Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet Review | The Lowry | Manchester

The vespa-driving, party-hopping counterculture of the 60s is back to seduce the Lowry audience with a soundtrack from The Who made to lift any apathetic spirit.

Mods and rockers can unite over Sadler Wells’s presentation of Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia, with a show that transforms the 1979 film into a swinging 60s dance experience. We follow cynical and disillusioned mod Jimmy (Paris Fitzpatrick) as he navigates through the frustrations of adulting. With only a love for the suits, Jimmy’s plan to bunk off work, do drugs and meet women takes the playful ballet through a colourful and personal journey of identity and belonging.

Jimmy’s melancholic tale is fervently uplifted with Rob Ashford’s direction, drowning Jimmy in seductive and overwhelming waves of blues as he rebels and parties. While Ashford shades the remains of Jimmy’s muted life, the projection of multilayered smooth video and lighting design brings colour-drenched scenes of work life, brawls and romance. Offering a touch of fantasy in Jimmy’s drugged and dreamy states, the show flows from adult responsibilities to shirking them, delivering a thoughtful showcase of the loss of freedom and a lack of direction.

Underscored by instrumentals of the Who’s tracks including My Generation, Love, Regn o’er Me and I Can’t Explain, Jimmy and his multicoloured mods are placed as the catalyst for action and change. The Who’s original album, orchestrated by Rachel Fuller was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the score drives forward Fitzpatrick’s raw and emotionally powered performance that emphasises the arduous task of growing up and not fitting in.

The youthful and talented Fitzpatrick’s intensity packs the show with bursts of enthusiastic choreography that pours through Jimmy’s sedated life. Choreographer, Paul Roberts utilises the skilful ensemble with a mix of contemporary and classical dance that unites Jimmy’s community and is used as an extension of Jimmy’s frame of mind. Jimmy’s instability is echoed beautifully by the cast when he reaches breaking point, leaning into an alienation that continues to mirror his fellow mods or sync when their rebellious spirits connect.

The film’s cheeky banter and conflict are exchanged for Ashford’s stronger visuals, moving the Brighton-born Jimmy from a small seaside town of pixie cuts to a grittier London of uniformed suits and rival rockers. Slick suits from designer Paul Smith and associate costume designers Natalie Pryce bring a sharp reminder of Britain’s modern, stylish and classic flair, ensuring the entire cast and members of the audience come dressed to impress. The perfectly cast Seirian Griffiths as The Romantic embodies both the attitude and the look to highlight his place in the pecking order as soon as he walks into a room.

Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet’s collaboration is a tight and impressive blending of Sadler Wells and Townshend’s storytelling. The stripped-back retelling offers an effortless throwback full of vibrant, memorable music and passionate choreography that feels completely at ease in the world of ballet. The nostalgia-driven story is given a fresh perspective that doesn’t just offer a time capsule for fans of The Who but instead updates a timeless story of feeling lost in an ever-isolating and ageing world.

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Tickets are available via the Lowry link