Director: David Sidwell
Musical Director: Nick Braae
Choreographer: Hannah McFarlane
Producer: Clarence St Theatre Trust
Venue: Clarence St Theatre
Hamilton, there’s a rock concert in town, and you need to go.
I went to review the musical “We Will Rock You” and exited Clarence St Theatre realising that I had actually attended a rock concert.
Someone put forward David Sidwell for an OBE, because he continues to deliver outstanding theatrical productions for every person onstage, off stage and certainly in the audience. Adjectives such as world class, brilliant, and visionary are often bandied about with a Sidwell production, but there simply aren’t enough words to describe how adeptly he can shape and deliver musical theatre of such a high calibre regularly.
Nick Braae is the world’s academic expert on Queen, so it was only right that he assemble and musically direct the band for We Will Rock You. It was obvious that the cast and band had been schooled in every lyric and note. Thanks to Braae’s complete understanding of the musicality of Queen, the talented cast were utterly invested in delivering a performance Freddie Mercury himself would have admired.
We Will Rock You was Hannah McFarlane’s first foray into choreographing a major musical. Her attention to detail in creating entertaining choreography with a touch of humour and an underlying rock vibe was obvious. McFarlane should be proud of her role in this production and her ability to wrangle a cast of vast dancing abilities into a cohesive unit.
Alex Pelham-Waerea’s onstage presence is going from strength to strength. Not only does he have an exceptional vocal range with a heavenly timbre, both his acting and dancing in the role of Galileo was superb. Kirsty Young, a classically trained opera singer, was a delight to watch in the role of Scaramouche that was at the other end of the spectrum to any performances she had previously done at Clarence St.
With thanks to the hair, wigs and makeup team, Kyle Chuen was unrecognisable as Khashoggi. His soaring voice was brilliant, and he played the role with an enthusiastic vigor. Tom Knowles high kicking, karate-esque Brit was energetic and full of humour. Courteney Mayall, in her seventh show of 2019, was a rock chick for the ages, complete with rock sass and a rocking voice in the role of Oz. David Artis played Buddy, an aged rocker. His adulation for Queen’s music was palpable, and his heartfelt performance was genuinely moving.
Several months ago, Caleb Jago-Ward had cheekily suggested that he take on the role of Killer Queen in drag. It was an inspired and genius move. Jago-Ward stole the show with his voice, physique, poise, strut and charisma. The audience was completely obsessed with Jago-Ward’s Killer Queen and the reaction to his section of the encore nearly took the roof off. Caleb Jago-Ward set a new international benchmark in the role of Killer Queen, and it was an honour to watch a world-first performance.
When a show is part of a touring consortium, much of the production is prescriptive in terms of the overall look and feel of the product. However, this is where Sidwell can rely on local expertise and longstanding theatrical relationships to really ramp up the audience’s experience. This is what helps make a Sidwell show stand out from any other version produced.
Aaron Chesham was able to draw from his extensive bag of tricks for the lighting design and the result was hundreds of lighting cues. The amber hues in the iconic anthem “We Are The Champions” were particularly breath-taking. The mark of a skilled illumination artist is to add to the overall visual experience by enhancing subtle nuances amongst the direction, choreography and music. Chesham achieved this flawlessly.
Sound engineer Arran Eley was clearly in his element, and had the speakers tuned perfectly. The sound was crisp and considerable but definitely not uncomfortable. The band’s instruments were able to be heard clearly, and it’s almost a pity that the band cannot experience the clarity and sound from the auditorium during the performance.
A full house standing ovation is something to behold. A double standing ovation (at the end of the show, and then after the encore) is a rare event indeed. The cast, band, hardworking crew (flys, dressers and wigs) and production team deserved both. The auditorium was a riot of appreciative sound. You will probably need to see We Will Rock You twice - once to admire how cleverly Queen’s lyrics and songs were woven into a storyline; and secondly to simply kick back and enjoy a rock concert of Wembley proportions right here in our own backyard.
The cast and band of We Will Rock You will rock you. Promise.
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