TOMMY: The Musical [Hardcover]

Pete Townshend (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Musical librettos just keep getting bigger and more expensive. The last few Lloyd Webber opuses have been extraordinarily padded with press-agent prose and murky production stills and in price. The theatrical expansion of the Who's late-1960s rock opera about a traumatized, apparently "deaf, dumb, and blind kid" who yet becomes a "Pinball Wizard" sees the Lloyd Webbers and raises them. The pictures are profuser and clearer; there are swatches of prose fore, twixt, and aft Tommy's three acts that are not mere puffery; the layout is of artbook quality; and look at that price tag. In addition to better, there's more: rehearsal stills and little half-page remarks by the director, the dramaturge, a cast member, etc.; and a CD-in-pasted-pocket of composer Townshend singing the one song new to the stage production. It's a pretty snazzy package that, face it, no musical theater collection should be without. Ray Olson

Product Details

• Hardcover: 173 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon (October 19, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679430660
• ISBN-13: 978-0679430667
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,004,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful compaion to a spectacular theater experience, March 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: TOMMY: The Musical (Hardcover)

Although not currently in print, this is a must find for "Tommy" fans. Like the broadway soundtrak CD, it transports you to the magic behind the memory of a great broadway musical.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Who's TOMMY, September 30, 2005

By 

John Verteramo "Give Peace a Chance!" (North Central Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: TOMMY: The Musical (Hardcover)

Admitting I'm a bit biased is putting it lightly. This was one of the first albums I purchased as a child and one of the first CD's I purchased as a young adult.

Paul McCartney becomes a Knight!

John Lennon's a National (or international) Hero!

And then The Who's Tommy becomes a Tony Award winning Show!

Even with Bush as our President, I still have faith in mankind.

The book is awsome! It not only is a script, but a great photo album and documentery. If I had one dissapointment, it was that the free CD with in it had only one song. But, there was a reason for that, and it was free!

I not only read it immediatly, but Tommy as entered my travelling discs once again. And I am listening to it regularly.

On a side note... I coach the local High Schools Speech Team and talk to the student regularly about music and not just literature. I was shocked how many music lovers that know all classic rock and modern rock that had never heard on Tommy.

Pete Townshend wrote over 35 years ago about a child who was verbally abused by his parents, sexually abused by a close relative and phycially abused by a cousin. Sound like most books, songs, movies and TV shows of today!

Sorry to rambel.

John M. Verteramo

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Big and Beautiful :Like queen Latifah!, November 15, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: TOMMY: The Musical (Hardcover)

It holds its own in a sea of musical theatre books: "Phantom," "Les Miz," B&Beast" all have their own books; none compare to this. The extra CD is a great bonus: wonderful interviews w/ cast and crew (Not,like, the guy who pulls the rope) If you're a Who fan, great sections on them, as well as a generally beautiful layout and wonderful pics. (I mean it, kids) It's woth the $$$ and is a great coffe table compliment!