Elton inspires rock show cast

BENDIGO Theatre Company welcomed the writer of the group’s newest production, We Will Rock You, last week.

In town for his nationwide stand-up tour, Ben Elton visited with BTC cast and crew ahead of their show, which is set for the Ulumbarra Theatre in July.

Elton wrote the show in 2002 for West End, and it has since travelled the world with tours in Europe, North America, and now, Bendigo.

BTC director Paul Watson said it was a rare opportunity for cast and crew to meet with the writer of their performance.

“It’s not often you get to meet the writers of the productions you’re in or producing,” he said.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our cast and creatives to meet and discuss the Bendigo Theatre Company interpretation of the show.”

Mr Elton said he was “delighted to be able to meet ‘the gang’ before the show”.

The director and Elton have previously met, when Mr Watson played Madonna in the 2016 Australian touring production of We Will Rock You.

Elton’s show is a pop-opera comedy musical consisting of 20 hit Queen songs.

Taylah Chisholm and Liam Brown star as lead characters Scaramouche and Galileo Figaro, two outsiders who strive to bring forgotten rock music back to a dystopian, globalised future without musical instruments.

The show follows rock rebels, the Bohemians as they fight against the all-powerful Globalsoft company and its boss, the Killer Queen, in a celebration of freedom and rock.

Elton’s satirical writing shines through in the show and the Bendigo Theatre Company aims to integrate modern Australian stories into their adaptation.

We Will Rock You will run across four days with five shows scheduled for Thursday, 8 July until Sunday, 11 July, including two matinees.

Tickets are on sale now at bit.ly/3tWXmxI.