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Paul Roberts’s adaptation of The Who’s 1973 double album brings themes of identity crisis and masculinity that are just as pertinent now as they were 50 years ago
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The Who reinvigorated mod culture when they released Peter Townshend’s ambitious rock opera Quadrophenia as a double album in 1973. Its story – of a young mod called Jimmy in 1960s London, who’s struggling with societal pressures, identity loss, and hates his job as a post-room boy – went on to become a cult 1979 Franc Roddam film: Italian scooters, amphetamines, Chelsea boots.
Over 50 years later, choreographer to the stars Paul Roberts – who’s worked with everyone from Harry Styles to Prince – has turned the material into a “Mod Ballet” set to an orchestral rendition of Quadrophenia by Townshend’s wife, the composer Rachel Fuller. The production is steeped in Sixties culture: dancers don sharp suits designed by Paul Smith, while archival footage of The Who’s heyday is projected throughout.
