Director Des McAnuff on 'The Who's Tommy' New Look

Michael Riedel and Christine Nagy chatted with director Des McAnuff about his reimagined version of THE WHO'S TOMMY. McAnuff directed the 1993 award-winning version and said the changes in the current production are "very targeted." THE WHO'S TOMMY opens at the Nederlander Theatre on March 28th.

Episode Transcript

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iHeartRadio Broadway presents Inside Broadway, thepodcast about everything theater. It's where you
hear what happens from the ticket windowto the stage door, with the stars
and creative forces that make it allcome alive. Here are your hosts,
wo Rs Michael Riedle and Light FM'sChristine Nagy. Very excited, Christine.

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The Who's Tommy is opening on Broadwaythis week now. I've been around so
long, I Ashley saw production withPete Townsend that was directed by Desmaknoff back
in nineteen ninety one, ninety two, if I'm not mistake in ninety three
maybe okay, and it's coming backto Broadway completely rethought by Pete and the
director Des Makanoff, who also directedon Broadway Jersey Boys, one of the

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big hits of all time. Andhe made his Broadway debut with the show
that I saw when I first gotto New York in the eighties called Big
River, which is an excellent musicalthat's kind of been forgotten, should be
brought back, I think. Sowe welcome to show Des Makhanoff, who
is about to open on Broadway though, Who's Tommy Dens? How are you?
I'm very well. Thank you verymuch for having me on now Das
you've been around the block as Ihave many many years here on Broadway,

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do you still get a little bitnervous before these opening nights are for you?
It's like, nah, been there, done that. I'm cool,
you know, I get I definitelyget nervous for the actors and and you
know, because the stress really ison them, you know, ultimately,
you know, the stage belongs tothem. Really we can help them get
there, but you know, whenit comes time to perform, you know,

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all of the pressure is really onthem. So I do get a
bit nervous for them. There's reallynot much I can do at that point,
so I'm not really nervous for me. You know, my the die
has been cast, so you know, I do my best to enjoy it.
There obviously is worry because you wantpeople to say nice things about the

(01:59):
show, which gives you hopefully somesort of platform to build on, and
so there's definitely that on my mind. Yeah, there are There probably be
a better days than opening but saysYou've had such wonderful reviews and word of
mouth from the production coming out ofChicago, so so of course we're expecting

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it to be fantastic. And whatmade you want to bring Tommy back to
Broadway this time around? You know, Pete and I worked on a screenplay
which which we have by the way, and which we would like to pursue.
Uh And and COVID came along andinterrupted everything. Uh And just around

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that time, perhaps just before it, I think we discovered that there was
a pertinence to Tommy that made iteasy to bring it back. You know,
we hadn't really talked about it verymuch over the years. Pete and

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with my help, held back therights for first class productions, so you
know, the highway was kind ofthere and without any obstacles. But it
was really feeling that the world hadfinally caught up to Tommy Walker. And

(03:27):
for a number of reasons. Onewas we recognized that everybody's walking around looking
into a mirror, trying to escapea hostile universe, albeit a black mirror.
And so there was that, AndI think the conversations now about bullying
and trauma are much higher profile thanthey were thirty years ago. And then

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finally, and maybe most importantly,you know, Tommy is a charismatic leader,
and I think we now perhaps someof us recognize the profound danger of
that, and the story he hasto do with Tommy realizing that himself that
he's a spiritual leader, he's apolitical leader, he's what we would now

(04:14):
call an influencer, and he comesto recognize the danger in all of that
and basically says to people, youhave to live your own life. You
know, you can't enter my experience. It would be preposterous to try to
do that. You would gain nothing. And so that's his ultimate epiphany.

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He has two I think major breakthroughs. One is when he comes crashing through
the surface of reality because his motherbreaks the mirror. And then I think
the other one is that particular epiphanybegan as a concept album years ago Who's
Tommy? And then it was amovie. Was it your idea back in

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the early nineties to adapted for theBroadway stage? How did that conception come
about? Well, in my mind, it actually came from the critic for
the Los Angeles Times, Dan Sullivan, who reviewed who very successfully and I
think it was eighty eight, andsaid, oh, but you know,
we could never do this on stagethe way they do. And I remember

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saying to my assistant at the time, Oh yes, we can. You
know, we could definitely do that, so I kind of, you know,
I suppose, psychologically accepting the challenge. And then we were put together
by the Dodgers and by Pace,who acquired the rights, and they suggested

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my name to Pete and we hada ten minute meeting who had a big
board table with lots of other peoplechatting away about business. And then we
got together again at the point ofBella Hotel, supposedly for half an hour,
like a default day later, soI had time to really dig in
once I kind of got his blessing, I suppose, and we spent instead

(06:05):
of the half hour we expected,we spent four hours together. And you
know, I think the partnership andyou know, friendship was bonded during that
meeting. So that's how it allstarted. And for this version, have
you have you changed a lot inthe script? What's changed since ninety three?

(06:26):
You know, I would say inthe script and this this came from
both of us. The changes arewhat I would describe as surgical strikes to
use a nuclear war term. Youknow, yeah, it was a theater
nuclear war, and so we havemade changes, but they're very targeted I

(06:48):
think we both felt I think,please, you're ever satisfied. But I
think we really did see it,like we found the story. Been an
enormous amount of time together, andyou know, I don't think we were
inclined to do a big rewrite anymore than you might be on I don't

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know what to use as a parallelcarousel, minair lady. You know,
the show is the show, butthe production has changed, I would say
quite drastically, profoundly. We've madea lot of visual changes. I think
it has. I like to thinkit has more humanity, more emotion,

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and while it's still very much avisual spectacle, I think the characters come
forward, and if we're a movie, you might say there are more close
ups. So it definitely feels andpeople tell me that it feels very different
than the production that opened in ninetythree. Yeah, that's interesting. I

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do remember that production, and Ido think, well, you know,
certainly the emotions are there in thegreat score, but it was very It
was visually exciting and stunning and rickstunning and ricocheting and moved so quickly and
it was so slick. It wasa kind of a new staging for us
back then. In the nineties.You know, I think that's that's true,
and I've certainly had other directors approachedme over the years to say,

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you know, it had an influenceon them. I think we used the
whole proscenium march visually, which andnormally even in musicals, you were using
the lower eight feet or seven feet, you know, where you could fit
the actors, and everything else wastertiary, so that I think that really
did have an impact. I didit again at Stratford, Canada. I

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was artistic director there for several years, and I did another version of it
in twenty thirteen, which was basedmore closely on the original. And I
think when I came from that,away from that, I kind of got
the feeling that perhaps the performances hadbeen somewhat overpowered by the visuals. I

(09:01):
had access to LED technology, whichmeant that we could animate, you know,
on the screens beyond the actors andaround the actors, and I didn't
feel I felt like, in orderto really crack Tommy in the twenty first
century, I had to start theproduction from scratch, and so that's what

(09:22):
we did this time. I hadthe great opportunity because of you know,
Steve Gabriel and Ira Pedlman are producers, and I put together a fantastic design
team, all new, by theway, I think everybody is new on
this show except for the fight directorand the publicist and me and the directorybody
else and the director yet exactly,but I had I certainly have a new

(09:48):
paint box, which is I don'tmean to reduce my collaborators to to you
know, paint, but you knowthey I have new a new group,
you know, as you know,it's a collaborative art form. So you're
only good as good as your team. And I really put together you know,
Mandaz Eve and he's a brilliant PeterNagreeney and Ron Melrose, Rick Fox

(10:09):
on music, and Lauren lataro uhdoing a wonderful job, I think on
the choreography, just breakthrough job.And you know, Saraphina Bush is doing
the costumes. It's it's it's greatAnd I've always wanted to work with David
Korn's so this was the chance todo that. You know who's from Hamilton,
as is Peter Nagreenie. So youknow it was and we really worked.

(10:35):
You know, my biggest problem onthis thing is I didn't want.
I was afraid I would change ittoo much. And my other fear was
I was afraid I wouldn't change itenough. And so that's been my you
know struggle throughout this, and happilyI had partners that helped me, you

(10:56):
know, achieve that. Oh,I hope we have. And you'll tell
them, des What are you sayingas far as the audiences are concerned,
are the fans of the who ofthe original production? Are there new people?
I say new like it's a wholenew experience for them coming in.
I would say it's a very eclecticaudience. There are certainly Who fans there,

(11:18):
of course, and there are peoplethat saw the show thirty years ago.
I chatted with a young fellow whois twelve and his mother had been
taken to Tommy thirty years ago byher dad, and so there is some

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of that definitely, you know,passing on, passing it on to the
experience on to new generations within families. There are a tremendous amount of young
people, and you know, Pete'sbeen very articulate about wanting to do this
for gen Z, so that hehas a strong affinity to that general because

(12:00):
of you know growing up as thesixties. Well, he was basically the
spokesperson for rock and roll in thesixties, and you know, as we
know, there was a great dealof rebellion and a spirit of rebellion,
and he sees that same thing ingen Z. So they are definitely coming
out. And if you go,even if you're not at the show,
and you're anywhere near forty first Street, just have a look at the group

(12:24):
that's waiting outside. And they're youngpeople, and they're they're frighteningly young and
fanatical. So I was at WholeFoods a couple of days ago and one
of the guys I guess he wasbagging, said you know, I loved
Tommy, And it turns out he'dseen the show, didn't know the album,

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didn't know the music at all,and was over the moon. So
it does seem to be speaking toa broad group. Hey does before you
run. I know you've been friendswith Towns in all these years, and
I got to know him. Ithink it was during Tommy, but also
I hung out with him when hewas doing Quadraphenia at Madison Square Garden and
I remember he was telling me whata great experience he had on Broadway and

(13:11):
he wanted to write more musicals,but he never did. Did you guys
work on anything? Did you pushhim in the direction of the musical theater
and why did he not come upwith anything else? Well, he's he's
got many projects. He's just putout a box set of Lifehouse Who's Next,
which is mainly music from Who's Next, but lots of other composition as

(13:33):
well. He has another new,you know, a piece that he's been
working on. So he has writtena great deal and I think there is
a partner, Rachel Fuller, hiswife has done an orchestral version of Quadraphenia

(13:54):
and there will be a ballet.I don't know if I should say that
that I'm saying it anyway coming outthat she's you know, she does She's
a brilliant composer herself, and she'sdone orchestrations. So he does have all.
He always has lots of, youknow, lots and lots of projects.
You know. We did The IronGiant together as a motion picture for

(14:16):
for Warner Brothers, which is awhole separate composition. It didn't use the
music from his album. There wasa decision with us and Brad Bird that
that it wanted to be a differentkind of project, not a musical.
And I'm extremely proud of that film, as is he. But you know,
we're talking about us. I haddinner with him last night and we

(14:39):
were talking about a new project.So it's not too late. We're a
little bit older now, and andbut it's definitely. The nice thing is,
you know, I can't play Romeoanymore, but I can still direct
it, you know. And that'sthe one nice thing about my job and
his job to verity think did fallstaff when he was eight? And he

(15:01):
did? So yeah, is thatright? I think that's right, And
that was pretty damn good. SoI think I think Pie's got a lot
of music left in him. Andhe is a natural storyteller. Yeah.
And if you think about this albumoriginally, while it was a concept album,
it was the first of those albumsI believe to have really the beginnings

(15:22):
of a story. And it wasyou know, it was skeletal, but
it was there then. Thank god, that's what we got to build on.
Well, yeah, he's a naturalstorytelling. We got aron. But
next time you see him, Ithink I have this memory correct, he
won't remember me. I'm sure,but I remember him telling me he was
interested in adapting for the stage ArthurMiller's memoir Time Bends, which is a

(15:43):
great book. By the way,did you ever bring you ever bring that
up with you? He never has, as far as I can remember,
and generally I sort of locked thosethose thoughts away when he brings something up.
So I don't remember that, butI will. I will absolutely ask
him. Yeah, I definitely will. I expect to see him in two
hours and that will be one ofmy first orders of business. Well,

(16:07):
I don't think, Yeah, Idon't think he brought it up with you
because he wants me to direct itbut doesn't want you to. All right,
I think everything to gain with withwith multiple partners. I'm an ooligaments
when right as macanoff, he's aboutto open the Who's Tommy on Broadway at
the Niederlander Theater this week. Goodluck does take care? Thank you so

(16:30):
much. I really enjoyed this,all right, So Michael, this is
It's gotten me thinking what other showswould be like to see revived. I
know one of them that I haveto see, and you're on the inside
track is Cabaret. Yeah, withEddie Redmain I saw him in London.
Terrific. In fact, I gotto tell you this week not only is
the Who's Tommy opening, but myarticle in Vanity Fair about the history of

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cabaret and this new production with EddieRedmain is going to be online this week
and Vanity Fair so oh, Ican't wait to reach The show that I
think and I have been promoting thisforever for someone to revive it because I
think it would be a huge hit. Is Chicago the Musical. I've been
behind that for years. You knowthat good idea? Well, no,

(17:12):
I think you've got to revive arevival of the revival that's been running for
twenty seven years. No, there'syou know a show that's There are few,
I know a lot of these musicalsthat are interesting shows, but they
didn't work the first time around.And sometimes you think the score was really
good and how couldn't they Why didn'tthey work? And then you go and

(17:33):
you delve into it and you readthe script and you think, mmmm,
kind of a B list sort ofa show that may not work, but
one that's worth checking out because ithas a really good candor and EBB score.
But people have forgotten the show isThe Rink, which originally starred Cheeta
Rivera and Eliza Minelly. Oh Wow, with a script by Terrence McNally.

(17:55):
Oh my goodness that I mean thatsounds winning right there. It well,
yeah, they had a lot ofproblem The show had a lot of problem
but it was a very gritty,grungey show about a broken down roller rink
that Cheeta Rivera, the mother runsand her daughter comes back played by Liza.
You know. Some of the problemswere Liza's being drunk all the time
and missing a lot of performances andthat kind of thing. So there were
issues there. But it has areally really good candor and ebbscore And I

(18:15):
wish somebody would revisit The Rink.I think that would be interesting to do.
And the one that I always wantto see and I know, I
know it gets revived is Headwig andthe Angry Inch, but always like it's
done all the time. Favorite show. I love that show so much,
It's like I can't see it enough. What's that great song little Town Small,
Yeah, wicked Little That is likeone of the most beautiful songs ever.
Goergeous Yes, Stephen Trash is thatwho wrote the h I think he

(18:37):
wrote, yes, and John CameronMitchell together. Yeah. I think Stephen
wrote the music and the lyrics andJohn did the did the story. It's
just so beautiful. Yeah, that'sone. And I don't know if you
could I see I'd like to see. Well, I'd love to see a
revival of one of the great musicalsof all times, Spider Man Turn Off
the Dark, because I got suchmileage out of that disaster. That Okay,
just for you, so you havematerial that's right, I need,

(19:00):
I need, so please, ifyou're listening to me, Julie Taymoor,
bring back the biggest flop of yourcareer Man, turn Off the Dark?
Got it? Okay? All right, Michael, see you next time on
Inside Broadway. Bye bye, m