Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet

The Montagues and Capulets, the Jets and Sharks, the Mods and Rockers, all great rivalries that acted as a backdrop for smaller human stories. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet introduced us to the Montagues and Capulets, two feuding Italian families. The title characters are now regarded as archetypal young lovers. It’s a tragedy that ends in their deaths. West Side Story written by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim was inspired by Romeo and Juliet and set in New York City in the mid-50s. The Jets and Sharks were two warring street gangs from different backgrounds fighting for dominance in their neighbourhood. This conflict in turn was responsible for the demise of its young lovers Tony and Maria.

Quadrophenia is the story of Jimmy, a young man, growing up in London in the early 60’s. He aspires to more than his working-class parents and days spent on a factory assembly line. He becomes a Mod, a subculture of the times, identified by tailor-made suits, modern jazz music and Lambrettas. The Mod’s arch rivals were another subculture called the Rockers who loved motorcycles and rock music. This rivalry becomes the backdrop of Jimmy’s story which takes him from the streets of Soho to a deserted beach in Brighton. 

Jimmy’s journey takes place over the course of one week as he tries to find his place in a chaotic and ever changing world. He is accompanied by four facets of his personality, the TOUGH GUY; the LUNATIC; the ROMANTIC; and the HYPOCRITE, who challenge each other to lead Jimmy on his quest. We meet his MOTHER and FATHER struggling to revive a stalled marriage with FATHER haunted by his experiences in World War II, his childhood friend who we discover is a ROCKER, the GODFATHER, a rockstar, who Jimmy idolizes, the ACE FACE who every Mod hopes to impress and the MOD GIRL who every Mod, including Jimmy, wants to be with.

Worlds collide and how Jimmy deals with the highs and lows and which facet he allows to guide his way will determine whether his story ends in tragedy or triumph.

Rob Ashford