We Will Rock You

My thanks to the members of “Perform” for their invitation to see their latest youth production, We Will Rock You. This popular Juke Box musical based around the legend that was Freddie Murcury and the music of the  group ,Queen is a challenge for young voices and the Advanced Cast B from the opening notes accepted that challenge and gave it everything they had. Moved along by a very encouraging audience who were not shy in participating when required, the cast maintained the energy of the music with obvious enjoyment. There did appear to be some technical issues with the sound on occasions, but this did not detract from the overall performance or the enthusiasm of the performers.

A strong performance from April Donoghue as Galilao our hero of the quest. Her lines were clear and she told her story well. Good stage presence and clear vocals she brought the character to life working in harmony with Beca Jones as Scaramouche who also gave a strong performance, with clear dialogue and excellent characterisation. A poignant duet between these characters was a highlight of the show.

The story line to this show can be a little tenuous and not always easy to follow but the supporting principal cast Eleanor Turton as Oz,  Bel Hawkridge as Buddy and Esham Hughes as Brit maintained the storyline with good characterisation and some impressive comic timing when required. They worked well together.

Our killer Queen Jessica Price made an impressive figure with good stage presence and worked hard to maintain her vocal performance despite the technical sound issues.

Being the bad guy is not always easy and George Woodley as Khashoggi successfully portrayed the show villain and maintained the character we all love to hate.

The minimalist setting was well staged and used effectively by the cast. The choreography was effective and well performed by an enthusiastic cast, maintaining a high level of energy, that paid tribute to the music they were performing for a very appreciative audience.

My congratulations to this young cast for taking on the music that rocked the world and making it their own. Well done to you all.

 

The views in this report are solely of the author.

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