1.) The Who is a rock band that formed in 1964 in the U.K. 1964 was a leap year. Hello, Dolly! opens at the St James theatre. Also in 1964: The 24th Amendment is ratified in the U.S. The 1964 Olympics are held in Innsbruck, Austria. The Beatles make their first American television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. In Wesbury v. Sanders, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that congressional districts must be roughly equal in population. The first Ford Mustang is produced. The Kitty Genovese case comes to public notice with the “bystander effect.” Jeopardy debuts on NBC. Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania in Africa. Prime Minister of India Nehru dies. Nelson Mandela is imprisoned to a life sentence at Robben Island in South Africa. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. The final Looney Tune cartoon is released: “Senorella and the Glass Huarache.” The Gulf of Tonkin resolution is passed by the U.S. congress in August. The film Mary Poppins has its world premiere. Malta achieves independence from the United Kingdom. The Warren Commission report is published in September. In October, the Summer Olympics are held in Tokyo. The film version of My Fair Lady premieres. The Star of India diamond is stolen from New York. Lyndon Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater for the presidency of the United States in the general election in November. The death penalty for murder is abolished in Britain. The Rankin/Bass classic Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer premieres in the U.S. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December. Also, this year, Pete Townshend of The Who destroys his first guitar in concert at the Railway Hotel in London.
2.) The Who is also known as The Detours and The High Numbers. The members of The Who are formed by Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwhistle, and Keith Moon. Kenney Jones was also a member.
3.) The Who have recently announced a residency at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, beginning in July, 2017.
4.) Tommy was the fourth album released by The Who. It was a concept album, a rock album, and a double-album. Recording on the album began in 1968. The album was released in 1969.
5.) The film version was released in 1975. It featured Tina Turner, Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Jack Nicholson, and Ann-Margret.
6.) The revival of The Who’s Tommy premiered in 1993 at the St. James Theatre on Broadway in New York.
7.) Michael Cerveris played the role of Tommy. Cerveris has won two Tony awards. He has been featured in Assassins, Sweeney Todd, Fun Home, Passion, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Cerveris was born in Bethesda, Maryland and graduated from Yale University.
8.) The 1993 revival had 899 performances at the St. James Theatre in New York.
9.) The 1993 revival won 5 Tony awards: for Best Original Score, Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Choreography, and Best Direction of a Musical.