Vibrant celebration of Queen’s music put on by Gisborne Centre Stage

Thunder bolts and lightning, very, very frightening ... Centre Stage is performing the musical We Will Rock You at the War Memorial Theatre. Photo / John Flatt

REVIEW

We Will Rock You, a jukebox musical by members of the band Queen and writer Ben Elton, is the latest offering from Gisborne’s Centre Stage Theatre Group and is being staged at the War Memorial Theatre.

Set in a dystopian Gaga Land on iPlanet, we meet the evil Killer Queen (LJ Mill) and her enforcer Kashoggi (Paul Stuart).

Tapping into timely hysteria about AI ending the human race, we are introduced to a future world run by a global software company where the kids have uploaded their souls and lives are lived on the internet.

It is also a world where there is no rock and roll.

Galileo (Bruce Reid) is the exception. Unlike the clone-like Gaga girls, he has vivid dreams about rock and roll music and spouts random lyrics from popular songs, although doesn’t know why.

He wants to break free and find somebody to love (cue music), which he does when he is introduced to fellow rebel Scaramouche (Lulu Parker).

We learn there is still one musical instrument left on earth, buried somewhere unknown and the Killer Queen is determined to find it and quash any rebellion by “the Bohemians”.

“The Bohemians will never have their rhapsody,” the Queen proclaims.

Galileo and Scaramouche are on a quest to bring the magic back and find the lost vibe . . . they’re just not sure how.

When the leaders of the rebels, Britney Spears (Lawrence Mulligan) and Ozzy Osbourne (Charlotta Passe), meet Galileo they realise they have found “the dreamer” and take him to the rebel base at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Here we meet the rest of the rebels who know about rock and roll and have adopted the names of its stars.

One of them is Buddy Holly, played by Andrew Stevens. Dressed as a long-haired hippy, he fully embraces the role, getting lots of laughs as well as invoking an emotional response to his heart-felt rendition of These Are The Days Of Our Lives.

Mulligan and Passe bring a feisty energy to the stage as Brit and Oz with lots of comedic moments, perfectly timed.

Passe’s No One But You is particularly moving as rock and roll legends are remembered - from John Lennon to Kurt Cobain - with a series of still shots shown on the large video screen.

In the second half, the cast members really hit their stride. The energy ramps up as the audience get swept up in the story.

Musical director Tahi Paenga performs an impressive guitar solo and, without giving too much away, there is an unexpected reveal of the live band.

By the time they get to the title song, the audience is well invested as the cast give it their all.

This is a highlight, with the singing and choreography merging seamlessly, bringing an infectious energy to the stage.

And just when you think it’s peaked, Bohemian Rhapsody tops it all.

Centre Stage delivers a slick, high-energy production confidently executed and one that will probably only going get better with every performance.

If you want to (pun alert!) break free and escape reality for a bit, this is just the ticket.

Get set for a great night of musical entertainment that truly celebrates the music of Queen - the songs staying with you long after the curtain goes down.

• Centre Stage’s We Will Rock You is being staged at the War Memorial Theatre (Friday, September 13 to Saturday, September 21 - Sunday matinee but no Monday show). Tickets are available from Ticketek or the iSite in Grey St.