Quadrophenia – Festival Theatre
Translating a rock opera to the stage might seem like a logical sequitur, until one remembers that in this case it is translating an album – in which the storytelling is done almost entirely through lyrics (and may still not be the clearest then) – into an entirely non-verbal medium – a ballet. But this was the task of Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet, taking The Who's (well... really Pete Townshend's) second/third rock opera (depending on whether we count A Quick One While He's Away) 1973's Quadrophenia, stripping out its lyrics and replacing guitars, synths and Moonish drumming for an orchestral version of the album by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
While waiting outside, another audience member asked me how many people I thought were there for the music. Having seen at least one The Who...
