WE WILL ROCK YOU

Kwinana Arts Centre 1/9/07 The time is the future. Live music has been banned. Globalsoft Computers generate all authorised music and dance steps to go with them.... Actually, go here for the synopsis.. http://www.theatre.asn.au/billboard_bulletins/we_will_rock_you_opens_this_week_end No need for me to go through all that. A disclaimer before I start - My brother Scott is in the show. Firstly, it was a very enjoyable evening of escapism and a "Best of Queen" soundtrack. The band were excellent, and considering they worked from a Piano/Vocal score, with no instrument scoring, a very creditable performance. Congrats to the production team for what was a well put together show. A huge cast like that, multi venue performances - it must be a nightmare. Chorus were excellent. It was great to see the chorus members as individual characters, which they are able to carry throught the performance. I wonder what Russell Baxters reaction was when he saw his Madonna costume? Also liked Monique Ashby as Charlotte 'Friggin' Church, and Cail Bennetts Cliff Richard - "Don't worry about Cliff. He's indestructible". Great work from the chorus, both dramatically and vocally. A show like this stands or falls on the strength of it's leads. Jason Arrow as Gallileo was fantastic - great voice and could have carried the show on his own. Ali Hill showed off her vocal talent as Meat - a much different character from when I last saw her as Sandy in Grease. Scott Hansen as Pop was channeling Neil from 'The Young Ones' all night. A fun role which the audience appreciated. Sky Ogier as Scaramouche ia a great actor, has a strong voice, but did struggle with her upper register and was not always on key. I felt the other leads struggled vocally, and this did detract from an otherwise enjoyable evening. One more thing - MICROPHONES MICROPHONES MICROPHONES!!!! AAARRRGGGHHH! Mics not working, interference, actors having to use handhelds because their mics failed during the perfomance, It really detracted from the whole show. It must be soul destroying to put in all that work, and have it go up in smoke because of technical hitches. All in all, fifteen dollars well spent (and no booking agency fee!!) It's on next weekend in Mandurah.

Very interesting interpretation. Note to the band. Please don't look bored ! Note to Sound Tech - batteries batteries batteries ! Note to Worksafe - Dont run motor vehicles in a poorly ventilated area. Some people didnt appreciate the fumes Good attempt

Went along to see the show with a couple of friends that have seen the professional show and we all loved it. We were blown away by the actors characters. All of them. The leads were fantastic. My friends that had seen the professional show said that they preferred this portrayal and they felt the connection between the characters that they didn't feel in the professional show. Well done to you all including the smaller roles who carried off their very few lines with interesting characters. The voices throughout the performance were fantastic. Jason Arrow (Galileo) is a STAR in the making. He was amazing, he can act, sing and apparently he can also dance, not that he danced in this show. Sky Ogier (Scaramouche) is obviously an amazing talent, her acting and her singing. She has fantastic character in her voice. No sweet little church choir for her, a great rock voice with all the guts. While I'm on the subject I didn't hear any struggling in the high notes or off key (re: review above, what you heard could have been due to the mics going on and off, Boo the mics). Galelio and Scaramouche delivered a very believable connection. Ali Hill (Meat) gave me goose bumps when she sang No One But You. Shem Le Scelle (Britney) fantastic performance and great character. Obviously very comfortable on stage and great connection with Meat, plus his energy, WOW! Pop (Scott Hansen) was very funny with lines delivered with great comic timing. (re: review above, I didn't see Neil from the young ones, I saw what I will term as a guru hippy)Gary Atkinson (Kashoggi) made the role his own. Strong characterization, expression and depth of character. (loved the hair) Carole Dhu (Killer Queen) Again a strong portrayal who commanded the stage and had a believable connection with Kashoggi. All the leads were perfectly cast. The lighting was well done for a small venue. The band were fantastic. Well done to Russell Jay, a difficult job made to look easy. Last but not least the Chorus, loved the dancing and the enthusiasm, Applause, Applause, Applause. Well done to all involved. We are going to see it again in Mandurah this weekend. I'm sure it will be a great show again if not better on the big stage. Jasper

Yeh Jason can dance, i have been in a few shows with him back at school and i agree he is one day gunna be a star :P And the school wouldnt even let him do drama in year 12 cause it clashed with maths..... Just another thing about the show and im hoping that this doesnt spoil anything but what do you think about the very end and the audience participation, going to work or not going to work at mpac?

Yes!!!!! yes!!!!!!! It worked so well - I think the show really made the audience want to get up and rock themselves and this ending allowed us to get up and head bang too!!!!!

Here it is, 5 days after seeing Mandurah Little Theatre's production of WE WILL ROCK YOU and I am searching for downloads (legal of course!!!) of Queen's music and reliving the show in my mind! As an avid theatre goer, performer and aspiring drama teacher the production had all the things that make me shiver - talented young people loving being up on stage (my passion for the future);dedication and raw energy! Due to family links with a certain casti member (of whom I'm very proud of!!! You CAN do the fandango sister!!! ahh thats my subtle disclaimer too) I had the privilege of seeing the show twice on Saturday - the matinee and night show. I left enthused after the matinee and pretty impressed with most of the casti. But Saturday night ROCKED! Karen Francis would have loved to watch just how much the audiencei adored her casti and her vision but she's humble and allows her casti to recieve all the adoration. Here's some for you now. This has not been the easiest of journeys but wow what a destination! I hope that Mandurah Performing Arts Centre now has the vision to involve you in their inhouse productions. Your attention to the smallest of details shines through. Your ability to casti is inspirational and the results you create and mould are memorable. Each of your shows are displaying a development that Mandurah is so lucky to have. Jason Arrow (Galileo) - a perfect name, as this boy is shooting for the stars and will reach them with the power of a flaming arrow! Sorry to be corny! He "has it all" talent, looks and an onstage presence that makes the audiencei drool - from 8 year olds to 88 year olds. Your delivery of Ben Elton's fabulous script was brave and it worked! Your voice flexible and so right for the part. Have you thought of auditioning for "RENT"? Sky Ogier (Scaramouche) - to watch your journey has been amazing- your guts and passion is tangible. So proud of you - a very worthy lead role. Your characterisation of Scaramouche was hilarious and strong, your voice gutsy. Loved your costumes too! Ali Hill (Meat) & Shem Le Scelle (Britney) were the perfect couple - so believable and lovable. Ali your voice is crystal clear and your character adorable. Shem the difference between the matinee performance and the night was amazing - you showed just how much talent you have in there in the final performance. Keep that consistency because you are a strong presence on stage and will be remembered well if you maintain it. Scott Hansen (Pop) can't be forgotten either- loved your characterisation which knitted the show together. A quick congratulations must be made to Cail Bennet (Cliff Richard) for his characterisation after the Bohos were "zapped", fabulous intensity which you maintained throughout the rest of the show. That is hard going! For any other company that is thinking of applying for WWRU and can get onto the extremely long waiting list of proposed productions - this show is a must if you have a large group of passionate young performers. The dialogue is clever and appeals to a wide audiencei - the music goes without need of explanation as simply sensational. MTC's seti (very reminiscent of Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" seti) proved that it can be done with simplicity and ingenuity. This show is written to embrace a whole new generation of theatre lovers and to remind present adorers just what we want to see!! Congratulations Mandurah Little Theatre - you battled through the usual microphone issues of MPAC with grace. I have never seen an MPAC audiencei so impassioned, invigorated and refreshed by such a display of local talent and passion. Congrats to you all! Rebekah Ozanne

I would like to offer my congratulations to the cast and crew of We Will Rock You. This show was a massive undertaking for a community theatre group and you truly exceeded all of my expectations. Specific congratulations must go to your four leads. Jason Arrow owned the role of Galileo from the moment he stepped on stage, Sky Ogier gave a gutsy, honest and compelling interpretation of Scaramouche and Shem Le Scelle and Ali Hill gave the perfect energy to Britney Spears and Miss Loaf respectively. I have worked with both Jason and Shem in previous shows and the two of them should be immensely proud of what they achieved during this show - true professionality. Sky and Ali were unknowns to me, but I look forward to seeing what they may offer in the future! As with all productions, there were a few areas in which I would have liked to have seen more development. The set, while effective, did not enhance the show. More dressing of the scaffolding would have achieved this - particularly during the scenes in the Heartbreak Hotel. Also - as is so often the case when a band plays from on-stage - the sound was somewhat disappointing as at times I struggled to hear the vocals. Responsibilty falls on both the performers and the crew here. Performers must remember to give enough to the microphone - it is very difficult to amplify nothing! For the crew - keep on top of those cues and watch the differing levels for different performers who may end up using a particular microphone. Okay, now to the choreography. Impeccable! This was a true highlight of this show for me! The routines were spectacular, but more importantly the execution was damn near perfect! And given the sheer size of the cast, that is unbelievably commendable! Congratulations to the choreo team for your innovative routines and for drilling your cast to the point that they got it perfect. Kudos to the performers for working your collective butts off to achieve something so seldom seen in community theatre! A final word in regards to energy. I'm not a fan of the script of this show - I think it lacks the edge of most of Ben Elton's work - however the energy given by the cast helped to really lift the script off the page! I have seen innumerable performances at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, (and have been in a fair few myself) and NEVER have I seen an audience respond so positively and energetically to a show. Everything else aside - every single person involved in this show needs to give themselves a HUGE pat on the back - your audience LOVED it - me included! And at the end of the day - it's the audiences reaction that matters ;) I would like to close with special mention for Ben Hewson, the boy who played Cliff Richard and the female back-up singer (I believe her name is Annie) who also gave stand out performances. Brava Mandurah Little Theatre, BRAVA! I look forward to your next musical offering :) Darren

Just wanted to give the name of the guy that played Cliff Richard. It was Cail Bennett. He had only a couple of lines (although in many scenes) but his character was fantastic. Just goes to show that one doesn't need to be a Lead actors to shine. You can shine no matter how small the role. I would like to say a big congratulations to the chorus who always seem to be forgotten in reviews. You were amazing. The dancing was brilliant, the energy exhausting and exhilarating. I was informed after the show that they were plagued with injury and illness (food poisoning, flu, knee, back and ankle problems). I would never have suspected by their performance. Apparently there were only a handful of trained dancers among the 45 chorus members. And they weren't all young. The average age was 17 to 26 and 40 to 58 and they all danced fantastically. Again Congrats to the chorus. Jasper

To be honest i saw WWRY at MPAC at it was the worst show i have ever seen! it was worse than grease! maybe the director should have seen the show before she directed it because it was crap no idea at all! but must say nice use of an old set... not!!! and im very sorry but the gay teen queens were just wrong!!!!!!!! the 'sex' was just not needed!!! if your going to do it do it well!!!! not some half ass go at trying to do something like that...... get leads who can sing... and brit was very much like captain feathersword!! very good priate not very good britany!!! no need for the madonna boobs!! just wrong.. lighting was shit! no idea at all in such a great venue.... killer queen weak weak weak weak... that all i have for now.. next time have a think about how you are going to stage it before you try and stage another show!!!

Wow, that was an interesting review! And I'd like to say BRAVO on the bravery of writing that review anonymously! Well done! But that's not for here... I'd like to address a few of the points you brought up. I would also like to state that I was NOT in WWRY - so I'm defending a show I saw, not one I performed in! You say: "maybe the director should have seen the show before she directed it" Clearly you have very limited ideas yourself. When I direct, I prefer to do it my own way, rather than copy another director's ideas. Karen did a great job of getting the actors to embody their characters. The blocking was clean and never superfluous. The direction also incorporated the set in an effective manner. Well Done. You say: "nice use of an old set... not!!!" I'm guessing from this comment that the set used for WWRY was also used for another show. So what! I'm sure you realise that community theatre's have limited budgets and that it is common practice to re-use materials and even entire set pieces. (This is also very good for the environment - a conservationists award to MLT - BRAVO!) While I personally would have liked to have seen more done with the set - particularly in the way of dressing it for the different scenes - I think it was cleverly utilised and suited the production that was put on. You say: "and im very sorry but the gay teen queens were just wrong!!!!!!!!" Correct me if I'm wrong, but one of the themes presented by this show is the androgynous nature of humanity in the future. In which case, categorisation by sexuality is somewhat non-existant... Or are you simply homophobic then?? The "gay teen queens" as you put it were not wrong, you just didn't like them. You are entitled to your opinion, just as the director is entitled to direct her production the way she wants to. I thought the "gay teen queens" worked quite well! You say: "the 'sex' was just not needed!!! if your going to do it do it well!!!! not some half ass go at trying to do something like that......" I can only guess that you are referring to the scene at the beginning of act II where Galileo and Scaramouche get intimate? I personally felt that this scene was extremely well directed. I got nothing but passion and tenderness from the performance I saw. Congrats to Karen, Jason and Sky for tastefully portraying that part of the script! You say: "get leads who can sing" Wow! At this stage I would just like to say that you are wrong here. The leads for this show sang exceptionally well. All of the professional singers I have spoken to re this production agree with me as well. What singing experience do you have?? Jason Arrow's vocals were impeccable! The rest of the leads (and here I include Scaramouche, Meat, Brit, Pop, K Queen, and all other solo vocalists) were also fantastic. I counted maybe 3 missed notes throughout the entire show - which is less than I counted while watching RESPECT with Rhonda Burchmore last week! You say: "and brit was very much like captain feathersword!! very good priate not very good britany!!!" All I can say here is that I disagree. I have seen the Wiggles perform several times (I have god-children who love them) and I saw no resemblance between Cptn Feathersword and Shem Le Scelle's performance of Brit. He was gutsy, energetic and VERY masculine. Bravo Shem! You say: "no need for the madonna boobs!! just wrong" You must be very young to not know that Madonna wore costumes like that quite often during her early career. The Bohemians in the show got their names and costumes from magazine clippings they found - I say it then follows that as a Bohemian living more than 500 years after Madonna performed it is reasonable that he would have emulated the costume. You say: "lighting was shit! no idea at all in such a great venue...." Really?? We must have seen different performances! The lighting on the night I went was quite good. Not perfect, but very good. Kudos to the tech crew. It's difficult to adapt a lighting design to 3 different rigs in 3 VERY different venues, so well done to you! You say: "killer queen weak weak weak weak..." Carole Dhu - by her own admission - has said to me that she was not completely right for the part. HOWEVER, I think she did an okay job. Personally, I would have preferred a bigger woman with a gutsier voice, but Carole pulled the role off convincingly enough! You say: "next time have a think about how you are going to stage it before you try and stage another show!!!" This is just a silly comment to make. There was clearly a lot of thought put into how this production would be staged. MLT toured this show to 3 venues, all of them different sizes and with capabilities miles apart. The Kwinana Community Arts Centre theatre is about half the size of MPAC (I have never performed in the Bunbury Ent. Centre but have been told that it is much different again) so in order to make the show work in all 3 venues (and believe me, it DID work in all 3 venues) they had to put in A LOT of thought! At the end of the day, I find your review juvenile and completely un-constructive! And the fact that you were afraid to put your own name to it is so Cowardly - perhaps I should give the role I recently received as the Cowardly Lion in MPAC's Wizard of Oz to you... Actually, no, I wouldn't put any of the hard-working, dedicated crew that are involved in that production through that! I challenge you to admit who you are on this public forum and to give a bit of back-bone to your comments. You are more than entitled to have negative comments (although I doubt many people would agree with you) but you need to give a bit of backup with that, otherwise I for one will not take you seriously! Regards Darren Bilston

That is pretty harsh review with very little justification...I saw the show on its opening night down in bunbury and then its closing night at MPAC. "maybe the director should have seen the show before she directed it" That statement pretty much supports the idea of the show does it not, if a director copies the show that was put on originally then would not every single show that is produced turn out the same, like the world presented in the show? "nice use of an old seti... not!!!" While I agree that the set was quite plain i do believe it worked well for the show, having to transport it between three different venues. I do think that in the 2 shows i saw it looked quite similar something which should be typical of something that tours. And does it matter whether it was reused I agree with Darren, well done for resuing it, better for the environment and a way to keep the costs down. Being from a school environment we do this all the time, so I don't see how this is an issue. "and im very sorry but the gay teen queens were just wrong!!!!!!!!" If you liked the original so much surely you woulda hve realised they were slightly camp in that too were they not? "the 'sex' was just not needed!!! if your going to do it do it well!!!! not some half ass go at trying to do something like that......" I think that this scene/transition was presented extremely well, for all of the comedic action around it, it still contained the sensuality that was required. "get leads who can sing" Hahaha, thats goot be a joke. I have talked to many people who saw the show multiple times and quite a few of them think that the cast was a whole load stronger vocally than the professional production that toured and to that I must agree. Jason Arrow has an amazing voice and so does Sky, and when the girl playing Meat sung the slow song (sorry i cant recall the name) i was almost in tears!!! I think the whole cast was amazing vocally. "and brit was very much like captain feathersword!! very good priate not very good britany!!!" I think Shem played this character extremely well, while his vocal ability wasn't at the level of everyone else his characterisation I think was spot on. "no need for the madonna boobs!! just wrong" All I'll say....historical reference? "lighting was shit! no idea at all in such a great venue...." As something I am really passionate about, I'd like to say that this show (as far as I know) didnt have a dedicated lighting designer, it was a case of using the ideas of the director and the skills of the in house techies at each venue, I think in Bunbury the lighting was shocking but by the time it got to MPAC it had improved greatly, I do believe that had the lighting been any more complex it would have detracted from the show. A show with a simple set needs simple lighting, this obviously wasnt a show with a huge budget for visuals but what it lacked in them it made up in talent in the cast. You say: "killer queen weak weak weak weak..." Now to this i agree slightly, I dont think she was as weak as you say but it was the decision of the director to place her in this role, I do however also think that this characters was type cast as a larger person with a big belting voice. I do commend carole however for giving it her all and i still reckon she did do a great job "next time have a think about how you are going to stage it before you try and stage another show!!!" I think you need to think about your reviews before posting them... I think the cast and crew of this show need a massive round of applause, and BRAVO to you all!

Tisk, Tisk Tisk. Sounds Like someone has their nose out of joint. Maybe instead of spiting venom (undeserved) you should spend your time more constructively, like working on your personal issues. Jasper

I must say that I am a regular reader of these boards but this is the first time I have been compelled to post anything. The above review angered me greatly. I saw this production in the Kwinana Theatre and was so impressed that I encouraged my sister and her children to also see the show when it moved to the Mandurah Theatre. My sister was able to take her 3 children along because of the low ticket price. Thank you to both venues for keeping prices low. Anyway, back to the above review which I was initially posting about. I think I hear more jealousy then justified reviewing. Your review will be looked upon as being sour grapes and nothing else. If you are going to make a negative review about a show then at least show that you know what you're talking about.

If people like or dislike a show I think it great that they express the reason why. This is the whole essence of reviews, to give feedback to all concerned. The very negative review up above is completely unconstructive. This person gave an opinion without giving the justification behind it. Every production will get a bad review no matter how good it is, and from what I have read here it looks as though it was a really good show (a pity I could not see it due to work commitments) but this reviewer who spouts negativity is being drowned out by the positive people. :) "No mater how deep the darkness is, it can never extinguish the light of a candle" Well done guys and hopefully I will be able to make my way down next production. ;) Keep Smiling :) David Green DRAGON FILMS www.davidgreenenterprises.com

Ok! Fair enough I did not back up my comments... But some of the things that I commented on could have been changed or tweaked to make the show a little more interesting and enjoyable to the audience... I have seen many community theatre shows where they have reused sets and costumes but have may them a little different and more suiting to the show at hand. I felt that the set for WWRY was boring and not interesting at all… Instead of being futuristic the set looked as if it was made quickly in someone’s shed, it was also painted white!? White just looked wrong and would have looked much better black or sliver.. Much more forgiving!!! In saying that I thought the director should have seen the show, I feel they didn’t get some of the show i.e. the start of the show I felt the direction was wrong the comedy should have come from the dialogue not what he was doing to make it funny. Also I feel the characters Madonna etc should have been funny because it was such a large man named Madonna and not because he had such big boobs………. You say: “You say:
"nice use of an old seti... not!!!"
I'm guessing from this comment that the seti used for WWRY was also used for another show. So what! I'm sure you realize that community theatre's have limited budgets and that it is common practice to re-use materials and even entire seti pieces. (This is also very good for the environment - a conservationists award to MLT - BRAVO!) While I personally would have liked to have seen more done with the seti - particularly in the way of dressing it for the different scenes - I think it was cleverly utilised and suited the production that was put on.” I agree with you in saying that you have liked more done with the set! Yes! I found it too boring!!! You say “You say:
"and im very sorry but the gay teen queens were just wrong!!!!!!!!"
Correct me if I'm wrong, but one of the themes presented by this show is the androgynous nature of humanity in the future. In which case, categorisation by sexuality is somewhat non-existant... Or are you simply homophobic then?? The "gay teen queens" as you put it were not wrong, you just didn't like them. You are entitled to your opinion, just as the director is entitled to direct her production the way she wants to. I thought the "gay teen queens" worked quite well! I feel the teen queens didn’t work well, because they should have been female and male clones, therefore there should have been all female… no I’m not homophobic far from it, I feel it just didn’t work! And the waxing scene was just wrong! It wasn’t needed... it was made very gay instead of being something out of clueless or mean girls if you know what I mean… No I wasn’t wrong about saying about the cast couldn’t sing. I thought the only one that sang well was Meat. I too out of all the All of the professional singers I have spoken to re this production agree with me as well! Im sorry but by you saying that brit could sing is wrong… he spoke most of his lyrics!!! And Gary’s character Commander Khashoggi had his songs taken off him by the other cast or chorus members…….. He also played a greasy character (as always) instead of a clean cut, smart, wise assistant. Yes I do believe brit was very much like captain Feathersword!! Very good pirate not very good Brittany!!! And you may disagree and I too have seen the wiggles but I did hear a resemblance between Cptn Feathersword and Shem Le Scelle's performance of Brit. He may have looked gutsy, energetic and VERY masculine. But sorry sounded like Cptn Feathersword!!! Yes the lighting wasn’t that great! No idea at all in such a great venue...."
 and yes really!! I did say that and we may have seen different performances! But the lighting on the night I went was too bright for this show and all the same states!!! Nothing different or interesting. It was way way way too bright for this kind of show, it should have been much darker and dull until they found the guitar, which is their kind of Holy Grail!!! Understand??? I don’t think that would have been too difficult to adapt a lighting design to 3 different rigs in 3 VERY different venues??? Yes killer queen weak weak weak weak.. and yes Carole Dhu - by her own admission – I bet has said to you that she was not completely right for the part. Then she should have done it!!! Yes I too Personally, I would have preferred a bigger woman with a gutsier voice. Yes next time I do believe that MLT should have a think about how they are going to stage it before you try and stage another show!!!"
 I don’t believe it is silly. There may have been a lot of thought put into how this production would be staged. But I think with how long they had for rehearsals they should have been able to produce an more interesting show that wasn’t the same through out… it didn’t grow and keep the audience interested… in saying that things could have been changed a little to create a more professional show ie costume, sound, lx, props, and set.. Just if they thought about how all these areas work together with some kind of design it would have been fine! But it felt as if they went to some community theatre jumble sale… MLT shouldn’t have toured this show to 3 venues, all of them different sizes and with capabilities miles apart. If they couldn’t have handled it I feel they should have taken it on and focus on one venue and more shows? yes The Kwinana Community Arts Centre theatre is about half the size of MPAC.. So that in its self should say to the producers do one show in one venue or in another venue that is around the same size to create a high standard show. Why should I put my name on my review??? It may be in your eyes Cowardly. And no I wont take your part in wizard instead I will see you at rehearsals on the 1st!!! And no you wont be putting the hard-working, dedicated crew that are involved in that production through that because the crew there are great! And know a lot about community theatre… Regards, Bomber

Bomber, Thanks for responding with some construcive comments as opposed to your initial review. I still disagree with you and stand by my comments, but that's life - you're entitled to your opinion just as I am entitled to mine. I look forward to meeting you at rehearsals on the 1st of October - I hope working together won't be difficult after our on-line "discussion." Please review like you just did in the future - you'll find that people will take on commentary like that - whereas your initial review just sounded liek sour grapes. Keep it real - and email me (bedlam34@hotmail.com) I'm keen to know who you are! Darren

Just a note to Bomber. I'm sure Shayne and Troy who do the lighting and sound at MPAC, who did the lighting and sound for WWRY, who have done the lighting and sound for most of the MPAC shows and who will more that likley be doing the lighting and sound for the Wizard of OZ would be very interested for you to tell them how they should be doing their jobs. After all they are only professionals who have been working in the industry for many years. I'm sure they would be captivated by your expertise. Jasper

Bomber, I don’t know who you are but clearly you don’t really know that much about theatre, and if you are involved in theatre productions you maybe should do some research about it before criticizing other peoples work. One, although the set wasn’t the best it could have been, but seeing as though they needed to build something to withstand all 3 theatres, they didn’t do that badly, but the set nor costumes were old, they were all made for this production with what funds they did have. Maybe not up to your standards but this is community theatre, they have to work with what budget they have. Also as most would know with lighting like what they had, the best colour for the set was white for the beams from the lighting would not have shown with a black set or even may have been reflected with the silver. “The sex was just not needed, if your going to do it do it well”, I found it appropriate, sensual and intimate. what would you have preferred, the leads to get down and dirty? It wasn’t a scene to show two people having sex; it was to show the intimacy and feelings that they shared. I thought it was very well done, Bravo! All the leads were brilliant, Galileo, sacra, meat, they all did brilliant. As for you saying that Meat was the only one who could sing, I think you might not have actually heard Jason Arrow, but this comment might be made out of jealousy? Brittany (shem le Scelle) I feel during the MPAC shows on the sat, he did amazingly well. For someone who has never thought about singing before apart from chorus, he has come a long way. Though I do not know where you get the idea for Capt. Feather sword, Brit didn’t sound like a pirate and the only resemblance I could fathom would be they both have husky voices. I think in the area of singing, it was fantastic. “I thought the director should have seen the show, I feel they didn’t get some of the show i.e. the start of the show I felt the direction was wrong the comedy should have come from the dialogue…” Fair enough, the dialogue was funny, would you have preferred them to stand on stage and just say the dialogue? Have no character? Not act at all? Your not supposed to stand on stage and present the dialogue… its called acting, you do other stuff apart from talk! And with Madonna, I don’t think you get the fact that Madonna used to wear big breast cups, and even so, it just adds to it being funny. Which is funnier, a big mad called Madonna, or a big man with large cones as breasts? They were supposed to have gotten their clothing ideas from old scraps of magazines, it’s the irony! As for the Teen queens and the waxing scene, Get a grip! I don’t see what was wrong with it other than it was two males with some of the dialogue. I don’t get what your problem is with that. The waxing scene… I think you watch too much movies, if you didn’t notice, I think you may have been the only one in the audience not laughing at that! With your lighting remark, do you actually realize that it was the MPAC who did that? I’m sure troy and Shane would be very interested to know who you are! Actually… I think they are doing the lighting for the wizard of oz would they not? Good luck with that. “But I think with how long they had for rehearsals they should have been able to produce an more interesting show that wasn’t the same through out… it didn’t grow and keep the audience interested” I really don’t know which show you were watching coz I think that the whole 3 weeks… 4 standing ovations is pretty good! 2 of which at the MPAC funnily enough. “MLT shouldn’t have toured this show to 3 venues, all of them different sizes and with capabilities miles apart. If they couldn’t have handled it I feel they should have taken it on and focus on one venue and more shows” I don’t believe they had a problem with 3 different venues, don’t criticize what you have no idea about. Pretty much you obviously have no sense of entertainment, humor or back bone come to think of it. There were a lot of things that could have been slightly improved but over all it was a fantastic show and me and my family loved it. Maybe you should think about staying away from seeing productions if you’re going to buy a ticket, sit there and pick out every little think that isn’t up to your standards instead of watching the play. Coming to this show in particular with the expectations of seeing what you have seen in the professional show was just stupid; every good director knows not to watch the same show before working on it for you won’t put in your own vision, and who wants to do exactly what someone else has done. But yes take my advice and don’t criticize anyone till you actually know one or 2 things about theatre. For it being a community theatre production it was amazing. Well done guys!

Thanks Dan65 and Co To be honest I think you have no idea!!!??? To all of you on here get a grip! I clearly was just saying what I didn’t like... Am I not allowed to say what I didn’t like? I don’t have to like it... you have to be able to expect the things the audience didnt like... I wasn’t trying to make it a personal attack... but clearly you were.... you have no idea what experience I have... and by saying "But yes take my advice and don’t criticize anyone till you actually know one or 2 things about theatre" what is that meant to mean....? I have 14 yrs experience in theatre and have been to drama school (WAAPA/NIDA). Sooooo? How much do I need in experience before I can comment about a community theatre show I have seen? To be honest I don’t believe I need to say why I didn’t like it... if some one comes to see my show and doesn't like it they are entitled to their opion and dont have to jutify it to me!!! And the comment I may about MPAC Crew was: And no you won’t be putting the hard-working, dedicated crew that are involved in that production through that because the crew there are great! And know a lot about community theatre… GREAT.... Did you read that? GREAT!!! What I didn’t like about the lighting was it was too bright and happy the whole way through... like i said before it should have got bright at the end instead of being the same the whole way through... and I didnt say any thign bad about shane or troy.. I just didn’t like Karen’s design... which she designed... Shane would have just plotted what she wanted!!!! And yes Shane and troy will be working on the shows just like all of the shows I have done there..... I just don’t think you got the point... I did not compare it to the pro version because that would have just been silly... I just didn’t like it.... simple... But I do look forward to seeing Sinbad and hoping I have a better experience with MLT..... Even though I didn’t like their show I still support them by buying a ticket to every show they do... so may be you should have a think about that!!! Regards Bomber....

Just one more thing.. You may not agree with what i said!!! But by saying on other websites that I'm a d*#k head and I'm a moron and telling people to agree with what you say..just because i said i didnt like something i dont believe its very fair!!! I think that is worse than me putting my name on a review!!! dont you...?

Thank goodness someone has had the courage to speak the truth about WWRY... i completely agree with a lot of the things mentioned by bomber. I saw the show on the saturday show at mandurah and felt it was lacking in the mentioned aspects. Though there were some good aspects of the show i felt that, unfortunately, the bad ruined it for me... The band looked really bored and were spread out too much upstage. OH&S, i agree about the motor vehicle fumes in a poorly ventilated area and also jusmping off such a high structure. I felt the character Killer Queen needed to be developed much more as a powerful, strong and intimidating woman! Overall the character development lacked, i felt as though i couldn't really engage with them as an audience member, making it harder to relate to them and the storyline. The lighting in the show was too bright and at times looked like it belonged in a dancing festival- not a theatre production! In terms of the set, it needed to be more interesting- it didn't look futuristic and looked like, as mentioned before, that it was made in someones backyard shed. Also, white just looked wrong... I didn't like how the fourth wall was broken towards the end of the show. The actors weren't very humble- giving themselves an encore before the audience were able to react... which happened to be quite long(the encore)... it kinda felt like a highschool production.. it wasn't one of MLT's best! regards, DFS

But you didn't put your name on your review! It's passed the point now though - I've said that I think your second review was fine because it wasn't a slag off of the show, it was a review. As I also said, I still don't agree with you, but you ARE entitled to your opinion. My apologies for the posting on a mates myspace - that was my prerogative and came from my dis-like of un-costructive reviews. To be honest, I DID think that you were a d&%$head and a moron at that point - I rescind the comment because you've given some backbone to your thoughts. Thanks :) However, I still think you're a gutless wonder for not saying who you are when you post. That's my opinion, I'm entitled to it just like you are entitled to not like a particular show! I will say that experience tells me people don't get angry if you say bad things about their show as long as you say why you thought it was bad. You seem to be hiding behind a pseudonym so that nobody will be cranky at you during up-coming shows... I think you need to grow up and own your opinions. But then, once again, that's MY opinion so I s'pose I should just let it be. I will say this - Wizard rehearsals will be a fun process won't they... See you on the 1st, whoever you are... Darren

I haven't been on Theatre Australia website for ages but after seeing quite a few community theatre shows recently I thought it would be nice to check out some of the reviews and info on up-coming shows. Wow the last couple of reviews have gone out of hand....? I think it is great to see some of my friends in the show... I thought they did a great job and they know who they are!!! I would have liked to have seen a bit more set and costumes though and in regards to lighting i agree with DFS. It did look kind of like a dance fest........ But all in all it was a good show, that displayed the talents of young locals... Yes Darren it will be an interesting 1st rehearsal wont it....? :S I look forward to coming back to this website to check out the daily updates? P.s Darren congrats on the lion...

Bomber, You really need to get your facts straight before criticizing a show so harshly. I don’t want to sound immature (which is something I’m sure you didn’t consider) but you’re an idiot. I was in the MLT production of WWRY and I would like to set you straight with some insider information. Some of the things I mention may have already been said but maybe if more people tell you, it will sink in. I in no way loved the show completely, there were things that I hated about it but none of these things were the points that you brought up. 1. We did not reuse any costumes or sets. I’m going to assume when you refer to the “reused set” your talking about the set from The Bridge. Just to let you know this is a brand new set made specifically for this show. This set WAS built in a shed by a very sweet man who did not get paid to do it because unlike some of the bigger amateur companies MLT doesn’t have a huge budget. All of the costumes used were either made by the cast or family members, which means we paid for them, especially the bohemian costumes. The set was painted white because when we shone colored lights on it they would show up. Black absorbs color and silver reflects it so neither of these colors would have suited. Also early on the idea of using black lights to create a UV effect was suggested another reason for the white. 2. The director did not watch any of the show before hand because she wanted to create her own version of the show which is what we were told to do when we got the rights to the play. Other people have explained this already so I won’t. 3. If the teen queens should have been male and female clones, so they should have been all females how does this make sense. Also how presumptuous of you to assume that the two males in these roles were gay, perhaps because of the world they were living in they were just simply cocky and flamboyant. 4. I also feel as if I should defend the fantastic voices of Jason, Sky and Shem. Jason has a beautiful voice and is incredibly talented. He was very sick and actually lost his voice during out Kwinana performances but he continued to sing and give the show his all, for you to turn around and say that the only person in the cast that could sing was meat is outrageous. Sky has also been gifted with a fantastic rock voice. If you have seen the professional show, you understand that this particular character is not girly, or pretty. She is tough, and as such her voice should follow suit. Shem is not a professional singer, nor does he claim to be, but he was the best person to play Britney. Likening him to a pirate is idiotic and immature, he, like a pirate wore a bandana and like a pirate had a very recognizable character. So in those two aspects I would take it as a compliment, but cptn feather sword is a bumbling idiot with a relatively high voice so how you can compare this to a strong, incredibly masculine and gravely voice I’m just not sure. 5. The lighting at MPAC was done by professionals enough said. We did not have a devoted lighting crew we used the people we could at the venues we had. In regards to your comment that it couldn’t have been that hard to adapt the lighting please let me correct you. Kwinana arts center is a small center with no where near as much equipment as Bunbury or Mandurah, so doing a completely different lighting plan was necessary and again we did the best we could with what we had. 6. Saying that a bigger woman with a gutsier voice would have been preferred for killer queen, now I am a larger girl but am by no means huge and yet I have a very gutsy voice but I can also sing well with most soprano singers. Are you suggesting that only bigger women will have the gutsier voices. You say that you’ve seen the professional show where killer queen was played by a bigger black woman, I’m sorry but we are not the professional show, so we are not going to do the same things as them. At no point did you mention how she portrayed the character a strong business woman running the entire planet. Maybe focus on the acting and not the size of the woman. 7. We were rehearsing for longer than most other plays would and I will get a little defensive here, but we worked our asses off. To say that we should have put more thought into what we were doing is detestable. Not to blow my own horn but we had standing ovations for most of the shows we performed and I believe we were able to captivate the audience throughout. If we hadn’t we wouldn’t have had people laughing at jokes or clapping after songs and scenes. I’m not quite sure why this hasn’t sunk in so ill put it in capitals WE ARE A SMALL THEATER AND WE DON’T HAVE A HUGE BUDGET so for this reason we cant have state of the art effects, we cant rent our costumes from the professional show and the props and sets we have are what we can create ourselves. 8. I don’t want to offend anyone from MPAC but if I do, I don’t really care. I notice that they have toured none of the shows at MPAC. We were up some nights until 1 in the morning packing up the sets and sometimes in the rain to transport them from venue to venue. Some people like my grandmother live closer to Bunbury than Mandurah so it is easier and cheaper for her to see shows there, now are you saying that we shouldn’t show different areas our show, that people should come to Mandurah and no where else. Also the cast of the show have now got the experience of working in 3 different fantastic venues. How many have you performed in? The shows that we put on in Bunbury and Kwinana were as high a standard as the shows we performed in Mandurah. That is all I have to say on that and hopefully it has opened your eyes to some different things. Perhaps and this is just a suggestion you should take part in some productions in the lower budget companies and then you would understand how much we really put into this show. I sign this review with my name and my age, not to shove in your face and not because I was in the show, but because I am proud of the show that we created and in spite of your review would happily do it again even if that meant performing for you again. Cherie L 18 years old

Before I write this I would like to state that I am NOT a representing the Mandurah Little Theatre. This is the log in that I use to do their posts for their advertising. Wow! What a lot of fuss. I agree that everyone is entitled to their opinion. Bomber I think that the way you expressed yourself (words like worst and crap) in your first post is what created this explosion of posts. There were things that I liked and things that I didn’t like, but that is my view and I am not going to defend or slam the show WWRY or any of the posts. I was involved in the show and just wanted to give a little info. The set was new. It might have been viewed as being similar to the one used in the Bridge. And again I am not going to defend or slam the decisions made in the show. One of the main objectives of doing this show was to raise funds for the Freddy Mercury Foundation for Aids Research. The Mandurah Little Theatre doesn’t make any money from this show all Profits go to the Foundation. There was a lot of cost cutting done with this show as the less cost the more that could be raised for the Foundation. Maybe this could have been mentioned in the program and this is probably my fault as I did the program. (For Example the set. The original design for the set was going to cost around another three thousand dollars.) There was a very tight budget for this show and sometimes if is difficult to judge making a profit. Personally I do agree that the dressing of the set could have been improved but I also do agree with trying to get away with as much or as little as possible to cut costs when your objective is to raise funds for something as important as Aids Research. While I am here I will mention that the Mandurah Little Theatre has on many occasions supported community groups and events. They have been involved in raising funds and awareness for Youth at Risk, Youth Homelessness and Youth Suicide. They also run a program where community organizations can sponsor a night of a production. This basically means that a group covers the basic cost for a night of a production and the community organization gets the profits (I’m not sure if it is a full profit or a split) At the moment the theatre has two bands and a youth performance group that they support by giving free rehearsal space in exchange for them performing at a club night. This information may seem to some superfluous but the theatre is a club that is first and for most active for its key stakeholders (members and community) and does try to live up to its name ‘Little Theatre’. ( little theater: a small theater for experimental drama or collegiate or community groups). Personally I would like to see experimental theatre in the Peel region. It is not the sort of stuff that is appreciated by the masses but it is great to get the creative juices buzzing and mix with people that can think outside the box. I believe that Creativity is the last frontier of the true anti-discipline. Creativity in the region seems to dictate a discipline imposed by pleasing audiences. But that is just my opinion. Anyway, moving along, I’m sure that everyone is over it now. And we all know what it is like in theatre, usually more drama going on off the stage than on, But we all still love it. MWA JennyFer

This thread is longer than War and Peace. I really liked your comments Jennifer. I think people should make exceptions for community theatre. They should not be judged on the same merits of a professional show. They have a lot of restrictions, which mostly relates to finances. Troy and Shane have always done a wonderful job. They're an asset to the theatre. Looking forward to seeing a MPAC show. It has been a while.

Thanks Daniel. Am looking forward to seeing your play at the festivals this coming weekend. JennyFer

While I'm here and since so many people seem to be into this thread at the moment. Do yourself a favour and get to the Drama Festivals this weekend at the Garrick Theatre. I am amazed at how many people I speak to who don't know that they are on. I think the Festivals are the highlight of the year. Go to: Forum - Billboard. The program is towards the bottom of the first page or could be on the second page depending on how many other posts are written between now and when you look. This is a great weekend of Theatre. JennyFer

wow. I personally didnt see WWRY but I would like to congratulate them for producing such a show at all. PEOPLE NEED TO STEP BACK AND REALISE COMMUNITY THEATRE IS MADE UP OF vounteers. People who give up their time and energy for the good of the community. Please show some respect for these great citizens who are contributing to the entertainmant of the public and the education of the participants. Dont confuse professionals who do theatre for the monetary reward with Community theatre people who do it for the love of theatre. To Bomber ...you may have learned some acting skills at waapa or nida, now please enjoy being in community theatre and learn some people skills and how to communicate your opinions respectfully. Huge Pats on the back to all volunteers in every community theatre every where. xxxxx

Thanks Walter Plinge and co I will take that little note on, and will practice my 'people skills'.... But I just simply wanted to express the things I did not like in the show community theatre or not, there is still a paying customer (be it $2, $20, $200). maybe some of my choice words were a little harsh but I just thought it wasn't the best show I have seen and just really disappointed... maybe next time I will think about the 'review' but I do believe it wasn't that 'great'.. In regards to the set etc if you are going to donate money to a charity and that is the reason for lack of set etc then I do believe it would be a good idea the people who are actually helping you in helping that charity by putting it on posters etc.... and maybe if your going to do it for a fund raiser don’t have a set so you could give more money away... I just don’t understand why you a trying to justify your show to me... when clearly I’m not the only one that didn't like the show... your always going to get people who like it and people who don’t... audience members don’t have to give you a reason why they didn’t like it.... and not all audience members who go to see shows are involved in the theatre and may not like something just because they don’t like it!!! I think you have all done the same as I have done to you in picking out the 'bad things' I picked out the bad things in your show and you picked out the bad things in my comments... So I think it is equal and will leave it at that... Good luck with future ventures... Regards Bomber

Goodness me! I really wish I could be a fly on the wall at Wizard rehearsals... please someone start a conversation about WWRY ! And to the cast and crew - they say ALL publicity is good. Your show obviously brought out a lot of passion. Great to see people engaging in lively conversations about theatre! To not do so would be to become Ga-Ga kids! Rebekah ps: interestingly in watching recent footage of the London version they too revert to hand held mics for song and back to radio mics for the dialogue.

Just wonderful to see such a massive discussion about WWRY. I only take it as a compliment that you all feel so deeply to make comment and I mean ALL OF YOU.....!!! yes i am one one those hard working volunteers involved in the show and am currently up to "me" neck in Sinbad rehearsals I just feel i need to give a cyber pat on the back to all those involved in WWRY Especially Karen Francis, who is talented,amazing,devoted,passionate and PATIENT till the end, someone who would Never utter anything but an encouraging word about MLT ,MPAC or ANY other theatres performances . AFTER every performance, at least 25 individual people and or groups of people remarked to me the following 1. the show rivalled the international ben elton production 2. best show i have EVER seen 3. please pass on my congratulations to the cast, we were absolutely spelbound or enchanted or amazed and other adjectives 4.you sure as heck rocked us you get the picture...and as i said that was every show to me personally every other cast member experienced similar gestures AND DAT DER IS THE FACTS !!!! nice day everyone :)

I haven't been able to catch up with Jason (Gallieo) to tell him I enjoyed his final performance. He was the one actor on stage I felt that worked thoroughly on his lyrics/licks/pitch. Instumentalists work things through all the time yet many vocalists "just want to sing father..." He still threw in Hip-Hop moves & licks & deserves a slap. :-? Can't export him just yet then. I'd encourage all the cast to keep enjoying the theatre & any who have an inkling to make it more serious to persist & further their training & experience. Luke ... just dance on the inside...