We Will Rock You

We Will Rock You is by far the most popular musical being performed by amateur groups at the moment. Most groups are able to do their own thing with it to make it stand out, and that is certainly what The Musical Theatre Company have done with their production. From a visual perspective, this was a stunning production. With the band positioned either side of the stage in front of the proscenium arch, this meant they were part of the action without drawing away from the cast. They were even given their own part as “Galileo’s Band” which was a lovely moment, both giving them recognition and providing some comedic moments. Pyros, metal rigging up and over the band and light balls flown in from the ceiling all gave a real “rock concert” vibe to the production which I really appreciated for this kind of show where the music is so iconic. Sets of stairs and a balcony towards the back of the stage provided levels which were utilized well throughout.

There wasn’t a huge amount of set used for this production, however when it was brought on/off it was so slick and seamless, sometimes I didn’t even notice it happen! Something I found to be a really nice touch was the logo on the desk matched to that on Killer Queen’s costume. It is this level of detail that can really tie a show together and add production value. Helping to set the scenes were 3 screens displaying different images. These were quite small but worked really well. The only small issue I had was during the opening when only a couple of words were displayed at a time. I found this didn’t hold my attention well, but that could just be me. Towards the end of the show a pair of large gates were brought on, with one of the posts being “broken” to reveal the guitar. This was a great effect and the audience seemed to love it. Another great use of these gates was during “We Will Rock You”, the cast descended the stairs and came through the gates, a simple choice but the visual impact was strong.

On the topic of visual impacts, I found the lighting for the most part to be brilliantly plotted. Nearer the beginning of the show when lights went up and over the audience. I noticed they pattern/colours matched those being projected on to the stage floor which was a really nice touch. Many different tones and colours were used throughout which complimented the costumes effectively, however there were some darker lighting choices which made it harder to see the cast in some scenes. A particular stand out moment for me was backlighting Oz during “Only The Good Die Young”. The song itself is stunning, and was performed beautifully, and this effect just added to the emotion conveyed to the audience.

Sound throughout the production was very strong, with the band being well balanced with the cast. However, some of the ensemble mics were noticeably louder than others which felt like it left some of the cast exposed and meant some harmonies were heavier than others rather than blending together. This did not appear to be the case in all numbers, only a couple. Another strong element was costuming. The contrast between the bright colours on other characters against Scaramouche in all black was very clever. I must give recognition to the attention to detail in the costumes, especially in the ensemble for the Heartbreak Hotel scenes, and “Fat Bottomed Girls” where everything matched exactly down to the shoes. I also really appreciated the glamourous costume donned by Killer Queen – this really added to the nature of the character.

Ben Ireson was wearing the directors hat for this production and I can appreciate a lot of the decisions made. The cast entering from the audience from Radio Gaga, making use of the space and long intro to the song. Khashoggi riding a hoverboard. Ensemble doing their own individual dances during “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” to add to the fun, hope and dreams of the Bohemians. These were all great choices! There were a variety of different accents used amongst the cast throughout which, for me, did make it feel a little disjointed at times. I found during “Fat Bottomed Girls” that Killer Queen was set really far back on the stage which meant she wasn’t lit very well for the majority of the number and couldn’t always be seen. Overall, the show had a real feel of being at a concert which I liked. Especially having Brit and Oz on platforms either side of the audience at floor level. They remained well lit here and it was a good use of space, however the audience towards the front had to turn around for quite a while for this section.

Musically the production was also very strong in the hands of Michael J Scott. The harmonies from the cast were tight and polished throughout, especially from the Teen Queens. They worked well with the live band of 7 (including Michael), with the timing always being spot on. Rounding out the production team was Ceris Shadwell as choreographer. The choreography from Ceris was brilliant, with particular highlights being “Radio Gaga” and “A Kind of Magic”, giving clean, rigid movement along with effective use of spacing and lines to keep in with the strictness of the world they live in. The entrance of the ensemble for “A Kind of Magic” where they were all weaving in and out of each other was visually stunning, not one person out of place. The cast executed the choreography perfectly and brought Ceris’ clear vision to life.

In the leading role of Galileo was Connor J Ryan who gave an excellent performance. Filled with emotion, Connor gave his all to this role with consistently high energy. He displayed some outstanding vocals throughout with such a lovely tone to his voice. His portrayal of Galileo was completely believable from start to finish and was a pleasure to watch. Dani Fray played alongside as Scaramouche. I found Dani’s performance to be lacking in energy at times and a lot of dialogue and vocals were very quiet, making it hard to hear for the audience. Dani gave some lovely moments, especially during “Somebody to Love” where she did well in hiding Scaramouche’s vulnerability to save face in front of the Teen Queens.

Oliver Ball gave a suitably funny performance as Brit, delivering great vocals and energy. His physical movements for the character were great and consistent throughout. Oliver established a great relationship with Georgia Gowler as Oz, which made it all the more heartbreaking when Brit meets his end. Georgia absolutely stole the show for me with her performance as Oz. “Only The Good Die Young” was beautifully performed and was a highlight of the show. Her voice suited this song, and the vocal control displayed was impressive. She brought a lot of heart and energy to the role, with some really funny moments with Brit. The two together made a great pairing, bouncing off each other well. Very strong casting!

Claire Cannon was a Killer Queen with killer vocals. Her performance made some iconic songs look like a walk in the park! However, I felt Claire’s performance could have had some more energy to match the vocals. As Killer Queen’s right hand man, Khashoggi, was Thomas Firth. Thomas had a great stage presence in the role, and some serious hoverboard skills! He gave great vocals along with a very sinister performance. There were some missed opportunities throughout for relationship building between Killer Queen and Khashoggi. Although they both gave good performances, their roles felt very separate. Andy Dolan gave us a hilarious performance as Buddy, really coming into his own in Act 2. His comedy timing was spot on and he really got the audience on side.

The ensemble were used well throughout with no weak links – everyone gave precise and sharp execution of the choreography and harmonies. I found the production overall to be lacking in energy and pace, and it felt slightly flat. I’m not sure if this was due to a smaller, less responsive audience being in for the matinee. The audience didn’t give a lot back so I can imagine that is harder to perform to, however there was just a spark missing for me with the performance I saw. That being said, the overall aesthetic was outstanding and the cast showcased their talents and hard work very well to create a brilliant show. Thank you to TMTC for the invite and their kind hospitality. I wish them the best of luck with their next production, Catch Me If You Can, to be performed at Northwich Memorial Court in October 2026.

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