A huge amount of talent has been brought together in Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet. The production values are very high, as high as The Who’s stage performances once were, if not quite as explosive. A couple of fans next to me speak of him as the Beethoven of his era. And, his wife Rachel Fuller—with Martin Batchelar—has gone down the symphony route with her orchestration (recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra). Pity it’s not live.
Townshend’s vociferous guitar and lots of ‘Keith Moon’ dynamic drumming are given a lush sound to match the Brighton waves that lure the Mods to the beach and the lead protagonist, the confused Jimmy, almost to his demise.
Costume design by Paul Smith and Natalie Pryce captures the '60s / '70s era to perfection, Fabiana Piccioli’s lighting design highlights the unfolding drama and the club culture, whilst Christopher Oram’s period set (Marquee Club, London café life—that outside view through the glass Edward Hopperesque—Brighton, Vespa) and YeastCulture.Org’s video design are spectacular.
If you’ve seen Akram Khan’s Desh, you’ll know their projection style and line drawing (face outlines make me think of Julian Opie). I’m spotting their art influences. I think Virginia Woolf’s The Waves, as they wash over the stage. The train carriage commute brings an Eric Ravilious painting to mind.
It is YeastCulture’s creations that keep my attention rather than Paul Roberts’s choreography, which is contemporary dance theatre rather than ballet. He brings his commercial experiences with One Direction, Spice Girls and many more big stars to the fold. It tells the story well but the acrobatic moves—barrel spins and leaps—are repetitive. And some of the numbers are spun out too long, required to fill the length of each piece.
The first half has fourteen narrative numbers, the shorter second nine (one a reprise). I wonder what Matthew Bourne would have done with it... Working class Jimmy, danced by Paris Fitzpatrick (a marvellous New Adventures Romeo—that beach rock looks very like the catafalque in the Capulet crypt), is perfectly cast. As are his four alter egos (quadrophenia a play on schizophrenia). When they line up like the vertebrae of his spin—a strong image—you get the drift.
In his confrontation with psychiatrist, his Lunatic (Rambert graduate, and Parkour traceur, Dylan Jones even has something of the young Roger Daltrey about him) comes to the fore. There is also the Romantic (in love with the unattainable Mod Girl who prefers The Ace Face), The Hypocrite (does not defend his Rocker Friend when the warring tribes do battle—very Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story) and the Tough Guy (wishful thinking). All wonderfully athletic, as is the whole ensemble, directed with insight by multi-award-winning Rob Ashford—characterisation is good.
It is a clever rendition of the era of Mods and Rockers (or ‘Mods and Wreckers’ as newspaper headlines have it), with Jimmy’s family in the mix—dad still recovering from the consequences of the Second World War, mother needy for dad’s attention. Jimmy has to work out life for himself. Life is brutal with little prospect for the likes of him. The trauma of war section reminds me of the BalletBoyz, with whom Roberts has worked. And former Ballet Boy Liam Riddick is one of the assistant choreographers.
The number that stands out, because it is the most recognisable tune, is "My Generation". It has Matthew Ball of the Royal Ballet moonlighting in the role of big-name star The Godfather in his Union Jack jacket. He certainly has the charisma and looks. There are many from The Royal Ballet in the audience in support.
Pete Townshend said, "Quadrophenia is the only Who album that I solely composed and produced (1973) and the movie that followed in 1979 launched the careers of some of the finest young actors of the time. In 2016, Rachel Fuller agreed to create an orchestral score of the album. When I first heard a demo of this version, without vocals, my first thought was that it would make a powerfully rhythmic and emotionally engaging ballet. Workshopped in 2023, that thought became a reality and I knew we had something that would resonate with new audiences, and also bring joy, as it had in its other iterations for decades. The themes of young people growing up in difficult times are still so relevant. It’s going to be poignant, tender and poetic and epic."
“Quadrophenia is steeped in the mythology of the 1960s—sharp suits, soul music, vespas and parkas—but its themes of lost youth, rebellion, the search for belonging and hunger for social change are just as urgent today.” I’d go along with that, but I’d like a tighter structure for greater impact. But Who fans won’t give a jot for critics.
It has successfully toured Plymouth, Edinburgh and Southampton and goes on to Salford after its London première.