All photos by Ben Apfelbaum who attended the Media Call held recently at the Lyric for the Guide. Featured pic- Erin Clare, Ben Elton, Gareth Keegan and Jaz Flowers.
It has finally come around, tomorrow night is the opening night, and the Australian premiere, of the rock musical extravaganza, WE WILL ROCK YOU, with the book by Ben Elton which he has fashioned around more than 24 Queen songs.
Elton’s show has travelled over 28 countries and been enjoyed by over more than 16 million fans since it first premiered back in 2002.
For the shows’ Australian tour a first class cast has been chosen. 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 (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 will be led by musical director Dave Skelton who also plays Keys 1. 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.
Recently a media call was held at the Sydney Lyric Theatre where iconic producer John Frost and Ben Elton gave attending media a sneak preview of the show which included cast members performing three of the big numbers from the show- Another One Bites The Dust, Somebody To Love, and We Will Rock You. Ben Apfelbaum was there to take some pics.
Tonight’s opening is expected to be a glittering affair with a who’s who of local celebrities attending. Those expected to attend include 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.
The Sydney Lyric Theatre season will continue until June 26, then the production travels to Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre, QPAC from 10 July; then on to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre from 30 August, Perth’s Crown Theatre from November, then the Festival Theatre, Adelaide from January, 2017.
The 2016-7 Australian tour of WE WILL ROCK YOU is a co-production by John Frost, Queen Theatrical Productions, Phil McIntyre Entertainment and Tribeca Theatrical Productions.
Performance times are Tues 7pm, Wed–Sat 8pm, Sat matinee 2pm, Sunday 1pm & 6pm
Ticket prices are from $69.90.
Bookings: http://ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 795 267