you won't forget it."

New York Post:
 "The quaking revival of Pete Townshend's seminal rock opera, which opened Thursday night at the Nederlander Theater after nearly three decades away, really is an espresso martini of a show after a chamomile-tea season of musicals."

Wall Street Journal: 
"A big blast of boomer pleasure has arrived on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre, where the thunderous and thoroughly intoxicating revival of "The Who's Tommy" has opened, giving a seismic jolt to the mostly lusterless musical season."

Chicago Tribune: 
"Now, though, the world has spun forward enough times to meet "Tommy" where it always lived, meaning its psychologically oriented story of delayed self-actualization due to childhood trauma, and its withering parody of abusive authority figures and celebrity worship."

New York Theatre Guide: 
"The great news is that what precedes and follows this moment also stirs and tickles the senses. That's the way this rock opera rolls, as it spins the story of a boy so deeply damaged by life first by his parents and later by his abusive uncle and creepy cousin that he nearly shuts down completely."