50 years after its release, The Who’s legendary concept album has been reimagined as a ballet stage production set to premiere next year and tour the UK in 2025.
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‘Quadrophenia’, the iconic rock opera by The Who, will premiere as a ballet in the UK next year.
Sadler’s Wells Theater in Islington, London, and Universal Music UK have confirmed the world premiere of “Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet”, which will feature dancers bringing to life the story of a troubled ‘mod’, presumably Jimmy Cooper, who was originally chronicled in the 1973 album and later transferred to the screen in a 1979 work, which has become a cult classic, and which stars Phil Daniels and Sting.
The ‘Mod Ballet’ will travel through Plymouth, Edinburgh and Southampton before its official premiere at Sadler’s Wells on June 24, 2025. This is a major project, as the British rock band’s sixth studio album, it is an ambitious double conceptual work and the third rock opera of the group, after ‘A Quick One, While He’s Away’, from 1966, and the incomparable ‘Tommy’, from 1969.
The story of a young man dissatisfied with the social situation
Set in London and Brighton in 1965, the story follows a disillusioned young ‘mod’, known as Jimmy Cooper, and his search for self-esteemwhich includes fights, parties, scooter rides and lots of amphetamines.
For those who need more information, ‘mod’ comes from the word ‘modernist’. It is a subculture that emerged in the United Kingdom in the 50s, focused on music, soul, ska and jazz style, fashion, with tailored suits, and many scooters, or light motorcycles, such as Vespas and Lambrettas, which were the preferred vehicles at that time.
In the 60s there was a kind of ‘moral panic’, as the so-called ‘mods’ confronted the rival subculture of rockers. However, by the mid-60s the situation had subsided, more or less, and the ‘mods’ They gravitated towards pop art to become an emblem of the youth culture of the well-known ‘Swinging London’.
The production of ‘Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet’, set to an orchestral arrangement of the album, made by Rachel Fuller and Martin Batchelar, will be directed by the American stage director Rob Ashford, who is responsible for the London shows ‘Evita’, ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and the co-direction of ‘A Winter’s Tale’, with Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench. In addition, it will be choreographed by the British Paul Roberts, who many people know from Harry Styles’ award-winning video: ‘Treat People With Kindness’, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The lead role of Jimmy Cooper will be played by Paris Fitzpatrick, recent winner of the award for best male performance modern at the National Dance Awards in the United Kingdom, for his role as Romeo in the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
If we take into account that it is about fashion, elegance is of vital importance. So who better than British fashion house Paul Smith?
A musical album that has no parallel
The Who frontman Pete Townshend noted that ‘Quadrophenia’ was the only Who album he had written and produced solo. “The film that followed in 1979 launched the careers of some of the best young actors of the time. In 2016, Rachel Fuller agreed to create an orchestral score for the album. When I first heard a demo of this version, without voices, my first thought was that it would be a powerfully rhythmic and emotionally engaging ballet,” she explained.
“Working on 2023, that thought became a reality and I knew we had something that would resonate with new audiences, and that would also would bring joyas it has done in its other iterations over the decades. The themes of young people growing up in difficult times are still very relevant. It’s going to be poignant, tender, poetic and epic,” said Pete Townshend.
‘Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet’ premieres at Plymouth Theater Royal on May 28, 2025 before beginning a tour of different locations in the United Kingdom.
