Townshend's New Rock Musical Set For Vassar Debut

The New York Post's Michael Riedel reports that Broadway and West End buzz surrounds The Boy Who Heard Music, a new rock musical by The Who's Pete Townshend that will have its premiere at the Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY as part of the New York Stage and Film festival.

Townshend - whose Tommy was an iconic film rock musical before becoming a hit on Broadway on 1993 and ushering in a new era of Broadway rock operas - adapted the musical from his own novella (which had appeared only on the internet). The autobiographical story, which reportedly draws upon Townshend's relationships with fellow The Who members Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon and John Entwhistle, concerns "an aging rock star who looks back on the band he formed as a teenager with three friends from his neighborhood."

Riedel writes that the show "will be directed at Vassar by Ethan Silverman, although people involved in the musical think that, if it's any good, a top-drawer director - most likely McAnuff - will come on board to shepherd it to London's West End or Broadway." McAnuff (Jersey Boys) famously won a Tony Award for staging Tommy.

Read more on Broadway World