Presented by Matt Byrne Media
Reviewed 5 July 2018
The greatest hits from Queen are hitting South Australia in We Will Rock You, the latest production from Matt Byrne to take to the stage in Adelaide.
The musical is the Broadway hit based on the music of Queen and a book by Ben Elton. Set in a technology-controlled future of iPlanet there are a group of outcasts, the Bohemians, who live in hiding in the remnants of a Las Vegas Hard Rock Café. Stumbling toward them are the prophesised Galileo (Iman Saleh), and the technological savvy Scaramouche (Danielle Greaves) who have been labelled outcasts and on the run from Killer Queen (April Stuart) and Khashoggi (James McCluskey-Garcia).
Galileo and Scaramouche, with some loose assistance from the high energy rebels Oz (Kathryn Driver) and Brit (Anthony Butler), must find the mythical axe, release rock and roll, and save the world from the control of Killer Queen.
While the underlying story of the outsider heroes finding themselves and saving the day is a little overdone, the music and entertainment of the overall show make the production fun and engaging. The predominantly South Australian cast bring a lot of joy and enthusiasm to the stage. The well rounded cast showcase a stunning display of local talent with standouts in each scene.
The mix in the choreography (Sarah Williams) to match the music design (Kim Clark) work well together to deliver the futuristic moments without losing the connection to the source references. Some small missteps in the flow of the cast’s movement did pop up at points but the general upbeat feel was maintained through the show.
The quality of the set, music and lighting production is particularly high. The depth and arrangement to the design provide a captivating sight that utilises multiple levels and multimedia to bring the futuristic atmosphere to life. The connection between the cast, and their live band, flowed naturally and with humour through the show, with seemingly no member of the cast missing a chance for a local pun or music based one liner.
The costume design matches the quality of the production set up. The eye to detail and to meet the style of We Will Rock You is incredibly well done with nods to different musical trends mixed into the outfits. It all together creates an upbeat musical walk down memory lane.
We Will Rock You is a musical loaded with local talent, all the right songs, and endless musical references for a fun night out.
Reviewed by Alex Dunkin
Twitter: @AlexDunkin
Venue: Arts Theatre, Adelaide & Shedley Theatre, Elizabeth
Season: 5-14 July (Arts Theatre) & 19-28 July (Shedley Theatre) 2018
Duration: 2 hours 50 mins including interval
Tickets: $25.00-$45.00
Bookings: www.mattbyrnemedia.com.au
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