Quadrophenia

Grand Theatre

Rock opera is never easy, especially one laden with as much double meaning and outlandish metaphor as this.

It’s equally difficult for my generation to see this music given a reworking without first ditching emotional ties to the past.

Even so, this version of Pete Townshend’s album and film makes for awkward viewing. Those unfamiliar with the story will enjoy it most by treating it as a visual spectacle and savouring the music rather than trying to work out what’s going on.

Click here to see more pictures.

For those who do know the 1960’s-set parable, this could be a frustrating two hours as songs are moved around the original running order, sung by different characters and generally misinterpreted.

On the plus side the backing band was tight, the costumes were sharp, the set was impressive and the soundtrack timeless.

But the whole thing had a lack of authenticity and edge from a cast which tried but couldn’t create the crucial air of foreboding.

What this tale of love, loneliness and lunacy calls for is a bit less ‘stage school’ and a bit more ‘old school’. Don’t get me wrong, these kids are alright, but too bright-eyed to convey the darker aspects of the narrative.

You just don’t believe that they’re the chain smoking, pill-popping, gin-swigging scenesters we’re supposed to recognise. The young cast gamely chant ‘We are the mods’. But, sorry, no you’re not. And it shows.

Still, Jack Roth as Jimmy the Lunatic and Ryan Gage as Ace Face stand out and certain set pieces do work well, especially the climactic Love, Reign O’er Me.

But this is immediately let down by a clumsy attempt at a singalong. And therein lies the problem. Because ultimately this interpretation is more schizophrenic than quadrophenic; never quite sure whether it wants to be a nodding-along nostalgia-fest or nodding-off arthouse project.

In the end, it falls between the two and ends up hitting the rocks harder than a Lambretta off Beachy Head.

Review by Keith Harrison. Agree with Keith? Post your own review below.