★★★★★

“overflowing with heart, sincerity, joy, imagination, and unapologetic silliness”

Derrière on a G String welcomes you to a fairytale-like stage, with set design by Emily Bestow immediately making us feel as though we are about to witness a beautiful tale unfold. Except this tale is bonkers, inventive, clever, and bursting with laughter and heart – a brilliant piece of physical theatre. From the very first moment, it has the audience laughing to tears, captivating everyone with the performers’ infectious energy and wonderfully expressive performances. The humour often feels reminiscent of silent cinema and classic sketch comedy, while still feeling entirely fresh and original.

Directed and choreographed by Alfred Taylor-Gaunt, the way moments are communicated is pure genius. The show transforms everyday experiences into exaggerated theatrical vignettes that anyone can relate to, delivered with incredible energy and imagination. The idea that humans become objects – an alarm clock, for instance – while ordinary actions, such as showering with a plant-watering bottle, are reimagined in hilariously inventive ways brings a child-like sense of creativity vividly to life. It reminds us that theatre and imagination are limitless if we allow them to be. The possibilities are endless, something we too often forget as we grow older. What makes the production particularly special is how accessible it makes dance and physical theatre feel, inviting even audiences unfamiliar with the form into its wonderfully absurd world.

The production uses classical music as its score, with arrangements by Luke Bateman that are both hilarious and respectful of the technical beauty of the music itself. Running throughout the show is the recurring motif of the G-strings, cleverly woven into the comedy. The costumes, designed by Reuben Speed, are equally wonderful, enhancing the fairytale-like atmosphere while seamlessly supporting the constant transformations taking place on stage. The show also embraces a gloriously camp and queer energy without ever losing its emotional sincerity.

The performances are exceptional throughout, with expressions and physicality that keep the audience enthralled from start to finish. Every cast member deserves recognition. Sammy Moore as Flop is utterly charming, with extraordinary lip-syncing skills and brilliant audience interaction. Cam Tweed as Drip offers a fresh interpretation of Swan Lake and shines particularly in scenes alongside Grunt, played by Ryan Upton, where the pair hilariously dismantle traditional masculinity while showering the stage with rainbows and love. Upton’s performance throughout is equally memorable, providing countless standout moments. Alice O’Brien’s Slosh is endlessly charming, and audiences will undoubtedly remember the warmth she radiates whenever she connects directly with them. Courtney Cyrus as Twitch delivers deliciously edgy and twisted dreamlike sequences, while Ena Yamaguchi brings equal charm and versatility to every character she portrays. All six performers are exceptional dancers who give everything to the production. What is perhaps most impressive is the company’s razor-sharp ensemble timing, with every movement and reaction landing with astonishing precision. Even when some sketches land more strongly than others, the infectious commitment of the cast ensures the energy never drops, with the fast-paced transitions and constant transformations keeping the audience fully immersed throughout.

The show uses almost no spoken language, relying instead on mumbling, movement, and expression – a choice that feels both beautiful and inventive. It demonstrates how emotions and meaning can be communicated powerfully with minimal words. It is also clear that the cast and creative team share a deep connection, something essential in making a production like this feel so alive and cohesive.

Derrière on a G String is an absolute must-see: a show overflowing with heart, sincerity, joy, imagination, and unapologetic silliness that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. Created by the wonderfully inventive company Somebody Smith and Moore, it is a reminder of just how limitless theatre can be when it fully embraces play, absurdity, and human connection.

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★★

“A truly triumphant interpretation – poignant and powerful.”

When Pete Townshend wrote the rock opera “Quadrophenia”, released back in 1973, he felt that The Who, as a band, was ‘lost’ and that the whole process of recording the double album ‘helped us find our way’ (his words). The central character is partly a reflection of this, but also a brilliant description – and representation – of the mid 1960s as seen through the eyes of a young man searching for meaning in a world filled with disillusionment. It has become a rock opera, a film and a classical opera. Now, as a ballet over half a century later, it maintains its relevance without the slightest hint of modernising it aesthetically or culturally. We are fully immersed, not just in pure nostalgia, but also the sheer beauty of the performances, the backdrop and the cinematic orchestral arrangements of the music.

Opening with crashing waves against a solitary rock, we see Jimmy alone on the outcrop, swiftly joined by his four personalities who move like the waves – like sirens luring him into the waters below. But Jimmy chooses the route back to his dissatisfied life. Paris Fitzpatrick is extraordinary as the young mod, Jimmy, barely away from the vast stage for a second, leading us and the other dancers through the tempestuous twists of his journey. The performers need little guidance, however. Each one is a leader in their own right: the Tough Guy, the Romantic or the Hypocrite; the Godfather, the Ace Face, the Mod Girl, the Rocker. Or the shell-shocked parent. Directed by Rob Ashford, every step is meticulously clear while Yeastculture.org’s panoramic video projections seamlessly carry us from place to place on Christopher Oram’s simple yet fluid set.

Steeped in symbolism, the emotional impact is compelling. We are constantly distracted from intellectual appreciation. The characterisation is as integral as the virtuosity of the dancers. When Fitzpatrick’s Jimmy meets his childhood friend (Euan Garrett), now a Rocker, the couple’s inner conflicts are vividly evoked in every movement. Paul Roberts’ choreography throughout is at once original and recognisable, athletic and intimate, violent and tender. It refuses categorisation; ballet moves swaying into jazz, contemporary, a touch of street. The impurity is vital to Roberts’ telling of the story. Jimmy’s parents, and his relationship with them, only need a few dance steps to give us the full picture. Stuart Neal and Kate Tydman – as the father and mother – attract and repel in gorgeous tarantellas, erotic and violent, bleeding into the Father’s traumatic memories of WWII (a disturbing yet perfectly glorious ensemble routine).

And, of course, we have the love interest: Serena McCall’s Mod Girl, sassy and sexy, moving within and without the yearning reach of our ‘quadrophenic’ protagonist. The charismatic rival, the Ace Face, is a constant threat – a swaggering and commanding Dan Baines, while Matthew Ball’s rock star figure, the Godfather, is a stark reminder to Jimmy never to meet your idol. A self-deprecating moment deliberately referencing The Who’s status in the seventies that has survived intact to the present day. This attention to detail surfaces in waves of nostalgia, that some may not fully appreciate. You have to be a true Londoner to feel the full dewy-eyed force of designer Oram’s recreation of Soho’s ‘New Piccadilly Café’. Authenticity is a keyword here, which is certainly amplified by Paul Smith’s sharp costumes.

The driving force is the music, orchestrated by Rachel Fuller (and Martin Batchelar). Faithful to Townshend’s original rock numbers, Fuller has scored the music for a full symphony orchestra. The electric rock rhythms of guitars and bass occasionally burst through, but elsewhere the vocal melodies and guitar solos are searing violins, aching cellos, rich double-basses or horn sections. Entirely instrumental, you can still at times hear Roger Daltrey’s voice surfing the multi-layered melody lines. Like the dancing, it is grand but far from precious. With both you could just as easily be in the Albert Hall or the sweaty dark of Wardour Street’s Marquee Club. Another landmark sadly gone. “Quadrophenia” harks back to another time that some say is long dead, but this ballet drags it alive and kicking into the present. It resonates unmistakably without any concession to the twenty-first century. It doesn’t need it. The essence is all there – in the dance and in the music.

When ‘Quadrophenia’ was first released, Pete Townshend probably had no idea of its legacy. Although he has since stated that The Who ‘never recorded anything so ambitious or audacious again’. “Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet” is just as (maybe even more so) ambitious and audacious, even by today’s standards. A truly triumphant interpretation – poignant and powerful.

Tag Archives: Alice O’Brien

DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

★★★★★

King’s Head Theatre

DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

King’s Head Theatre

★★★★★

“overflowing with heart, sincerity, joy, imagination, and unapologetic silliness”

DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed on 12th May 2026

by Nasia Ntalla

Photography by Charlie Flint

DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET

★★★★★

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★★

“A truly triumphant interpretation – poignant and powerful.”