PETE Townshend’s celebrated rock opera Quadrophenia, coming to the stage for the first time, arrives at the Mayflower in Southampton on Tuesday.

Set in London and Brighton at the height of the Mod era, the story 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 that will change his life for ever.

His story is brought to life in this original stage adaptation of the album.

The evocative world of ’60s Britain provides a colourful backdrop to Jimmy’s journey.

The Who guitarist and songwriter’s score captures the excitement of a nation on the brink of change and is brought to life by four actors reflecting four parts of Jimmy’s personality – the Hypocrite (Rob Kendrick), the Tough Guy (George Maguire), the Romantic (Ryan O’Donnell) and the Lunatic (Jack Roth) – alongside the Girl (Sydney Rae White).

Rob says: “We’re four people trying to portray one journey.”

And he adds: “It’s a brilliant set which really succeeds in giving the story a life.”

Jack, son of Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction), added: “Pete Townshend is known as a perfectionist and this is something so personal to him. It’s fresh and like nothing before.”

Pete Townshend himself promises 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 followed by the iconic film in 1979, directed by Franc Roddam and starring Sting, Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Wilcox and Ray Winstone.