Out in the burbs of Sydney the local musical societies are the cauldrons of creativity and burgeoning talent. Hornsby Musical Society is no different to any of the other Societies dotted around Sydney. These groups are full of passionate musical creatives who have a love of all things dance, music and song in the world of theatre.
Sydney Scoop was lucky enough to be invited along to opening night of the rock opera extravaganza We Will Rock You based on the book by Ben Elton and the big rock anthems of legendary British rock group Queen. The futuristic (although not too far into the future) story line is all about battling the mind control of the human race by Global Soft Corporation who is pushing an online social media life to all inhabitants along with the soul destroying and mind numbing computer produced music that American Idol has spawned. The witticisms of Elton are scattered throughout the dialogue, his mannerisms and figures of speech can be seem quite clearly. The character of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, a hippy rock loving guy played by Paul Mepham, seems to be the embodiment of Elton in spirit and wit.
Opening with lots of fanfare and an all guns blazing big arse grungy rock stadium stage and powerful lighting, backed by a rock band going hell for leather, it was a sure sign that the Hornsby Musical Society's production of We Will Rock You would deliver an entertaining and enjoyable evening of rock opera. A youthful lively presence flooded the stage all night. Feel good infectious energetic vibes took over the stage as one Queen hit followed on from another. We heard first off 'I Want to Break Free' from a youth of much talent, Josh Brown, starring in the lead role of Galileo Figaro. He went from strength to strength in his singing, progressively finding himself enjoying the role and singing in a fairly effortless big hearted way.
It wasn't long into the musical that we were introduced to his counterpart of Scaramouche played by Jenna Woolley. Another talented youngster belting the big numbers of Queen with gusto and skill. Very early on we realise that not only is We Will Rock You all for being anti-disestablishment, fighting the good struggle of keeping rock n roll alive and fighting the man (think of We Will Rock You as a modern day Footloose) it is also a love story between Galileo and Scaramouche. The two actors playing these roles do so with a cute freshness and in a seemingly spontaneous manner. Later on in the night we see this in more detail when they perform a few duets - especially 'Under Pressure'. They also do a very touching rendition of 'Who Wants to Live Forever'.
We also get to hear other big Queen tunes such as 'Under Pressure', 'It's A Kind Of Magic', 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' and the really big ticket tracks of 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'We Are The Champions' and of course climaxing into the giant rock anthem of 'We Will Rock You'. It was an awesome moment when the audience went wild and participated in the banging and clapping of the beat for 'We Will Rock You'. Very little prompting was required from Buddy Holly and the Crickets as he stirred up the crowd to provide the back beat. I was so glad to witness such an invigorating, soul enriching moment of such enlivened and impassioned audience participation. The auditorium space in which the performance is being put on lends itself to dancing in the aisles so to speak (the audience actually sit at tables and there is a stack of room all around the tables). I was half expecting that to happen but, no, it being a week night, maybe the actors will need to wait till the weekend performances to see that level of input from the audience when they let their hair down more. Lots of whooping and cheering for the main actors after they perform big numbers also occurred without hesitation. It was moments like these that made it very clear the public love a gutsy musical and that the music of Queen resonates on a wide scale, capturing the hearts and minds of people of all ages and cultures that led me to such a truly beautiful realisation that rock has the power to transcend such barriers.
Josh and Jenna were joined by other shining stars such as Abi Smith who played the role of Ozzy Osbourne, and Tim Selby, her rebel bohemian boyfriend Brittany Spears who was leading the way to find the Dreamer (aka Galileo). Also, I can't fail to mention the bad ass star of the show (or so she thought), the Killer Queen (and ruler of Global Soft) as played by Annastasia Denton, and her assistant Commander Khashoggi played by Boshko Maksimovic. All these actors played their roles strongly and gave it their all with their voices and acting ability. I can definitely say it was a pleasure to hear such talent on the one stage at the same time. The actors are joined by featured dancers Fiorella Bamba, Hayley Dwight, Samantha Germain, Cheryl Pieres, and Ashley Roberts spinning around doing some acrobatics as well. An ensemble of zombie rockers completes the cast.
Definitely go see We Will Rock You. It's a show perfect for a group night out for all ages and is now playing at Hornsby RSL Club at 7.30pm on 20, 21 April and also at 1pm on 21 and 22 April. Tickets can be purchased on line at the following link >> hornsbymusicalsociety.com.au/current-show
Make sure you get a bite to eat at the Club prior to the show. You will find the Clubs Courtyard dining area serves up modern Australian favourites and a selection of authentic Asian cuisine. The auditorium doors where the show is being put on, open at 7pm and you can bring your dinner and drinks inside to enjoy before and during the show. There is also a full bar inside the auditorium.