Review: Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet: misses out on greatness.

Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet, is a production I approached with huge anticipation. Innovations in classical and modern dance which genuinely widen public appeal remain rare, but that’s the promise of a piece set to The Who’s legendary 1973 rock opera, ‘Quadrophenia.’

Teenage mod Jimmy’s hormonally charged hunt for purpose and self-worth made for a platinum-selling album, and a critically and commercially successful movie a few years later. With the muscle of Sadler’s Wells, Extended Play and Universal Music UK behind this new choreographed adaptation, success, if not inevitable, seemed likely.

Well, one can’t question the sheer amount of talent these potent producers assembled in the rehearsal room. With award-winning One Direction & Balletboyz choreographer Paul Roberts at hand, and Tony, Olivier, and Emmy award-winning Rob Ashford in the Director’s chair, this show aims very high. Factor in an elite ensemble of world-class dancers, and no less than designer Paul Smith bringing the parkas, and tickets starting at £26.50 look like a steal.

And then the curtain rises.

The opening act almost lives up to the promise—almost. The sheer quality of movement, whether solo or in formation, is a delight, whilst the combination of Christopher Oram’s epic yet minimal set, YEASTCULTURE.ORG’s cinematic videography, and Fabiana Piccioli’s gorgeous lighting scheme makes for a visual feast.

Ok, so Townshend’s story of working-class teenage angst has always been a bit muddled, but it’s lovingly recreated, and easy enough to follow without dialogue. Kudos are definitely due to Paris Fitzpatrick, whose powerful, emphatic talents makes Jimmy the main character at all times. Serena McCall also dazzles as the object of his hopeless desires, MOD Girl, whilst Jack Widdowson steals the stage as Roger Daltrey’s black-mirror counterpart, the Godfather, complete with ‘My Generation’—plucked from an entirely different album.

The opening act almost lives up to the promise—almost. The sheer quality of movement, whether solo or in formation, is a delight, whilst the combination of Christopher Oram’s epic yet minimal set, YEASTCULTURE.ORG’s cinematic videography, and Fabiana Piccioli’s gorgeous lighting scheme makes for a visual feast.

Big Music, Bigger Runtime

There are only two problems: the music and the production’s slavish affection for it. For Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet is not set to the 1973 original, but to composer and arranger Rachel Fuller’s 2015 orchestral adventure ‘Classic Quadrophenia’. It’s a lavish, all guns and fiddles-blazing affair which takes the original album’s prog grandeur and dials it to 11.

Stripped of vocals and with its 1 hour 20 runtime stretched to nearer 2 hours, the numbers are prone to blending into one another, with little variation in either pace or tone. The action on-stage reflects this, and however technically impressive, some scenes simply refuse to end, however minimal the underlying narrative.

Following Jimmy’s intolerant bully of a father back to his emotionally scarring days during World War II is a nice touch, but there’s only so long you can listen to one man huff and puff and toss his dying friend around before you stop caring. This tendency to excess is found in almost every scene, leaving little room for intimacy or nuanced storytelling.

**Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet – production images by Johan Persson**

Too Much of a Good Thing?

That isn’t to say there’s no innovation in the show’s storytelling. It’s fascinating to watch Jimmy’s four personality aspects playing out his tough guy, lunatic, romantic, and hypocrite aspects in real-time, and the continual blurring of reality and dreams stops the audience from knowing the full truth of Jimmy’s existence. Between this and the aforementioned & seriously stylish visuals, the first act is a pretty compelling affair.

It’s in the second act where the flaws become more and more evident, Jimmy’s descent into despair drawn out time and again by overlong scenes, so that his ultimate crisis seems more venal than personally catastrophic.

The complex sequence of unfortunate events captured in Franc Roddam’s movie is reduced to a few indicative events including an obligatory battle with mortal enemies the Rockers, some animated drug use and a disastrous fall-out with his dad (after the latter catches him humping his bed). At some point, even the most dynamic and sumptuously presented dance can’t subsidise a lack of a compelling story.

It’s in the second act where the flaws become more and more evident, Jimmy’s descent into despair drawn out time and again by overlong scenes, so that his ultimate crisis seems more venal than personally catastrophic.

Would proceedings be better with some live musicians in the pit and not just a well-produced recording? Sure, but it would benefit most from shaving off at least 30 minutes, so that Jimmy’s tumble towards a cliff-edge could regain its momentum.

Sometimes you see, more really is less.

It Moves, It Sings, But Does It Cut Deep?

Nevertheless, there is no question over the sheer quality of Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet as a stage production. It looks great, it moves great, and it sounds great. To call it a labour of love would be an understatement.

Beyond that, it’s simply a very good idea, and not untimely given society’s escalating issues with toxic ideas of masculinity. All of that is enough to make it a very good show. With more ruthlessness from the director and choreographer’s chairs, however, it could have been great.

Featured Image: The cast of Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet – photo Johan Persson