We Will Rock You

This show has recently been released for amateur theatre, and unsurprisingly there has been a lot of interest to perform We Will Rock You, the near-full and sell-out shows for CAODS show week have proved that audiences want to see it.

 

This musical uses many of Queen’s best known songs, woven into a story about control, rebellion, and belonging, and I really liked the almost concert style for the solos and full company songs, having the microphones volume turned up to high, the band being proudly loud, feeling the bass through your seat, with all the recognisable guitar riffs delivered with skill and flair.

 

The opening song was ‘Radio Ga Ga’, with 16 performers looking fabulous in matching outfits and wigs, for a challenging routine on the multi-level stairs which dominated the stage. The group also opened Act 2 with the equally impressive ‘One Vision’, a tricky song which showcased the 8-piece band. Many of the songs require vocals from the ensemble, and used additional singers off-stage, which on the whole worked well.

 

Thomas Harper-Gray played the earnest and genuinely likeable Galileo, handling many song lyric references within his dialogue effortlessly, in a mildly bewildered manner, avoiding playing it for the laughs. He sang with confidence throughout, and in a vocal range I’d not heard in his previous roles, leading the company in ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We are the Champions’, and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to end the show. The fiercely independent and often sarcastic Scaramouche, played by Millicent Parsons, had some of the best lines in the show delivered with great timing, and gave several powerhouse vocal performances including ‘Somebody to Love’, and ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’. The scenes with Galileo and Scaramouche were a pleasure to watch, from teasing banter, to friendship, and full-on arguments, they were perfectly cast and their voices sounded amazing together in the duets.

 

Killer Queen, half human and half content from an adult video game, was played to the max by Kirstie Fisk, with sass and a decent amount of sneer, her costumes and first entrance from within the illuminated pyramid hidden doors on the 8-foot elevation were bold and memorable. Kirstie owned the stage, belting out crowd pleaser songs, including ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’, and ‘Another One Bites The Dust’, the latter while convincingly beating up her loyal Commander Khashoggi played by Gareth Barton. He too got to use the top platform to great effect, and had a good balance of menace towards the Bohemians, and almost narrator role through his reports to Killer Queen, helping the audience follow the story. On the night I saw, Gareth’s microphone volume was a bit low against the band and backing vocals when singing ‘Seven Seas Of Rhye’, it was a shame not to hear more of his strong mellow voice, a contrast to the strident rock style used a lot in the show, though I am sure was rectified for later in the week.

 

The three principal Bohemians leading the charge against ‘Globalsoft’ the company controlling life lived online, were David Gillett as Brit the crusader looking for ‘the dreamer’ to restore ‘the power of rock’,

Elen Rowlands as Oz following in his footsteps, and Kieran Bacon as Buddy, guardian of the rebel archive (a video cassette tape of Queen), whose Yorkshire accent gave extra comedic effect to some of the dialogue. All three were well cast, gave excellent vocal performances, held their characters throughout, and rocked their alternative styling. Highlights included Brit’s ‘I Want It All’, Oz’s ‘No One But You’, and Buddy’s ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’.

 

Groups within the company performed as Ga Ga Kids, Teen Queens, Super Yuppies, Homeless People, Guards, Fat Bottomed Girls, and Bohemians, with effective use of costumes and wigs creating both matching and entirely individual looks when required. Props and small set items were added for some scenes, and the lighting design worked particularly well in the wasteland, in colour blocking for songs, and when blacked to emphasis the torch work, and ‘Headlong’ motorbike headlights section. I understand there was a lighting effect for the laser cage detaining the Bohemians, though it wasn’t clearly visible from where I was sat. Pre-recorded projections were used for parts of conversations in split locations, and when displaying the iconic Freddie Mercury pose in silhouette, copied by Galileo on the stage below, which felt like a rather special moment to me.

 

Sallie Warrington as Director and Choreographer brought her considerable experience and creative insight to produce a splendid piece of theatre. Musical Director Rachael Plunkett should also be credited for delivering the many musical styles of Queen along with the excellent band, and for assisting the cast with the complex vocal arrangements.

 

Thank you to the Front of House team for looking after my guest and I, and many congratulations to all involved with this CAODS production of We Will Rock You, it is certainly one I will remember.

 

 

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