Jul 20, 2026

THE WHO’S LEGENDARY ROCK OPERA TOMMY ANNOUNCES FULL CASTING FOR NORTH AMERICAN TOUR LAUNCHING AT PLAYHOUSE SQUARE THIS FALL

 

CLEVELAND, OH – Producer Work Light Productions is proud to announce the complete cast for the North American tour of The Who's TOMMY, launching this fall at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio, October 6 – 11. Tickets are available at playhousesquare.org or by phone at 216- 241- 6000. Leading the company are Collin Matthew Flanagan as ‘Tommy Walker’, Zach Fogel as ‘Captain Walker’, and Mia Bergstrom as ‘Mrs. Walker’.

Joining them are Peyton Cassity as ‘Uncle Ernie’, Kyle McFalls as ‘Cousin Kevin’, Kris Lyons as ‘Acid Queen’, Audrey Fisher as ‘Sally Simpson’, with Mari Grossmann as ‘Little Tommy’. The ensemble includes Bo Bailey, Trevor “TJay” Groce, Justin Lee-Price, Chase Graham, Greyson Taylor, Evan Hoefer, Tiyanna Gentry, Amaya Adams, Albert Sterner, Josh Devine, Mariangeli Collado and Julia Martini.

Cast members Kris Lyons, Kyle McFalls and Julia Martini hail from northeast Ohio. Kyle McFalls and Julia Martini are alumni of Playhouse Square's Dazzle Awards presented by Pat & John Chapman. McFalls earned the 2024 Best Actor award and was nominated again for Best Actor in 2025. Martini was recognized as the 2022 Best Supporting Actress winner. The northeast Ohio ties continue with Lyons and Martini, who are both graduates of Baldwin Wallace University’s Musical Theatre program.

The onstage musicians feature Talia Rose on guitar, Cat Barker on bass and Kelvin Newell on the drums. The North American tour is led musically by Calvin Hitchcock as music director and Gregory Franz as associate music director, with both also performing on keys.

“We are thrilled to introduce this extraordinary company who will bring The Who's TOMMY to audiences across North America,” said Stephen Gabriel, Founder & Partner of Work Light Productions. “Led by an exceptional cast and supported by a remarkable ensemble, these artists embody the power, heart, and electrifying spirit of Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff’s groundbreaking rock opera. We cannot wait for audiences across the continent to experience their talent when the tour launches this fall.”

In 1969, The Who created a rock opera that changed the course of music history. And now, it’s back in a dazzling all-new production that feels more relevant than ever.

Myth and spectacle combine in this fresh reinvention that includes the unforgettable anthems “I’m Free,” “See Me, Feel Me,” “Sensation,” and “Pinball Wizard.” After witnessing his father shoot his rival, the young Tommy Walker is lost in the universe, endlessly and obsessively staring into the mirror. An innate knack for pinball catapults him from reticent adolescent to celebrity savior. Tony Award®winning composer Pete Townshend and Tony Award®-winning original director Des McAnuff find powerful resonance reexamining this classic story for today.

The North American tour of TOMMY will bring this electrifying theatrical event to audiences across the country, offering a bold new take on one of the most iconic works in rock history — a story of awakening and the search for connection in a fractured world.

Three decades after the epic pop-culture musical theatre sensation first bowed on Broadway, original Tony Award®-winning creators Pete Townshend (music, lyrics, book) and Des McAnuff (direction, book) have reunited to bring the story of Tommy Walker to today’s audiences.  

The revival’s creative team includes choreographer Lorin Latarro, music supervision and additional arrangements by Ron Melrose, Tony Award®nominated scenic designer David Korins, Tony®-nominated projection designer Peter Nigrini, Tony®-nominated costume designer Sarafina Bush, lighting designer Amanda Zieve and Tony®-winning sound designer Gareth Owen.

Nominated for the Tony Award® for Best Musical Revival on Broadway, The Goodman production of The Who’s TOMMY, which opened in 2023, won 9 Joseph Jefferson “Jeff” Awards, the most for any show that season, including Best Director for Des McAnuff and Best Production. 

ABOUT TOMMY:

First released as an album by The Who, TOMMY has become a global phenomenon — adapted for the stage and screen, and celebrated as one of the defining works of modern music and theatre. This new production restores the urgency, emotional impact, and thrilling spectacle that have made TOMMY an enduring cultural landmark.

Fans are encouraged to visit tommythemusical.com to sign up for the email newsletter and be among the first to receive tour news and updates.

Critical praise for The Who’s TOMMY:  

 “Thunderous and thoroughly intoxicating….Unlike most grand operas, The Who’s TOMMY ends on a note of uplift, with Tommy leading the cast in a soaring, almost hymn-like song – at which point I found myself unable to resist the uplift, and rose almost unwillingly from my seat.”  

-Charles Isherwood, The Wall Street Journal  

 “The best rock opera ever. I had such a great time, it made me levitate….It had me from start to finish, and it’s an amazing journey I’d love to take again.”  

-David Gordon, Theatermania 

“See it, Feel it. The Who’s TOMMY is back an electrifying revival that blends surreal projections with sensational choreography. Can you feel it coming? A new vibration has hit Broadway, and dang, does it feel good.”  

-Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly  

 “A sensation….The Who’s TOMMY is a non-stop surge of electrified energy, a darting pinball of a production that syncs visual panache with 55-year-old songs that sound as vital today as they must have at Woodstock.” 

-Greg Evans, Deadline 

The Who’s TOMMY will launch its North American tour at Playhouse Square, playing the Connor Palace for eight performances, October 6 -11, 2026.  Show times are Tuesday – Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1:00 and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at playhousesquare.org or by phone at 216- 241- 6000. Groups of 10 or more are encouraged to call 216-640-8600.

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