Cast announced for ‘We Will Rock You’

The cast has officially been announced for the new Australian production of the worldwide smash hit musical We Will Rock You, set to tour nationally after opening in Sydney in April.  

Gareth Keegan—from Jersey Boys, MTC’s Next to Normal and Hugh Jackman’s Broadway to Oz concerts—will play the central role of Galileo, a Bohemian dreamer who hears strange song lyrics in his head and is ultimately the reincarnation of Freddie Mercury. Erin Clare, recognised for Heathers and The Phantom of the Opera, will be Scaramouche, a sarcastic, cynical Bohemian misfit with sharp wit who wins Galileo’s heart.

Brian Mannix, formerly the lead singer of 1980’s band Uncanny X-Men, will return to the musical stage as Buddy, an old hippy librarian/philosopher and an expert on the lost sacred musical texts. Killer Queen, a ruthless and power-crazy businesswoman who rules the world through Globalsoft, the worldwide corporation responsible for the suppression of all live music and all original thought, will be played by the extraordinary Casey Donovan of The Sapphires and Rent.

Thern Reynolds—think Rock of Ages and South Pacific— will portray Brit beside Jaz Flowers of Hairspray, Hot Shoe Shuffle and Fame, who will play Oz. Brit and Oz are a pair of Bohemian lovers who strive to rediscover the lost music and rebel against Killer Queen and Globalsoft.

Also, Simon Russell of ABC TV’s Jack Irish will be Khashoggi, Killer Queen’s second-in-command, the sinister and cruel chief of Globalsoft police in charge of capturing the Bohemians and getting rid of any original or creative musical thoughts.

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 and Karla Tonkich.

Director Ben Elton claims he has assembled a powerhouse cast of Australian talent.

“Australian musical theatre is famous worldwide for the excellence of the artists it produces,” he said. “We Will Rock You has featured Australians in productions as far apart as Toronto, London and Berlin. Check a musical cast list on Broadway or in the West End and the chances are you’ll spot an Aussie. Brian, Roger and I know that the new all-Australian cast is second to none.”

The Australian tour of We Will Rock You begins at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on April 28, then travels to the Lyric Theatre of QPAC in Brisbane from July 10; then on to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre from August 30. Perth’s Crown Theatre follows from November, then the Festival Theatre in Adelaide from January 2017.

For further information, visit wewillrockyou.com.au or read our initial announcement of the production here.

Photo: Simon Russell, Brian Mannix, Casey Donovan, Gareth Keegan, Erin Clare, Jaz Flowers and Thern Reynolds. Photo by Brian Geach.