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Spectator
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Depressingly corny: Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet, reviewed
It's all very well for people like me to sneer at dance makers for drawing on classic rock as a quick way of pulling in the punters, but the trick clearly does the business. Sadler's Wells was pretty well full on the night I saw Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia, a concept album that has endured several iterations and rewrites since the recording was first released on vinyl by the Who in 1973. An audience of all shapes and ages seemed to be having a good time, but although there's nothing disgraceful about the show that director Rob Ashford has overseen, it seemed to me depressingly corny and laboured – a bumpy ride hitched to a creaky old bandwagon. You may recall the premise: searching for a focus to his banal adolescent existence, Jimmy is a disaffected, angsty mod of the early 1960s with something by Camus in his coat pocket. Tormented by his four conflicted inner selves, he rejects the values of his suburban parents and gets caught up in the seaside war with the rockers. Love and friendship let him down; the drugs don't work. He ends up isolated in disillusion and misery as the waves break thunderously on Brighton beach. The score has been 'symphonically' orchestrated by Townshend's wife Rachel Fuller: excised of his lyrics, it loses whatever acerbic critical edge it originally had and becomes a relentless noise, monotonously pitched, painfully over-amplified and devoid of light and shade. But the staging is super-slick. Both Christopher Oram's sets (leaning heavily on projections and video) and Paul Smith's costumes efficiently evoke the era, while the cast presents a well-drilled, multitasking ensemble, making the most of the mechanically athletic choreography by Paul Roberts. The doe-eyed Paris Fitzpatrick is engagingly vulnerable as the protagonist and Dan Baines is a malign presence as the leader of the mod pack. God knows what satisfaction the Royal Ballet's Matthew Ball extracted from his pointless cameo as a preening pop idol. The women appear as nothing more than silly dolly birds. The master of this genre of narrative ballet is Matthew Bourne: but what he has – and what Quadrophenia fatally lacks – is a light touch that avoids futile gesturing at large philosophical themes. It's this quality that irradiates Bourne's The Midnight Bell, currently revived for the first time since its première in 2021. It's one of Bourne's strongest and most distinctive shows, playing to all his strengths and rooted in his enduring fascination with the seedier aspects of mid-20th century London. Loosely drawing on the novels of Patrick Hamilton (with nods towards Rodney Ackland's play Absolute Hell), it focuses on a dismal Soho pub in the 1930s that serves as a magnet for spivs, cads, tarts and queers, all of them either lonely or desperate. Ten such wounded characters drink their sorrows and dreams away over one sorry night. Although there's not much in the form of plot beyond a series of unsuccessful seductions and emotional disappointments, Bourne manages to create vivid personalities, ingeniously weaving the slim narrative threads and using his (somewhat limited) choreographic language to establish credible psychological detail. It's also sharply funny. Terry Davies provides a period-appropriate score, and at intervals popular songs of an Al Bowlly nature are wittily mimed. Lez Brotherston has designed a richly atmospheric set, beautifully lit by Paule Constable: you can almost taste the gin and smell the woodbine. Running at 90-odd minutes it risks seeming a bit thin and protracted, but a uniformly excellent cast ensures that it holds fast and charms. A national tour continues until October.
New Statesman
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
Quadrophenia the ballet is a storm of movement
Photo by Johan Persson The Who's rock opera Quadrophenia has had many lives since it was released in 1973: a film (1979, directed by Franc Roddam); a stage musical adaptation; a 2015 orchestral album, Classic Quadrophenia, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and tenor Alfie Boe. Now, this Sixties subculture tale has been revived in a rather unlikely medium: ballet. Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet follows the story of a young mod, Jimmy (Paris Fitzpatrick), who rejects his parents' way of life, struggles with unrequited love, and is caught in a rivalry between the mods and the leather-jacket-wearing rockers. The score is the arrangement created by the Who guitarist Pete Townshend's partner, Rachel Fuller, for the 2015 album – minus the vocals. In homage to the film, the performance exudes a cinematic quality through its use of multimedia. Naturalistic backdrops are projected into the black‑box theatre – sometimes on to a mesh screen in front of the dancers. Additional layers are added by Fabiana Piccioli's lighting design: the cool blue wash of the sky, the warm golden glow of streetlamps, and the neon flash of a dive‑bar scene, where dancers gather in Twiggy‑style dresses and sharp suits by the costume designer Hannah Teare. Here, 'ballet' is a loose term: pointe shoes and split-sole slippers are swapped out for LaDuca brogues. Paul Roberts's choreography eschews the highly formalised steps of the genre, favouring flexed feet over the point, and parallels to turn-outs. There are echoes of classical style, as in the Godfather's (Matthew Ball) fouettés in his solo, but even here the smooth line is broken by a flexed foot. Roberts's attention to force and flow creates a dynamic performance, with stunning holds and lifts. But while the choreography is visually pleasing, and the themes of identity and masculinity are as relevant today as 50 years ago, Jimmy's story gets lost in the storm of movement. If narrative is what you're after, the film might be a better choice. Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet Sadler's Wells, London EC1 [See also: 4.48 Psychosis is a disturbing dissection of the mind] Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
Fashion Network
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Paul Smith creates costumes for Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia 'Mod ballet'
Quadrophenia has been an album, a rock opera and a movie and now it's become a ballet with on board to design the costumes. The Who's landmark 1973 album Quadrophenia debuts this month as 'Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet', presented by Sadler's Wells and Universal Music UK. It's at Sadler's Wells in London until 13 July and will also tour the UK over the summer. Smith's involvement is perhaps fitting given the mod obsession with sharp tailoring and the designer's beginnings as a tailor in the 1960s and 70s. As the press release says, he 'played a pivotal role in the reinvention and modernisation of men's tailoring in the 20th century. His eponymous company has continued to champion his playful, irreverent ideals during the intervening six decades, making Sir Paul and his team uniquely placed to create the costumes for this new vision of Pete Townshend's opus'. The brief for the ballet was to design and make suits that 'faithfully replicate mod fashion's famously razor-sharp lines whilst also giving the dancers a full range of movement'. Paul Smith has created suits that 'are immediately reminiscent of the 1960s, with slim trousers and jackets featuring narrow lapels, longer vents, and additional buttons. Working with the cast, each suit has been made bespoke for each dancer, to ensure they are entirely unrestricted while dancing'. A greater range of motion has been achieved through the implementation of design details, such as articulated sleeve gussets and specially cut trousers. That materials include tonic suiting, subtle checks, and details like the famous 'target' motif. A full-length stone-coloured raincoat, adapted from the company's AW24 collection and similar to a piece seen in the 1979 feature film, will also be worn onstage.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Leslie Ash, 65, shows off her taut visage as she reunites with Phil Daniels, 66, at Quadrophenia event - 45 years after filming cult classic
Quadrophenia stars Leslie Ash and Phil Daniels looked delighted to be in each other's company again as they reunited 45 years after filming the cult classic. The actors, aged 65 and 66 respectively, looked in great spirits as they posed on the red carpet at a ballet adaptation of the 1979 British drama at Sadler's Wells in London. Leslie looked more youthful than ever in the snaps, while casually clad in a black polo neck jumper and trousers teamed with white trainers. The Men Behaving Badly star was aided by the use of a pink walking stick, two decades after contracting an MSSA superbug that nearly left her unable to walk. By her side was Phil, who sported a brown T-shirt and navy blazers with tinted shades. The duo were impressed by the production, calling the cast 'fantastic'. Quadrophenia, which was set amid the real-life drama of mods and rockers fighting on Brighton beach in 1964, also starred the likes of Sting and Ray Winstone. The cult classic was based on the eponymous 1972 double-album by The Who. While it was one of his most famous roles, Phil previously confessed he could barely remember filming the drama. He said: 'All I can remember about the film is working really hard. We shot it all in six weeks and we did the end first. 'It was quite interesting and it's kind of a nice way of doing a film where you do the end first, so at least you know where you've got to go with the character.' However, in 2010, Phil confessed that he is constantly asked about his sex scene with Leslie, quipping: ' If I had a pound for every time someone asked me exactly how intimate, I'd be a very rich man.' Writing for the Mail, he continued: 'I can see it coming a mile off, although people think they're being subtle. 'Since no system of automatic remuneration exists for this routine conversational exchange, I would like to take this opportunity to say once and for all: It didn't happen.' He added: 'That scene looks good on the screen but I remember it being quite awkward - Leslie really didn't want to do it. 'The problem with Leslie and me --well, it wasn't a problem, because it worked really well in the film - was that I was very raw and young at that time, whereas she already had a boyfriend who was a lot older than her and drove a Porsche. 'I couldn't compete even though obviously I wanted to because she was pretty. 'And while me having the sense that I was not in her league was good for Quadrophenia, it wasn't so good for me. 'Especially as I'd seen her jealous boyfriend hanging around the set a few times - not exactly giving me the evil eye, but almost. It wasn't my fault, was it? But you know what boyfriends are like, especially those who are going out with actresses. 'It wasn't just the boyfriend issue. The whole scene was tricky for Leslie and director Franc Roddam had to coax her into it by saying, 'Get in there for the old wallbanger.' 'You wouldn't generally do too many rehearsals before a scene like that so we were very new to each other. 'It was meant to be a closed set, but there's always someone who shouldn't be there - one of the crew trying every means possible to get a glimpse of the action. 'Excepting the occasional setbuilder with a wandering eye, Roddam was good at keeping people at arm's length. 'I never got The Who's Roger Daltrey coming up and telling me how to do it. Well, we did have a bit of a chat one day while sitting on a couple of deckchairs in Brighton, but that was fine by me.'
Fashion Network
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Paul Smith creates costumes for Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia 'Mod ballet'
Quadrophenia has been an album, a rock opera and a movie and now it's become a ballet with Paul Smith on board to design the costumes. The Who's landmark 1973 album Quadrophenia debuts this month as 'Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet', presented by Sadler's Wells and Universal Music UK. It's at Sadler's Wells in London until 13 July and will also tour the UK over the summer. Smith's involvement is perhaps fitting given the mod obsession with sharp tailoring and the designer's beginnings as a tailor in the 1960s and 70s. As the press release says, he 'played a pivotal role in the reinvention and modernisation of men's tailoring in the 20th century. His eponymous company has continued to champion his playful, irreverent ideals during the intervening six decades, making Sir Paul and his team uniquely placed to create the costumes for this new vision of Pete Townshend's opus'. The brief for the ballet was to design and make suits that 'faithfully replicate mod fashion's famously razor-sharp lines whilst also giving the dancers a full range of movement'. Paul Smith has created suits that 'are immediately reminiscent of the 1960s, with slim trousers and jackets featuring narrow lapels, longer vents, and additional buttons. Working with the cast, each suit has been made bespoke for each dancer, to ensure they are entirely unrestricted while dancing'. A greater range of motion has been achieved through the implementation of design details, such as articulated sleeve gussets and specially cut trousers. That materials include tonic suiting, subtle checks, and details like the famous 'target' motif. A full-length stone-coloured raincoat, adapted from the company's AW24 collection and similar to a piece seen in the 1979 feature film, will also be worn onstage.
