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.

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Reviewed on 25th June 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Johan Persson

Recently reviewed at Sadler’s Wells venues:

ALICE | ★★★★ | May 2025

BAT OUT OF HELL THE MUSICAL | ★★★★ | May 2025

SPECKY CLARK | ★★★ | May 2025

SNOW WHITE: THE SACRIFICE | ★★★★★ | April 2025

SKATEPARK | ★★★★ | April 2025

MIDNIGHT DANCER | ★★★★ | March 2025

THE DREAM | ★★★★★ | March 2025

DEEPSTARIA | ★★★★ | February 2025

VOLLMOND | ★★★★★ | February 2025

DIMANCHE | ★★★★ | January 2025

QUADROPHENIA

★★★★

“This Quadrophenia is a feast for the eyes”

Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet, part of Sadler’s Wells On Tour, has reached Edinburgh. For fans of Pete Townshend and The Who; the album Quadrophenia (1973), and the film Quadrophenia (1979), this is welcome news. But make no mistake, Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet, while sharing much of the same material with its predecessors, is also quite different. Paradoxically, this most recent reimagining cannot really be appreciated unless you know the earlier works. How you feel about The Who’s hard hitting sound—and especially their lyrics—being omitted from this version is up to you. But should you need compensation, you will find it in the wonderful dancing, extraordinary design, and lovely orchestration. Last night’s audience at the Festival Theatre lapped it up with enthusiasm.

Quadrophenia has always been a piece about summing up the voices of the Mod generation. The 1960s marked the beginning of something new in post war Britain—a young demographic who had their own music, their own fashions, and crucially, money in their pockets to spend on these things. The Mods, and their arch rivals, the Rockers, took all these things to the dance floors, and then to the streets. Quadrophenia celebrates all this, but also emphasizes the confusion and dissociation that some felt in a shifting culture that defined itself by opposition. Opposition to their parents and their values, to the blue collar factory jobs, and the drabness that was Britain then, still struggling to emerge from the trauma of World War Two. The show captures the style and the energy of the Mods and Rockers in its dance, costumes, and elaborate stage projections. But in this version of the story, the edginess is muted, and good looks take precedence over protest. And another important theme, always bubbling below the surface of The Who’s music and lyrics, and the film of Quadrophenia, that of the fractured, schizophrenic self, is difficult to recognize in A Mod Ballet unless you know the earlier history.

Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet has assembled a fantastically talented group for this production. The team have extensive experience of the performing arts in ballet, musicals, and it shows. From director Rob Ashford, choreographer Paul Roberts and musical director and orchestrator Rachel Fuller to set designer Christopher Oram, video designer Yeastculture.org, and the costume design team of Paul Smith, Natalie Pryce and Hannah Teare, this is a seamless production that feels like a Broadway musical. It doesn’t hurt that many of the artists working on this show have also had extensive experience with working on rock concerts, and world class orchestras. There’s a distinct air of glamour surrounding the dancers on stage even as the muscular choreography breaks out a few moves not usually seen in ballet. The dancers themselves inhabit the constantly changing space with a mix of dance, and acting, even if they don’t speak. When they aren’t dancing, they’re sitting in diners, drinking coffee, or even, in a brilliantly choreographed scene, being part of a crowded train carriage during the rush hour. Every detail of the period is captured; it’s lit to great advantage by lighting designer Fabiana Piccioli. This Quadrophenia is a feast for the eyes.

A Mod Ballet marks a new direction in the ongoing story of Quadrophenia. Whether it will succeed with audiences in the same way that The Who’s rock opera Tommy succeeded, for example, remains to be seen. But this show is sure to please dance enthusiasts everywhere, even if the narrative struggles to maintain equal clarity with the music and choreography.

Tag Archives: Paul Roberts

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET

★★★★★

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★★

“A truly triumphant interpretation – poignant and powerful.”