CHICAGO — In the beginning, there was no pinball wizard.
“Tommy” was the fourth studio album released by the British band known as The Who and a colossal step forward when it came to rock music and narrative complexity. It was originally to be a mystical, psychological study of a traumatized post-war boy. No bumpers or flippers attached.
Pete Townshend was in his early 20s when he wrote most of “Tommy,” which was released in 1969. Now, as the album-turned-Broadway musical plots a Chicago comeback, he’s 78. With Townshend credited with music, lyrics and book and Des McAnuff as director, “Tommy” the musical opens soon at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
