The new Australian production of the worldwide smash hit musical We Will Rock You explodes onto the stage at the Sydney Lyric Theatre tonight – officially kicking off its national tour.
Guests attending the Gala Opening Night include producer John Frost, director Ben Elton, singers Jessica Mauboy, (Little) Patti Amphlett, Doug Parkinson and John Paul Young; television stars Scott Cam, Danielle Cormack, Jonothan Coleman and Sarah Harris; actors Richard Roxburgh, Maggie Kirkpatrick, Marta Dusseldorp, Bonnie Sveen, Charlie Clausen, Michael Caton, Johnny Ruffo and Ryan Corr; and musical theatre performers Lucy Durack, Simon Burke and Ben Mingay, amongst others.
“It’s notoriously hard to get Australian audiences to their feet, but preview audiences have been rewarding this brilliant company with a full house standing ovation at every performance,” says writer Ben Elton. “The talent we have on stage in the cast and the band is second-to-none anywhere in the world.”
“This is the first of a new generation of We Will Rock You productions, and I couldn’t be happier or more proud that it’s originating here in Australia. I can’t wait for Brian and Roger to come and see it.”
We Will Rock You stars Gareth Keegan (Jersey Boys) as Galileo, Erin Clare (Heathers) as Scaramouche, Casey Donovan (The Sapphires) as Killer Queen, Brian Mannix (Uncanny X-Men) as Buddy, Jaz Flowers (Hairspray) as Oz, Thern Reynolds (Rock of Ages) as Brit, and Simon Russell (ABC TV’s Jack Irish) as Khashoggi.
Also in the cast are Justin Anderson, Sheridan Anderson, Erinn Arnel, Michelle Barr, Hugh Barrington, Kyla Bartholomeusz, Sarah Clarke, Keane Fletcher, Scott McConnell, Suzie Melloy, Ruvarashe Ngwenya, Morgan Palmer, Joshua Russell, Ryan Sheppard, Leigh Sleightholme, Ashlee Smith, Thalia Smith, Mike Snell, Kate Thomas, Karla Tonkich and Paul Watson.
The band is led by musical director Dave Skelton on keyboards. On guitars will be James Barber and Simon Croft, with Andrew Swann on drums, Mark Costa on bass, and James Mack on percussion. Also on keyboards will be Michael Azzopardi and Assistant Musical Director Tim Cunniffe.
We Will Rock You reflects the scale and spectacle that marked Queen’s live performances and earned the band its pinnacle position in rock history. With Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor as music supervisors and “a band without parallel in the theatre” behind the cast, the audience can expect We Will Rock You to rock as fiercely as the best of Queen’s concerts.
Ben Elton fashioned this hilarious futurist comedy around more than 24 of Queen’s biggest hit songs including We Are The Champions, Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free, Somebody To Love, Killer Queen, Don’t Stop Me Now, Under Pressure, Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites The Dust and of course, We Will Rock You.
“There’s no escaping the irresistible pull of these songs, or the visual and aural assault on the senses that the show accompanies them with.” – Sunday Express
New tickets for the Sydney season go on sale on Monday 9 May, and will continue until June 26, We Will Rock You then travels to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. For more information, visit: www.wewillrockyou.com.au for details.
Image: Cast of We Will Rock You on stage at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre – photo by Jeff Busby