Pete Townshend on the ballet ‘Quadrophenia’ and the future of The Who
During a new interview with the British NME, Pete Townshend spoke about the new dance project which brings to the stage a re-adaptation of the Who’s 1973 album, “Quadrophenia”. The chat also offered the guitarist an opportunity to discuss the future of the historic English band again.
The ballet which brings the group’s album to the stage, and which marks Townshend’s first foray into the world of terpsichorea, is currently in development and will be performed at various theaters in the UK next year.
As explained by the 79-year-old musician himself, a longtime ballet enthusiast, Townshend dreamed up the project after hearing the first demos of his wife Rachel Fuller’s orchestral score of the album, which was first performed at the Royal Albert Hall in 2015 and recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. “I heard her score and I remember telling her, ‘I can imagine the dancers dancing. It reminded me of Sergei Prokofiev,'” Pete explained in the interview.
“Quadrophenia” will be brought to the stage by a group of young dancers from contemporary dance companies chosen by the choreographer Paul Roberts and the director Rob Ashford. Of the first rehearsal, Townshend revealed: “I find a poetic sensibility in what I’ve seen so far. I was shocked and surprised. I thought, ‘Hey, there’s a new shadow here, there’s new shades, there’s a new optimism.’ I was never happy with the ’79 film. It wasn’t based on my story and it didn’t include much of my music. So I thought this was an opportunity to do something that honors the music, but possibly you also bring it into a new era, a new place.”
While speaking to NME, Pete Townshend also addressed rumors that The Who’s shows at the Royal Albert Hall – as part of Daltrey’s annual Teenage Cancer Trust concerts – may have been the band’s last ever. When asked if he’s liked any recent shows, Townshend responded:
“Not so much. We rehearsed for this and I won’t blame Roger for messing up the rehearsal, but the rehearsal was kind of messed up. We had some rehearsal time, but we didn’t rehearse, we just talked. So when the show came, I realized there were some chords I had forgotten.”
In answering the question of whether they should be considered the Who’s last shows, the guitarist added:
“NO. I’m pretty sure there will be more. I can’t really see the point in announcing the Who’s final shows, other than it might help sell a few tickets. When we started the last US tour, two years ago, some seats were not filled is to say ‘We will not return’ or ‘This could be the last series of shows’ see it, rather than just saying, ‘We have to fill the arenas so we can go home with enough money to make it all worthwhile.’ Sometimes when we’re on stage together you can tell we’re having trouble. And it’s sad to say that many devoted Who fans come to every show to see Roger hit me in the face again, to smash my head in with a guitar, or to knock one of us out. “.
