The Who Tommy Pearlman Proposal 1972

A unique piece of Who memorabilia, this is a bound 54-page proposal by Richard Pearlman to Pete Rudge & Pete Townshend for a theatrical production of the Who's rock opera "Tommy". The document is sold with a cover letter dated 12th October 1972 (see below) & consists of a 2-page Pearlman introduction, a 2-page Pearlman pitch, 19 large original b/w photos of the debut stage mounting of "Tommy" (by Pearlman in Seattle 1971), 5-pages of critics reviews & 5 illustrations by the West coast underground artist, Satty (one of these in colour & appears to be signed & dated "68" by Satty).

Released as an album in 1969, The Who extensively showcased the LP "Tommy" on tour 1969-70. Pearlman was the first to stage "Tommy" in the theatre (1971) & his Seattle production gave a break to Bette Midler (Pearlman commented that she "was perfect in the Mother/Acid Queen role"). Pearlman later became the doyen of the American opera world. An orchestral version of "Tommy" by Lou Reizner was, however, already in the pipeline & staged in London in Dec 1972. Pearlman's particular concept never materialised but his ideas on the visual presentation of "Tommy" were clearly influential, the movie "Tommy" hitting the screens just 3 years later. The full-blown theatrical release of "Tommy", took longer, with the stage show being launched on Broadway in 1992.

This is a fascinating piece of memorabilia, crammed with "hooks". For fans of straight opera we have Richard Pearlman (he writes very directly & in the hip language of the time). We have evidence of Bette Midler's very early career beginnings & some fantastic gothic/surreal prints by the counter-culture artist Satty (see http://www.iwantyoumagazine.com/satty/ for more information. The piece is packed with technical insights about the staging of musical theatre. The whole package is addressed to Pete Rudge, the Who's tour manager of the time (Rudge later tour managed the Rolling Stones & became Lynyrd Skynyrd's manager) & of course, everything revolves around The Who's masterpiece "Tommy". "Tommy" is regarded as the world's first rock opera. Others may have been slightly ahead but in terms of global impact, it was The Who & "Tommy" that claimed first prize. This is a piece of memorabilia that is unique & of real historical importance.

Price: £995.00

Artist: The Who
Year: '1972
Category: The Who / Rock
Format: Book
Condition: Excellent
Reference: 69247

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