The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. just finished an amazing run of The Who’s Tommy, with direction and choreography by Josh Rhodes (Encores! Grand Hotel, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Bright Star).
iHeartRadio Broadway hit the road to see the musical and chat with both Rhodes and Tony Award winner Christian Borle about their love of the production and the excitement to bring it to the Kennedy Center.
Borle revealed why he believes Tommy has stayed relevant through the years, "People can bring their own interpretation to it. At the end of the day, there's just those songs and that band rocking out and it's infectious!"
"The audience literally wants to jump out of their seats. To have iconic music like that that is just part of not just American culture, but world wide. It's a standard in our ears. We know it so well," said Rhodes about the audience reactions.
Casey Cott, star of the hit CW series, Riverdale, played the title role. Christian Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher, Something Rotten!) and Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton, In the Heights) co-starred as Captain Walker and Mrs. Walker, respectively. The cast also featured Manu Narayan (Merrily We Roll Along,My Fair Lady) as Uncle Ernie, Kimberly Nichole, a fan favorite on season eight of NBC’sThe Voice, as The Gypsy (“Acid Queen”), and Wesley Taylor (SpongeBob SquarePants,The Addams Family) as Cousin Kevin.
Check out the full interviews with Rhodes and Borle above!