Writer: Pete Townshend
Choreographer: Paul Roberts
Director: Rob Ashford
Neither a straightforward adaptation of The Who’s 1973 album nor the iconic film of 1979, which reignited the 60s Mod subculture for a new generation, Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet is danced to an orchestral score arranged by Pete Townshend’s wife Rachel Fuller and recorded by The Philharmonic Orchestra in 2015. Townshend and Fuller have opted for the traditional definition of ballet, and so there are no words, no lyrics. It’s a shame, as you really want to hear lines “Out of my brain on the train, out of my brain on the 5.15”.
However, the decision to excise the lyrics – Fuller exchanges the voices of the Philharmonic’s guest singers like Alfie Boe with instrumental solos – ensures that this Sadler’s Wells production is not a feel-good musical destined to hit the West End. This Quadrophenia wants to be more cerebral than that. But it does mean that the show is stranded, like its hero Jimmy, between two worlds.
Although the story of Jimmy in this ballet is based more on the album and its original photo booklet, the characters echo those from the film directed by Franc Roddam. As Jimmy, Paris Fitzpatrick captures all the anguish and vulnerability of Phil Daniels’ now legendary portrayal. Fitzpatrick hunches his shoulders under his parka as Jimmy tries to act cooler than he really is, just as Daniels did in the film. Dan Baines’ Ace Face retains Sting’s bleached hair and grey leather jacket. At one point, Baines repeats the side shuffle of Sting’s dancing in the club at Brighton.
Serena McCall’s Mod Girl, however, is less reminiscent of Leslie Ash’s Steph from the film. Ash gave Jimmy’s love interest an unapologetic agency, while here, The Mod Girl is more representative of Jimmy’s dreams than any real girl, as she is happily (too happily?) tossed around the stage between the men. Likewise, the character of Jimmy’s mother is afforded little depth.
On the other hand, Jimmy’s father, looking every inch like Michael Elphick, is given a weighty backstory as he remembers his time in the army during the War. He misses the camaraderie certainly, but there’s a hint that he misses one of his fellow soldiers, particularly. This hint of queerness could explain why he would rather watch TV than have sex with his wife.
This queerness is further explored later when Jimmy appears to fantasise about Ace Face just as much as he does the Mod Girl, something not in the film at all, unless that almost post-coital cigarette between Daniels and Sting in the back of a police van is meant to be more than a metaphor.
Townshend is keen that this Quadrophenia isn’t just a dance replica of the film. He says he wants young people in the audience too, not just “a lot of old bald blokes in parkas”. This may explain the same-sex desire that runs through the show, and it mostly works. But Paul Roberts’ choreography is often slow and measured, a long way from what we would consider a youth rebellion. There is too much wafting around the stage; Fuller’s musical arrangements are too long. Once the story is told, the dancers repeat their movements as if waiting for the scene to change. The occasional acrobatic or hip-hop move by the dancers makes one wonder how another choreographer would have tackled the story.
Despite not wanting to go down the musical route, Christopher Oram’s set, complete with wheel-on scenery of diners and trains, is useful for a touring musical production but seems odd at Sadler’s Wells. Paul Smith’s costume design – sharp suits, desert boots, shift dresses and polo shirts – is delightful. This Quadrophenia doesn’t lack style, but what it does lack is the energy of the Mod scene and The Who’s songs, focusing instead on outcast Jimmy’s melancholy. And unfortunately, there’s only one moped in sight.
Runs until 13 July 2025
