Queen musical to rock Her Maj

A MUSICAL COMEDY that centres around the repertoire of the most famous rock group of all time – Queen – will take centre stage at Her Majesty’s Theatre for an eleven-day run from mid-July.

We Will Rock You, written by legendary English comedian Ben Elton and produced and performed by the Ballarat Lyric Theatre, hits Her Maj from Thursday, 15 to Sunday, 25 July.

Director Stephen Armati said with rolling lockdowns and changing restrictions throughout the first half of this year, preparing for such an ambitious production – which features an ensemble of more than 40 performers – has been challenging.

“It’s a credit to the production team and the cast that we’ve been able to pivot where required,” he said. “The lockdowns and the limitations just mean we’ve needed to rethink how we do things.

“We’ve been able to get through it and we’re in really good shape. It’s a really good place to be at and we’re looking forward to getting on stage.

Armati and members of the cast recently had the golden opportunity to meet the man himself, the show’s creator Ben Elton, on his recent tour.

“Ben was fantastic,” Armati said. “He was very generous with his time and I don’t know if the guy ever sleeps, he’s just constantly thinking and thinking and thinking.

“To get to meet someone with that level of genius is something you couldn’t put a price tag on. He was very giving with his time and we walked away with some good insights.

“He explained that the show was constantly evolving, and he gave us the latitude to play a little bit with the script, and we’ve been able to do that. It was a really, really good experience.

As opening night fast approaches, Armati promised that audience members can expect an “absolute visual spectacular backed by a world-class band.”

“We’re bringing in a massive LED screen, it’s 10 metres by about six metres – it’s the first time a structure of that size has been brought into Her Maj,” Armati said.

“And of course, at the end of the day, there’s 24 Queen songs. They’re all songs that we know and love put to a very, very funny script, with an absolutely phenomenal band.

“It’s a guaranteed great night out.”

We Will Rock You will call Her Majesty’s Theatre home between 15-25 July. Tickets are available via ballarat.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/10295.