Legendary musician Pete Townshend has revealed that he is working on a ballet adaptation of his band’s iconic album “Quadrophenia”. The project, titled “Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet”, is set to tour the UK in 2025. Townshend explained that he was inspired to take on the challenge of ballet by his passion for trying something more ambitious. He initially got the idea for the performance after hearing his wife Rachel Fuller’s orchestral score and imagining “dancers dancing.”
Townshend, who has previously worked in opera and literature, partnered with Sadlers Wells to bring his vision to life. The show will feature young dancers from contemporary troupes such as BalletBoyz, directed by Rob Ashford and choreographed by Harry Styles’ choreographer Paul Roberts. “There was a poetic sensibility to what I was seeing,” Townshend said of early showings. He added that he felt there was “unfinished business” stemming from his time in art school before he joined The Who.
In a recent interview with NME, Townshend spoke about the future of The Who and the speculations about their shows at the Royal Albert Hall being their last ever. He deflected the notion and even spoke of the possibility of new material, insisting that the band was not yet ready to call it quits. Additionally, Townshend revealed his thoughts on a hologram performance from the band, dismissing the idea as potentially “ghoulish”. He also shared his thoughts on other forms of art, including his current project of mixing rock and electronica with orchestral soundscape in his upcoming opera, “The Age of Anxiety”.
While the project is a departure from traditional rock music, Townshend’s background shows he has always had a desire to push the boundaries of what’s possible musically. “I’ve got friends who did that from the rock world. Punk came along and called them prog rock but now we go back and what we look at with them is that a lot of their work was genuinely very interesting,” he said. Ultimately, this upcoming ballet performance promises to be unique and innovative while also honoring the classic album that inspired it.
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