Audiences can expect to see some fresh faces in Blue Mountains Musical Society’s upcoming production of We Will Rock You.
The rock musical is set in a futuristic Orwellian society and features songs from the legendary band Queen, with a hilarious script from comedy writer Ben Elton.
Phoebe Atkins, 17, is the youngest cast member in a lead role, playing Oz, one of the rebellious Bohemians. Despite her young age, she brings a lot of previous experience to the table, performing in supporting and ensemble roles for other musical societies in the past.
“This is my first lead role in a musical so that in itself is a big thing to take on, but I am over the moon and very excited to play this role.”
Peter Gollop, straight from his role as the Professor/Wizard with Richmond Player’s production of The Wizard of Oz, will be performing as Buddy, the aging hipster of the Bohemians.
“I was amazed at the performance and production standards of Blue Mountains Musical Society’s performances of The Little Mermaid last year, so I was very much hoping to be a part of the next show. And being a huge Queen fan all of my life, when I found out that they were performing We Will Rock You this year, auditioning was a no-brainer!” he said.
Also performing for their first time with the musical society are Aiesha Oringo in the role of a Teen Queen, and Jerrah Patston and Georgia Davidson, both members of the ensemble. All three are newcomers to the musical theatre genre, although each has a wealth of performance education and experience behind them. Miss Davidson has 15 years of dance training under her belt, including performing in the D’arts Ensemble for Schools Spectacular, and is an avid musical fan.
“My favourite musical is Mamma Mia,” she said, adding, “it is so exciting, this is my first big production.”
Mr Patston has always loved music and performing and has “been in school concerts, a signing choir, accessible drama shows at The Joan and several community festivals - singing and drumming”, he said. Both he and Miss Oringo have also had experience using their skills on the busking scene.
Joining Jerrah and Georgia in the ensemble is Kaylie Chieco, whose sister influenced her to get involved. “I have been thinking about getting back into musicals myself for a while and after hearing a raving review about Blue Mountains Musical Society from my sister who had the role of ensemble in The Little Mermaid, I couldn’t resist.”
In the role of a featured dancer, Becky Savage brings a strong understanding of the show - she recently choreographed We Will Rock You for Hornsby Musical Society.
“Dancing to Queen’s music is electric and I look forward to sharing that with an audience,” she said.
And what, according to Mr. Gollop, can the audience expect to enjoy about We Will Rock You?
“Everything! The show is hilarious, with zany characters, and a story that is completely insane but also completely relevant to today’s musical culture. And if that’s not enough – a full repertoire of Queen songs to keep the audience’s feet tapping – what more could you ask for?”
We Will Rock You, October 20 - November 4 at Blue Mountains Theatre and Community Hub. Tickets at https://bmms.org.au/book-tickets/ or 4723 5050.
