Pete Townshend’s legendary rock opera Quadrophenia has been brought to the stage for the very first time and explodes into Blackpool’s Grand Theatre from Tuesday 21st July to Saturday 25th July.
Blackpool Lambretta Owners Club is celebrating the launch of this iconic slice of pop culture with a rideout of more than 50 scooters along the resort’s famous Promenade on Tuesday 21st July from 6.30pm to 7pm.
Scooters will then line the entrance to Blackpool’s Grand Theatre to welcome Quadrophenia fans in true style.
Martin Kane of Blackpool Lambretta Owners Club said: “When The Who released the film Quadrophenia in 1979 it started a whole new Mod revival as teenagers around the country became obsessed with sixties Mod fashion, soul music and, of course, the Vespa and Lambretta scooter.
“Thirty years later some of us are still at it! The scooter scene is still very big and the music and clothes are always in vogue. Quadrophenia was responsible for the whole scooter explosion, not only in the UK, but around the globe, and is also the reason a lot of the members of The Blackpool Lambretta Owners Club got into scooters. The film is now a stage play receiving rave reviews around the country and the Club is very excited to be involved in launching it at Blackpool’s Grand.”
Set in London and Brighton at the height of the Mod era, Quadrophenia is told through the eyes of Jimmy - a hedonistic, style conscious teenager searching for a place to belong and a girl to love. Misunderstood by his parents and stuck in a dead end job, he sets off on a trip to Brighton that will change his life forever.
This compelling coming of age story is brought powerfully to life in this original stage adaptation of the legendary album. The evocative world of Sixties Britain provides a colourful backdrop to Jimmy’s journey and Pete Townshend’s stunning score pulsates with life and brilliantly captures the excitement of a nation on the brink of change.
An intensive casting search and series of workshops has brought together a cast of hugely talented young performers from throughout the UK who will recreate Pete Townshend’s masterpiece for the stage. Four talented young actors will share the role of Jimmy - Ryan O’Donnell (Jimmy – Romantic), Jack Roth (Jimmy – Lunatic), George Maguire (Jimmy – Tough Guy) and Rob Kendrick (Jimmy – Hypocrite) and Sydney Rae White will play The Girl.
Pete Townshend said: “I am excited about this new production. Its genesis in workshop in Cardiff was wonderful, and what is happening now with the Theatre Royal Plymouth feels right-sized on the one hand, but also insanely ambitious for such a tricky piece. It's taken a long time, and a lot of wrangling to accept that Quadrophenia is probably never going to work as conventional music theatre. So I hope for a grand and chaotic explosion of music and chorus that revives the memories of being young in the '60s, but also brings those memories to life in the 21st century.”
The album Quadrophenia was released by The Who in 1973. Rolling Stone magazine and VH1 have named it one of the 100 Greatest Albums of all Time. The legendary film followed in 1979 and starred Sting, Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox and a young Ray Winstone. It instantly became a cult hit and perfectly captured the tense and at times violent atmosphere in the UK in the mid 1960s.
Quadrophenia documents a culturally significant moment in Britain, the influences of which are still seen today in music and fashion. Not to be missed! An exhilarating theatrical experience for rebels and adolescents of all ages! -- www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk
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