We Will Rock You

With up to three performers taking each of the main roles it was necessary to attend more than one performance.  This review focusses on those individual performances and on one overall performance of the show.  Whilst I appreciate that it is desirable to give as many pupils, as possible, the opportunity to take a lead role, I do feel that those who only did one performance were at a disadvantage as they did not have an opportunity to reprise the role and, inevitably, improve on their first performance.  I appreciate that there is a desire to give as many pupils as possible the chance for a lead role. But if this means only one performance then it may not be the best experience they could have.

The opening of the show was an impressive video detailing the key dates in the music business that could have led to the story we were about to see.  It was, certainly a bit of a shock to realise that the recording release of Bohemian Rhapsody was 1975, more than 40 years ago!  The story is notoriously ‘thin’ but who cares when we can enjoy the music of one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

The video show segued into a very impressive chorus number of Radio Ga-Ga.  I cannot begin to imagine the hard work that went into getting this as slick as it was.  The staccato movements of body, hands and heads were very well executed.  Congratulations to the company for getting it to look so impressive, it was certainly worth all the hard work, as an opening number it set the bar high for the rest of the show.

The Principal roles, each shared by three actors, were well done.  Galileo Figaro was played by William Sweeney, Haydn Neale and Reece Emery.  William only played the part for the one performance; his portrayal was a little tentative and he took a while to settle into the part.   I am sure that, if he had been able to do another performance, he would have been more confident for the second show.  His singing was also a bit tentative and not really in keys that he was comfortable with.  He did settle down, later in the show, and produced a good performance.  I also only saw Haydn in one performance, and I felt that he overplayed the ‘madness’ of the character, staggering around looking drunk or drugged, did not really give us an understanding of the anguish supposedly in the characters head.  His singing, however, was very good with the strong ‘belt’ necessary for these rock songs.    Reece really did get the part spot on, his vocals were good, and he really seemed to have a good rapport with each of the girls playing Scaramouche, so necessary to the story.  His performance was just the right side of madness and as the story developed, we could see the transition of the character that was essential to make the story believable.

Scaramouche was played by Caitlin Ledger, Maggie Horler-Jones and Leah Floyd.  Three very good and slightly different interpretations.  Each captured the feistiness of the character and all three had good strong vocal skills.  The part of Killer Queen was shared between three girls, Rosie O’May, Beau Hurley and Trinity Bolger.   Each had their own interpretation of the part and all three were good performers.  Beau had a very strong singing voice and a commanding stage presence, Trinity also had a good characterisation but it could have been a little stronger and more demanding.  Vocally she was also good.  Rosie seemed to struggle a little with the vocals as they did not seem to be in a key with which she was comfortable.  However, she gave a very strong acting performance.

Commander Khashoggi was played by Thomas Hutchins, Jack Cottham and Ben Shaw.  Jack was, possibly the stronger actor, his character showed a lot of ‘light and shade’ and Ben was definitely one who benefitted from doing a second performance as his character was much stronger the second time around.  Khashoggi’s songs needed strong singing voices and all three performers were a bit tentative in their delivery of those songs.  Two actors shared that part of Britney, Julius Williams was very good, holding the stage and delivering the character and songs well.  Roman Clark gave a very good characterisation, but his singing was not as secure as it might have been.  Possibly because he did not seem comfortable with the range.

Three girls shared the role of Meat Loaf; Zara Clark was good but her lack of performing experience showed in her delivery of the songs.  I am sure that, with more experience and, possibly, a second performance, she would have been able to perform with more confidence.  Kayleigh Brown was simply outstanding in the role.  Her singing was confident, strong and spot on for the character and her acting was excellent.  Sophie Honeymoon was the third actress to play the role and she delivered a good all round performance.

Space prohibits me from naming everyone but the pupils playing Pop (Joshua Heron, Andrew Stavrinou and Rowan Brown) and Big Macca (Laila Boualili and Toby Goddard) were particularly good.  Also, a mention for the Ga-Ga girls in their scene with Scaramouche, some lovely characters there.

The ensemble all played their parts well, although a little more projection from those naming the deceased pop idols would have made more of an impact.  The dancers were excellent, delivering the choreography well and with great style.  The main singers provided good support for the show overall, building on the general ‘sound’ of the show.

Costumes were excellent with many of the cast, I suspect, creating their own ‘look’, this worked very well and the special characters costumes, particularly Killer Queen and Khashoggi were excellent.  Lighting was very good, although one or two of the cast needed to be more aware of where the lit spots were on stage and make sure they were within that area.

Scenery was, as always simple but very effective and the crew’s ‘choreographed’ scene changes are becoming legendary, it fascinates me to watch it all going so smoothly.  This really helped to maintain the pace of the show.

This was, definitely, a ‘feel good’ show and the cast were having a blast and so were the audience!   Shoeburyness High School continues to deliver high quality shows, and long may this continue.

 

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