We Will Rock You young@part

We Will Rock You is the famous musical written by Ben Elton, using the music of Queen. The Young@Part version is a good choice for youngsters to take on this challenging vocal show. To rehearse and perform it in a week was always going to be a challenge, but Hitchin Young Thespians did a good job.

Frankie Ma kept the show simple, relying on strong vocals and reduced movement due to the nature of the show and the limited rehearsal time. It was clear that Janine Reynolds had worked hard on the harmonies and had supported all the soloists, so they felt confident with the difficult numbers. I really liked the idea of splitting Bohemian Rhapsody between the chorus and changing who sang the solo lines. This is a challenging show vocally, and she pushed the children out of their comfort zones—something they succeeded with in most places.

Choreography by Hannah Woodhouse was simple, but it needed to be. All the children knew their steps, and the spacing was carefully considered so everyone could be seen.

The lead roles of Scaramouche and Galileo were split, giving different performers an opportunity. Galileo 1 and Scaramouche 1 were played by Joshua Raine and Annabel Stan. Both gave solid performances, with their duet Under Pressure being very well sung and performed. Annabel’s version of Somebody to Love was outstanding for someone so young—confident, controlled, and with incredible presence.

Galileo 2 and Scaramouche 2 were played by Noah Ruby and Vesper Arbuthnott. Their partnership was strong; they used eye contact effectively to support each other, which was lovely to see. Vesper again had a good presence on stage and a mature voice with excellent control. All four performers gave good performances, but Noah Ruby was outstanding. For someone so young to have such confidence and vocal ability was a joy to watch. What struck me most was how much he was enjoying himself—he clearly loved singing the songs, and it appeared effortless. Noah is a performer I look forward to watching grow. Congratulations to all four performers.

Chloe Atkinson‑Strong took on the role of Killer Queen. She had a strong presence and conveyed the character’s authority well. Vocally, Chloe was very strong—Killer Queen and Another One Bites the Dust are extremely hard songs to sing, and she performed them confidently. Zac Daly as Khashoggi was excellent. He had the swagger and arrogance needed for the character, and his performance of Seven Seas of Rhye was very good. This song is very difficult, and he made it seem easy.

The duo Britney and Oz were played by Cally Fletcher and Helena Wilson. They had great chemistry on stage and worked well together. Cally looked wonderfully bohemian and had a super voice. She also has great comic timing—she delivered the Britney Spears line brilliantly!

Edward McLauchlan played Buddy, a great role performed with charm. He had excellent energy whenever he was on stage.

I really liked the idea of using the screen as the different backdrops. It gave the performers more space, and its simplicity was, often, the best approach.

I hope that Hitchin Young Thespians consider this show for their main production in the not‑too‑distant future. They have the talent, and it would be wonderful to see them perform it in full costume. Considering this was rehearsed in a week, I was impressed. Hitchin Young Thespians have an abundance of talent, and I look forward to their future shows. Once again, thank you for the hospitality.

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