Latest news with #ModBallet
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Mel C puts on a leggy display in figure-hugging dress as she reunites with fellow Spice Girl Emma Bunton at Quadrophenia press night
Mel C and Emma Bunton showcased their firm friendship once again as they attended the press night performance of Pete Townshend 's Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet at Sadler's Wells Theatre on Wednesday evening. The Spice Girls beamed in snaps together as they threw up the peace sign after arriving with their respective partners. Mel, 51, put on a leggy display in a figure-hugging two-toned red and white dress which she paired with chunky white trainers. Meanwhile Emma kept it more casual as she opted for a elegant white blouse with a scallop collar and cropped jeans. The singer, 49, completed the look with brown snake print heels and a khaki leather cross body bag. She arrived at the event with her husband Jade Jones who opted for a black short-sleeved shirt and smart white trousers. Meanwhile Mel was joined by her boyfriend Chris Dingwall, who kept it simple in a white T-shirt and black jeans. Other stars in attendance at the star-studded event included Bob Geldof, Billie Piper, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Ash and Phil Daniels and Layton Williams. Billie, 42, opted for a simple short black shirt dress while Daisy, 33, opted for a contrasting long white alternative. Layton, 30, wowed in a black and grey plaid skirt which he paired with a black tank top and black leather boots. Recorded by The Who in 1973, Quadrophenia quickly became an iconic and multi-million selling album for the band. Inspiring the 1979 cult classic feature film of the same name, the album is back once again as an explosive dance production. Created by Pete Townshend himself it features a cast of exceptional dancers and a rich, orchestral version of the album recorded by Rachel Fuller. Emma and Mel C were last seen together at Mel B's 50th birthday bash last month, but the remaining Spice Girls stars Victoria Beckham and Geri Halliwell-Horner were nowhere to be seen. Daisy Ridley wore a long white shirt dress and black strappy heels The birthday girl made sure she claimed the lions share of attention by recalling her girl band glory, courtesy of a sequin leopard print mini dress with dramatic shoulder pads. She adopted her trademark Scary pout and styled her brunette locks into a tight bun at the top of her head. The former X Factor judge pulled out all the stops for her big night and towered in some open toe heels as she joined her partner Rory McPhee and her children Angel, 18, and Phoenix, 26, in Leeds for the glamorous evening. It comes after it was revealed Victoria Beckham is feuding in the Spice Girls universe. Simon Fuller – the man who managed the band, created Brand Beckham and helped found Victoria's fashion empire – is keen to organise a tour to mark the group's 30th anniversary next year. He has the support of Mel C, Mel B and Emma, and has spent more than a year trying to win Geri Halliwell-Horner round to the idea. A source told The Mail's Alison Boshoff: 'Geri isn't interested in stepping foot on a stage again.' So the plan she agreed to was for Abba-style avatars of the girls, which would 'perform' in concert. But Victoria is being left out of discussions and will not be part of the virtual line-up. Gary Kemp was joined by his wife Lauren who wore a white and red floral summer dress A source said: 'Simon Fuller planning a tour has caused yet another schism. Victoria is f****d off that they have gone with him and there is no way that she will be a part of it. 'The bad feeling seems to go back to her and David having to spend millions on buying him out of Beckham Brand Holdings. He still has a stake and board seat on her fashion business. There is resentment there. 'Geri wants to do the avatars idea. She isn't interested in coming back and doing a tour. She doesn't need to. This is the one idea which Simon has had which has tempted her.' The source added: 'Simon Fuller is the only person who could get Geri to rejoin the Spice Girls, but he is the one person in the world who could never persuade Victoria.'
Scotsman
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Rachel Fuller on creating the soundtrack for Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet: 'the whole thing has felt magical'
Rachel Fuller's moment of epiphany came when she wrote a children's ballet during lockdown, she tells Fiona Shepherd Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... When Pete Townsend originally wrote Quadrophenia in the early 1970s, he heard the music in his head as a fully orchestrated suite. Unable to read music, he used the (superb) instruments at this disposal – Keith Moon's drums, John Entwistle's bass, Roger Daltrey's voice and his own guitar - to convey his vision. In 2015, the iconic 'mod opera' was finally reinvented as Classic Quadrophenia, an album and concert tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and singers Alfie Boe and Billy Idol, with arrangements by Townsend's wife, the composer Rachel Fuller. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rachel Fuller and Pete Townsend pictured at the 77th Tony Awards in New York, 16 June 2024 | AFP via Getty Images 'I stayed really faithful to the original format,' says Fuller. 'I tried to arrange in a way that I felt Pete would do, so I didn't change keys or mess around with the melodic lines. Often I would listen to John Entwistle's bassline and I would score the double basses exactly to what he was playing.' The roots of Quadrophenia's latest rebirth came when Townsend first heard Fuller's instrumental demos and remarked that the score would make a great ballet soundtrack. 'I'd never been to the ballet,' says Fuller. 'It was not something I particularly connected with. I don't have a graceful bone in my body.' Fuller's classical dance epiphany came when she wrote a children's ballet called Bee in lockdown. Armed with contacts in the field and a new appreciation of the form, she picked up on Townsend's original impulse, repurposing her orchestral arrangement without vocals to produce the soundtrack for Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet. Pete Townshend of The Who on stage at Granby Hall, Leicester, 18 October 1975 | Getty Images Fuller hopes it will resonate with ballet and non-ballet fans alike. 'I think the story of a teenage boy who's struggling with identity, with sense of self, with belonging, with fitting in, it's a universal story that people are going to connect with, especially young men who are going through a similar thing.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fuller has her own affinity with the theme of not fitting in, having only recently been diagnosed with ADHD after a childhood of being 'seen as a fidgety girl who talked too much and found it hard to focus and pay attention. As a result of that I internalised everything and ended up with chronic anxiety by the age of ten.' Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who perform at the Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey on 10 September 1979. | Getty Images Fuller found respite in music, forging a career mainly as a composer and arranger. She also released an album of her own songs in 2004 but feels she has put her singer/songwriter days to bed. 'My voice doesn't match up with my personality,' she says. 'In person, I'm quite loud and vulgar, but when I sing I sound like a nun. Maybe because my brain is wired slightly differently and I think outside the box it's particularly suited to composing and arranging orchestras so I think it's been part of my creative journey.' As for her work on Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet, she says 'the whole thing has felt magical. Our hope is that people have a good night out, that they can put their life on a hook and be present and have their soul moved. People can sing along – I'm hoping they won't, but inside they might!' Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet is at Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10-14 June Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This feature was produced in association with Capital Theatres WIN: £400 PAUL SMITH PRIZE DRAW WITH HARVEY NICHOLS Everyone who buys a ticket for Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet at the Festival Theatre will be entered into a prize draw to win £400 credit and a Personal Shopping experience in Paul Smith at Harvey Nichols, Edinburgh, see
Scotsman
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Rob Ashford on directing Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet: 'the dancers loved it'
Turning The Who's iconic album into a stage show has required a complex marriage of dance and theatre, director Rob Ashford tells Kelly Apter Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Pitched battles on Brighton seafront, amorous exchanges in alleyways and fleets of motorcycles and scooters hurtling along the streets. Faced with such scenes, it's unlikely cinema-goers watching Quadrophenia in 1979 thought to themselves 'this will make a great ballet one day.' A coming together of The Who's album - released in 1973 and turned into a cult film six years later - and dance may seem unlikely. But this iconic tale of Mods and Rockers, filled with suited and booted passion and violence, is ripe for adaptation. Dance has the power to distill a mood, capture an atmosphere and convey emotion. Plus, who better to carry off the stylish attire and youthful energy of this British subculture than a group of highly trained dancers? Rehearsals for Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet | Rich Lakos For Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet to do the story justice, however, it needed more than one pair of safe hands. A choreographer, of course, to create the steps (the very talented Paul Roberts, whose lengthy CV features the BalletBoyz, One Direction and the Olympics opening ceremony), but also a director. Rarely do dance productions have the budget for both roles, although it always pays dividends. But to capture the complex relationships, teen angst, and cultural zeitgeist of Quadrophenia, it was essential. It also helped that the show's director, Rob Ashford has previously worked as a choreographer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think it gave us a nice shared language and made for a quicker and easier collaboration,' he says. 'I love the choreography and think Paul has done a beautiful job with it. But as well as sharing the workload, we also had a different focus. As the steps were being made, and Paul and the dancers were working hard, I was only thinking about what that movement meant to the story. The acting isn't an overlay that we tried to put on top once all the choreography was done, it was a main ingredient not an afterthought. And I'm happy to report that the dancers loved it - they want more of it because it's new to them.' Pete Townshend (centre) with the cast of Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet | Photo Johan Persson For both Roberts and Ashford, having Who co-founder Pete Townsend heavily involved in the project ensured his vision for the ballet remained central. 'We all talked about this being a dance theatre piece, and Pete has been very specific about the story,' explains Ashford. 'He wrote a script to go along with his liner notes from the original album, explaining what he was thinking and why created what he did.' Even so, Ashford had his work cut out portraying some of the more conversational elements of the storyline. Large-scale fight scenes, dancing in night clubs and romantic interludes all lend themselves perfectly to dance. Less so the interactions between lead character Jimmy and the adults in his life, which are pivotal to the audience's understanding of who this young man is. 'The characters of Jimmy's mother and father play into this story very strongly,' says Ashford, 'and we wanted to get into their psyche to understand how it affects Jimmy. So we've given a lot of time to their stalled marriage and lost dreams, and that post-war, working class idea that what you have is enough. But the reason young Mods dressed up and wore suits is they were aspiring to more. They didn't want to be like their parents who were, in their minds, just settling. There's a scene in the factory, for example, where the movement is very routine because that's what life was like. It's what Jimmy's father does and what Jimmy is expected to do, but he rebels against it.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Director Rob Ashford in rehearsals for Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet | Rich Lakos A new orchestral version of The Who's album, recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, is the musical backdrop to all this action. And that crucial element of Mods and Rockers culture, fashion, comes courtesy of costumes designed by Paul Smith. Beneath the surface, though, Ashford believes these two seemingly disparate youth groups were more alike than they might have believed at the time. 'The different physicality of the two groups is something Paul has worked on and is part of the choreography,' says Ashford. 'But what I like is that through all the bluster and posturing, when they get into the scrum, they're all the same - they're just kids. They're all young people who are trying to matter, to be unique, to escape the past and move forward.' Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet in rehearsal | Rich Lakos One such kid is Steph, made famous by Lesley Ash in the film and here known as 'Mod Girl'. As one of the first dancers to play the role, Falkirk-born dancer Serena McCall found having both a choreographer and director at the helm was a huge boon. 'Rob and Paul are a dream team and I pinch myself I get to work with them,' she says. 'They've both really helped me figure out my character. Paul has a clear vision for each role and what type of movement they will dance in the show. And Rob is a genius, the way he creates a narrative and then brings it to life is just amazing. We've talked a lot about why my character is doing something and what the motive is behind a particular step.' Embodying a character that's steeped in gang culture comes with all the thrill and none of the danger. Both Ashford and McCall describe the Quadrophenia company as 'a little family' off-stage, but according to McCall as soon as the music starts, the rivalry begins. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's a complete adrenaline rush,' she says. 'There's a true gang dynamic and we're all there for one another. When we split off into the Mods and Rockers for the fight on Brighton Beach, that scene is chaos but it's good chaos. It's so exciting and you really feel like you're part of something. I'm a Mod in the show, so I look at all the other mods and we all have each other's backs. If someone's coming for me, they'll immediately come and help me, and it's the same with the Rockers.' Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet is at Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10-14 June This feature was produced in association with Capital Theatres WIN: £400 PAUL SMITH PRIZE DRAW WITH HARVEY NICHOLS Everyone who buys a ticket for Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet at the Festival Theatre will be entered into a prize draw to win £400 credit and a Personal Shopping experience in Paul Smith at Harvey Nichols, Edinburgh, see Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
