After the subject was brought up a few days ago, I discovered my
file of Beatles-related reviews and encountered one on the ballet
"Mods and Rockers". I believe this was published in mid-December
1963, after opening night. Here are some excerpts from the Times
(of London) review, for the curious:

"...the company's artistic director, Peter Darrell, forced to devise a
suitable repertory for the Prince Charles Theatre has come up with
'Mods and Rockers', given its first performance at the opening of the
company's three-week season last night. The ballet is choreographed to
a score adroitly arranged by Ian Macpherson from songs written by
three of the Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George
Harrison.

"The very idea of a Beatle ballet savours rather too much of a shrewd
publicity stunt to be promising, and one's normally sanguine feelings
on entering any theatre were somewhat dampened by scepticism. Such
scepticism proved unfounded, and perhaps even short-sighted. 'Mods and
Rockers' is bound to be compared with 'West Side Story', if only
because its wafer-thin theme also involves two rival gangs, but to
press this comparison is to miss the point. Like it or lump it, the
Liverpudlian quartet has introduced a new and distinctive sound into
British pop music, which is significant because it no longer derives
directly from American models....

"The Mods, wearing those high-buttoned, collarless Beatle jackets, are
basically 'shakers', and the Rockers more square but dressed in ton-up
leather, are still basically 'twisters'. Darrell utilizes these
dances, as well as others apparently with such names as the 'Mash' and
the 'Turkey' in his choreography. He threads them onto the slender
narrative of a Mod girl being carried off, Galahad-style, by a Rocker
on his motor-bike, and the perhaps surprising result is a ballet of
enormous vitality, and one, typical for Darrell, full of human
observation".

So I guess it was well received. :-)

This review is quoted only for academic/analytical purposes. I
hope that no copyright holders were offended. :-)

-- 
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"Hear that crazy rhythm, driving me insane...."
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saki@evolution.bchs.uh.edu