Review: Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet – elevated by a brilliant creative team

Let’s not get into a heavy debate about labels… but for the record, Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet is not a ballet.

Taking inspiration from the 1973 The Who album, and the 1979 film of the same name, we now find dance – jazz-infused contemporary with a smattering of tumbling, as opposed to ballet – the chosen medium to continue the story into the 21st century.

Written by The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and choreographed by Paul Roberts, Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet is a show of two parts with two different experiences. The first section is an evident success, the second isn’t.

The premise is pretty straightforward – a coming-of-age story for main protagonist Jimmy, with the backdrop of both personal and societal instability omnipresent. Throw in some gang rivalry and you’re all set – it could be 14th-century Verona or New York of 1957.

The first half is jam-packed with storytelling, with numerous characters and situations to be introduced to. And all of this is elevated by a brilliant creative team.

Rachel Fuller and Martin Batchelar’s rich orchestration, Paul Smith’s absolutely spot-on costume design and Christopher Oram’s ingenious set. Oram has help from tasteful, minimal video imagery by Yeast Culture, but his pared-back design, with wheels allowing for seamless movement, and diagonal perspective encouraging depth are truly the work of a brilliant designer. A cafe scene is even the stuff of Edward Hopper via London’s Piccadilly Circus.

Paul Roberts’ choreography gives Matthew Bourne a run for his money in relation to evocative environments, and he’s a master of all trades. Group scenes are animated without including redundant content, and the duos have emotional depth.

A pas de deux between Jimmy’s parents is an insight into stifled relationships the world over. Jimmy’s father partners a soldier comrade in a WWII flashback, where the dying soldier seems to become the final breaths he’s gasping for. Jimmy and his best friend capture what young, passionate friendship actually feels like, and Jimmy and the Mod Girl bring infatuation to life through tender, adagio passages.

It’s really good stuff, and makes one eager for the second half to begin. But quite quickly, one realises there’s pretty much no story left to tell, so even Roberts’ innovative choreography starts to feel a bit samey and never-ending… which is a shame.

Jimmy has fled to Brighton for some further soul searching, and we get to witness a big old brawl between the Mods and Rockers. Roberts can work a crowd no doubt, but lack of narrative development just meant that it all went on for way too long.

The last 10 minutes of the work sees Jimmy and his personality aspects, demonstrated through four dancers who are always close to his side, struggle with how to move forwards. This all happens on a small slope, centre stage, with a background of an ominous English Channel.

I don’t want to give away the ending, so let’s just say that Jimmy makes a decision in the end, and we can only hope that he’s happy with the choice he’s made.

I hadn’t known what to expect from Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet, as I’m just a little too young to have experienced the era myself. What I found was a high quality of work, with a very desirable cast and a creative team who haven’t quite found the right overall balance for this promising show. Personally, I think it’s worth fine-tuning, as the house was full of Mods who I assume have been waiting for a show like this, and the current version has an accessibility that can’t be denied.

Matthew Paluch Guest Author

Matthew Paluch was awarded a place at The Royal Ballet School in 1990 where he graduated in 1997. His first four years as a professional dancer were spent working with London City Ballet, Scottish Ballet, K-Ballet and English National Ballet, becoming a full-time member of ENB until leaving in 2006.

Matthew graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance, Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma in 2007, and was formerly on faculty at The Royal Ballet School. He completed his Masters in Ballet Studies at Roehampton University in 2011, has been a freelance writer since 2010 and currently works in the Law Sector.

He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.