We round up the reviews of the ballet based on The Who’s classic album and subsequent film. it continues to play at Sadler’s Wells until the 13th July.
Broadway World: *** “Quadrophenia certainly offers a snapshot of a world of factory-line inertia, teenage fantasy, the lure of the open road on a moped, beach fights (the staccato choreography here is great), and adult regret. A scene of Father remembering the war is a little too lengthy, but there are daring movements for Jimmy within some of his duets.”
The Guardian: **** “Smart decisions have been made about the minimal set (by Christopher Oram) and the excellent projections by YeastCulture that make a huge difference to the sense of realism: the condensation on a cafe window, the waves on Brighton seafront. All the pieces fall into place in an engrossing show that has style and substance, grit and grace. It looks like Quadrophenia is a hit once again.”
The Standard: **** “Quadrophenia makes a compelling night of dance theatre, and gets a lush, swift staging. Choreographer Paul Roberts and theatre director Rob Ashford keep the story moving, even if specifics sometimes blur: (Jimmy’s alter egos, for example).”
The Independent: **** “Rather than leaning into pop-culture cool, this new stage production at Sadler’s Wells recognises its fragility.”
Theatre & Tonic: **** “All in all, Quadrophenia offers everything you’d want a ballet about the mods and rockers to offer, and finds so much beauty in this reinvention of The Who’s classic album. Rachel Fuller and Martin Batchelar’s orchestration is breathtaking and reason to go in and of itself, and the way they find the epic in this story of a sixties teen reinventing himself makes some unforgettable moments. Well worth seeing for all fans of The Who and early sixties culture! “
The Spy in the Stalls: ***** “When ‘Quadrophenia’ was first released, Pete Townshend probably had no idea of its legacy. Although he has since stated that The Who ‘never recorded anything so ambitious or audacious again’. “Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet” is just as (maybe even more so) ambitious and audacious, even by today’s standards. A truly triumphant interpretation – poignant and powerful.”
The Telegraph: ** “Swamped by bombastic orchestral arrangements, this is an underwhelming take on The Who’s 1973 album.”
West End Best Friend: *** “Perhaps Fuller/Roberts’s production will connect the Sadler’s Wells faithful to this era defining album with its fresh feel and sound but as a Who Fan, I was personally left wanting something more and yearned to hear “Can you see the real me, me, me” over again.”
The Reviews Hub: *** “Quadrophenia doesn’t lack style, but what it does lack is the energy of the Mod scene and The Who’s songs, focusing instead on outcast Jimmy’s melancholy. And unfortunately, there’s only one moped in sight.”
The Stage: **** “The Who’s rock opera gets a whizz-bang, crowd-pleasing dance makeover in director Rob Ashford’s flashy production.”
Everything Theatre: ***** “This review would not be complete without giving kudos to the Production team. They effectively blend props, staging, lighting, sound, film work and animation sequences. Collectively, they conjure numerous scenes, from moody seascapes, home vistas, the industrial brutality of a factory assembly line, to the hubbub of a busy diner. The costuming by the incomparable Paul Smith allows us to marvel at the form fitting tailoring of suiting, and the impossible flexibility and enviable freedom of each dancer. “
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