Wednesday April 9, 2008
Rock musical with a difference
By ANN MARIE CHANDY
Don’t stop me now, I’m having such a good time, I’m having a ball.
I've been telling all my friends to go and see it. We Will Rock You (WWRY), the musical by Queen and Ben Elton, currently being staged at Singapore’s Esplanade Theatre, is easily one of the most enjoyable performances I’ve seen. At numerous points during the show I felt the urge to get up on my feet and give the cast a standing ovation. I was singing all the songs, and was tempted to even get up and dance. Even if the person seated next to me wasn’t too pleased, I was thrilled to know I had support from cast and crew.
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Scaramouche (Sivan Raphaely, second from right) and Galileo Figaro (Mig Ayesa, right) leading the party at Queen’s We Will Rock You musical. |
“It’s the type of show which the audience is a part of,” says resident director Ross Girven, who is currently in Singapore, enthusiastically. “We want people to actively take part in it. You are very much allowed to clap, sing and dance.”
The media from this region was treated to an informal show on April 1.
It’s also the type of show that you’ll want to revisit, over and over.
The music of Queen – and what fabulous music it is – is so lovingly handled by all involved in the production, you just have to latch on to the euphoria. And one of the best parts about the musical is that it is very funny! Ben Elton’s comic genius comes through brilliantly here, and what’s more is that it is further amplified by the wonderfully apt improvisations made by the cast – Singapore got its fair share of the limelight when local jokes and pokes were thrown into the mix. Mig Ayesa – who plays the lead role of Galileo Figaro – at one point bumps into a member of the audience only to apologise by saying “Sorry, lah.”
It’s great – unexpected, natural and very funny. But I’m not going to give away too many spoilers; because you just have to go and see it for yourself.
And like Brian May (yes, he of Queen) says in the publicity promotional DVD: “It’s not just funny, it also has something to say as well.”
The musical, as you might wrongfully assume, is not about Queen.
Instead, it is a futurist adventure set in the year 2350, a time when live music has been banned on Earth ... or rather, Planet Mall. A powerful corporation called Globalsoft – headed by the Killer Queen (played in charming over-the-top fashion by Kiwi pop star Annie Crummer) – controls everyone’s lives and feeds them a diet of synthesized pop.
The idea doesn’t seem so far out when you come to think of how things have evolved thus far ...
The Ga-Ga kids – male and female ensemble cast – prancing around like cola-charged cheerleaders are very effective onstage. There are less than 20 of them under the spotlight at any given time, but with very effective choreography, and a huge LED screen backdrop displaying a string of images throughout the show, the ensemble looks larger than life.
Led by dance captain Louisa Talbot, the dancers go in and out of character, make-up and costumes as they switch from being Ga-Ga Kids to Bohemians.
The Bohemians are the rebel youth who believe that real, live music still exists – they cling to the words of the ancient, sacred texts (read: magazines). With fascinating names like Cyndi Lauper, Ozzy Osbourne and Cliff Richard, they speak of a King (Pelvis) and instruments hidden under a rock.
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A frantic scene from the Queen-inspired musical at Singapore's Esplanade theatre. The musical will run in the city state until April 27. |
Ayesa plays the chosen one in the musical, destined to find these instruments and rediscover rock ‘n’ roll, together with his sidekick, Scaramouche (Sivan Raphaely). While they handle their vocal duties with much aplomb – as do all the other main cast members – the show really belongs to the band, I feel. The sound is fabulous and the ten-piece band led by Rowan Bakker is fantastic throughout.
At the very end of the show, the band – which is hidden onstage – is unveiled in rock-star style.
“The best part for the band is being part of the story,” says 25-year-old Bakker, who hails from South Africa and is a musical director, arranger, songwriter, and pianist.
“Having the opportunity to be revealed at the end, to have people see that the music has been played live all the while ... that’s the best thing about the show. The response we get from the audience is like nothing we have ever experienced before,” offers Bakker, who conducts the band and plays piano during the show.
“It’s a huge honour playing the music,” he adds.
The instruments used by the band are all authentically what Queen played as well. Roger Taylor and Brian May are very much involved in the production, according to Girven. They oversee everything, and the production is sanctioned by them. Expect to even see a Burns replica of Brian May’s famous homemade Red Special electric guitar onstage.
“It’s because of this that we have a great confidence about the show; we know that we are honouring their work,” Girven explains.
In total there are 28 songs in the show (which Girven says were all No.1 hits for Queen). He adds that there’s a whole other part of Queen’s catalogue (some 24 more No.1s) that haven’t been used yet. So there could very well be a WWRY2!
Audiences who expect to hear Queen copycats may be disappointed. While the band plays every note and sounds identical to Queen, the cast members sing the songs their own way.
“The show is not a story about the band and so we don’t have to sound like Freddie Mercury,” explains Ayesa. “Of course there are some Freddieisms that we honour ... you can say there’s a Freddie flavour. It is a privilege to sing these songs. And for most of us, this is the most vocally challenging show we’ve ever done.”
Indeed singing tracks like Bohemian Rhapsody, Somebody to Love, Killer Queen, Don’t Stop Me Now and We Are the Champions eight times a week (sometimes twice a day) is no easy task.
“There’s a lot of preparation involved,” says Carly Graeme who plays Ozzy Osbourne in the show, and gives a sterling rendition of No-One But You. “Working that rock sound into your voice doesn’t happen overnight. And we have to find a way doing that safely. We get very tired. We try not to speak too much. And we have to treat our voices like an instrument. It is a rigorous process.”
Her partner in the show, Vic, played by Stephen John van Niekerk adds: “Queen’s music is deceptively simple, but in fact it’s unbelievably complex.”
The cast shares how they had to learn 17 different harmonies for Bohemian Rhapsody alone!
The costumes in the show are stunning too – according to technical director Alistair Kilbee, there’s almost a whole container with about 400 to 500 costume pieces – that goes everywhere the tour goes. Most of them look pretty hot and uncomfortable but the cast takes the wigs, the leather and spandex all in stride.
Crummer, who’s clad in mostly extremely tight-fitting and heavy bodices and trench coats, says “it’s like having three big cows on your back.” But adds: “when I’m onstage I don’t feel any pain at all!”
All said, I felt the show was thoroughly engaging. WWRY is a rock musical in every sense – the music, the cast, the crew, the costumes, the props, the sound. It is loud; it is in your face; it is raucous. In fact, it’s a kinda magic.
We Will Rock You will be staged at the Esplanade Theatre in Singapore until April 27. Tickets priced from S$40 (RM92) to S$170 (RM391) are available through Sistic. Hotline: +65-63485555/ e-mail www.sistic.com.sg.
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