By: Keiran Potter
A true rebellion of a ballet if I ever saw one, Quadrophenia is no Swan Lake.
It trades tutus for WWII trenches, pointe shoes for parkas, and pretty pirouettes for the raw turmoil of a soul split in four.
In a meta sort of way, the concept of ‘Quadrophenia’ has itself worn many faces. First a beloved album, then a cult classic film, a sell-out rock opera, and now a mod ballet. All incredibly different on the surface, but all iterations share a heart.
Like all of its past iterations, Quadrophenia – A Mod Ballet follows Jimmy, a young man struggling to navigate the pressures of family, work, friendships and the mod culture he so desperately needs in order to establish a sense of self.
For the first time, this version trades dialogue and lyrics for movement, and a glorious score (Orchestrated by Rachel Fuller and Martin Batchelar). All whilst leaning on its incredible cast of dancers and carefully curated sets and video projection to portray the chaos Jimmy finds himself up against.
In this version Jimmy’s identity splinters into 4 distinct characters, all of which we see him physically and metaphorically tossle with throughout the runtime.
From the opening scene Paul Robert’s choreography is fluid yet heavy, we watch in awe as Jimmy in turn faces off against each of the competing sides of himself, backdropped by a storming sea. Though five dancers stand centre stage on a makeshift cliff, the synergy we witness tells the audience all we need to know about what is truly happening.
The dancers mirror each other, they spin in and out of each other’s arms and through one anothers legs in a cyclical fashion. They fall and rise and crash, just like the waves projected onto the floor and walls behind them.
The movement is at times frantic, almost anxiety inducing, which gives it a suffocating quality that sets our scene well. Jimmy at this cliff edge is not only weighed down with the pressures of the world, he is drowning in them.
Perhaps the most haunting sequence arrives in a war flashback that follows Jimmy’s Father. After a beautifully choreographed shooting, and perfectly timed orchestral swell, we are confronted with the true horror of loss as all music stops dead.
A duet follows, silent and stripped, two dancers limp in an eerie quiet that borders on unbearable, all we hear are the grunts and cries of the pair as Jimmy’s father tries to keep his wounded friend alive. The absence of music forces the audience to confront the raw grief. It’s powerful, unsettling, and impossible to look away from.
Take away Christopher Oram’s clever set design that allows the cast of dancers to seemingly disappear into thin air, the show’s stunning score and the immersive use of video projection and you’re still left with a powerfully familiar story, told masterfully through a new medium.
But it is all of these elements working in tandem that makes this well loved and classic tale worth revisiting once more. These elements elevate this ballet to a true multi-faceted (no pun intended) theatrical experience.
What is most exciting about this interpretation, is that Quadrophenia – A Mod Ballet, will undoubtedly bring contemporary dance to new audiences.
Whether that be those drawn in by the legacy of The Who, or by Mod nostalgia, or by the simple thrill of seeing tradition turned on its head. This show is bound to spark a conversation.
It may be a ballet, yes, but not as you know it.