Music: Pete Townshend, Rachel Fuller, Martin Batchelar
Writer: Pete Townshend
Director: Rob Ashford
Jimmy is an unhappy young man. Working a dead end job, living at home with his parents, his dad showing all the signs of post-war PTSD, his mum trying to make things better but all out of energy. No wonder gang life looks so attractive. The Mods, out dancing, packing out the coffee bars, showing the world what it is to be a teenager, are the people to hang around with. It’s all good fun until things boil over with rival Rockers and the one coming off worst is Jimmy’s childhood friend, and he has the stark realisation that the ‘enemy’ aren’t really that different.
Quadrophenia started life as a concept album, a rock opera written by Pete Townshed and released by the Who in 1973. In 1979 it became a film with Sting and Phil Daniels, Coming out around the same time as the Mod revival of the late 70s, it became a critical success.
So nearly 60 years later, Quadrophenia gets a new life as a ballet. While this at first seems unlikely, it seems the ground has been laid for it for years. Townshend and The Who were never content with sticking to straight albums, and in 2015 Townshend and his partner Rachel Fuller produced Classic Quadrophenia, the orchestrated version that’s used here. It’s a gloriously rich sound that blends blistering guitar with full orchestra. There’s also more than a nod to West Side Story in the narrative which choreographer Paul Roberts references in the fight scenes. Warring rivals, loving the wrong people, youthful bravado and teenage lust. It’s pure dramatic gold.
Director Rob Ashford and Choreographer Paul Roberts take all this and squeeze out every last drop. Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet is, frankly, an astounding piece of dance theatre and probably the definitive version of the story. It soars from violent and edgy to romantic and cool. Told simply, Ashford has done away with any need to slavishly follow the plot, instead focusing on Jimmy’s confused state of mind. With four dancers depicting different facets of his personality, while set against the familiar working class London and fights on Brighton beach, this version is all about a tortured young man just trying to get through life.
While the story is told with brevity, the choreography is anything but simple. Beautifully performed classical duets, and wonderful solos (from Paris Fitzpatrick as Jimmy, Dan Baines as the Ace Face, Taela Yeomans-Brown as the Mod Girl, Euan Garrett as the Friend) are sensual and sexy, but everything really comes together when the whole company dance big set pieces – the nightclub, the battle on the beach – which really are outstanding. Roberts blends street dance, acrobatics and jive with classical ballet, creating something really unique and wonderful.
Yeastculture’s massive, vivid projections, which fill the stage, blend seamlessly with Christopher Oran’s stripped back set design and Fabiana Piccioli’s atmospheric lighting. From urban landscapes and stuffy TV-lit living rooms, to the stylish interior of the New Piccadilly Café, from packed train carriages and smoky nightclubs to the sun-drenched beach and the rolling waves, we’re in one place, then soar to another. It’s visually gorgeous and you can’t take your eyes off it. Paul Smith’s costumes perfectly recreate the 60s style, sharp tight Italian suits, geometric dress fabrics and a leather coat that is a star in its own right, are all spot on.
Nothing lets this production down. Choreography, music, design and direction all come together seamlessly and sensationally. It’s full of drama, and full of joy.
Runs until 19 July 2025
