Music by Queen
Story and Script by Ben Elton
PeeWee Productions
Ais Arena
Until Nov 10
Reviewed by Samara Purnell
On the iPlanet ruled by the
Killer Queen of GlobalSoft, a dreamer – Galileo, and his purple-haired partner
Scaramouche, as he names her, search for “a rock that hangs in the air” and a
mysterious “axe”. At the Hard Rock Café, a bunch of Bohemians, named after rock
and pop stars, hang out, wistfully yearning for a time they never knew, the
allure of the remnants strewn around beckons them to find “Rock and Roll”, only
when pressed for any solid information, the enthusiastic yet clueless gang
“Don’t know” any.
The PeeWee Productions
telling of “We Will Rock You” makes no bones about the script, written by Ben
Elton, existing purely as a coathanger for the songs of Queen. It does,
however, also serve to poke fun at the robotic, group-mentality world of
automated music, iPhones, facebook friends and the obsession with the internet
we now have.
Perfectly cast as Killer
Queen is Queenie van de Zandt, who, with her side-kick Khashoggi, performed by
Max Gambale enforce the laws of no instrument playing or making and no creation
of live music. Ironically the music they do make on stage is brilliant. “A Kind
of Magic”, with the ensemble backing, had perfect harmonies and hit all the
right notes.
Galileo (Toby Francis) is
consumed by dreams and words that he spurts out continually, almost as if
speaking in tongues. Unbeknownst to him, they are lyrics from the Beatles to
Britney and everyone in-between. This ancient insight makes him a target for
GlobalSoft, so he teams up with Scaramouche, performed by Erin Clare as well as
Oz and Brit (Samantha Marceddo and Dave Smith, respectively) to restore music to
the planet and work out what his dreams and these words all mean. Many humorous
exchanges take place through the one-liners, song snippets and the
smart-mouthed, sarcastic Scaramouche. The banter between Galileo, Scaramouche
and Buddy (David Cannell) is hilarious.
Clare and Francis delivered
a beautiful rendition of “Who Wants to Live Forever”. Clare’s performance was
enthralling, her singing warm and confident, perfectly suited for the role. Her
lower register was lost on occasion when singing duets and competing with the
volume of the band. Francis was at his best when singing without running
around, as at times he sounded breathless and appeared to have an issue with
his earpiece. There were a couple of late mic entries on occasion during the
show. Cannell was delightful in his comedic performance with Smith and Marceddo
giving good performances. Marceddo’s solo was a stand-out.
Andrea Clifford-Jones
directed a meticulous musical performance from the band. It was easy to forget
the music was live and not Queen recordings. The show began as an aural challenge
until acclimatised to the volume. Guitarists Jeandre Fourie and Stuart King got
well-deserved cameos. They were brilliant, playing the riffs and timing with
absolute accuracy. To really show up Galileo, it would have impressed had
Scaramouche actually played the guitar instead of miming it.
Anna Senior as costume
designer clad the performers in slick ensemble numbers and well-fitted,
revealing but appealing corsets and briefs and dramatic, dazzling sequins. The
wigs and hairpieces created by Marie Donnell were dramatic and brilliant.
Nikole Neal choreographed
for a confident and well-rehearsed ensemble, whose singing was also impressive.
“Fat Bottomed Girls” felt somewhat laboured in the monotonous beat of the
steps. The choreography overall slickly portrayed the regimented style of
GlobalSoft, contrasting the freedom of the Bohemians, especially in jive number
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
The cast, lighting and set
(designed by Chris Neal), succeed in filling the cavernous venue that is the AIS.
The multi-dimensional GlobalSoft Medical Facility set was particularly
effective and via the huge, moving LED screen, Queen does make an appearance.
The “axe” is found – it
turned out to be a Brian May-styled guitar and the mecca of Wembley Stadium is
reached in a finale and audience-induced encore that venerates Freddie Mercury
and could have ended on a poignant note of his lit statue, but continued on for
another curtain call. The audience did not miss a beat in joining in “We Will
Rock You”.
Director Kelda McManus and
the producers have secured a killer cast, providing Queen fans, along with
those less familiar with the band, a wonderful night of music, laughs, entertainment
and a visual spectacular. As the audience filed out and the fire alarm went
off, one can only assume it was from the pyrotechnics used in the finale and
that the AIS still stands to hold the remaining shows. Get along and you will
leave feeling suitably rocked!
*A version of this review appears online at citynews.com.au
