Mossley Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society deliver a vibrant, vocally impressive and irresistibly fun take on the Queen‑fuelled musical, with standout performances, big ensemble energy and a crowd ready to clap along all night.
One of many things I love about Musical Theatre is the rich variety of shows that tell such different stories in totally different ways. There’s everything from romance to comedy, from intellectual to simple fun shows where you leave the theatre singing the songs on the way home.
We Will Rock You is packed full of the best pop/rock songs by one of the UK’s best acts, Queen. Their anthems are beloved by almost everyone and I’m certainly no exception. Queen’s Greatest Hits album is only challenged by Abba Gold as the biggest selling of all time in this country.
This is a very enjoyable show, though the story by Ben Elton, who has woven the Queen songs into a futuristic World where music has disappeared from their Orwellian society. The story isn’t the best, but who cares?
This is a juke box musical and everyone in the audience at Mossley’s George Lawton Hall was ready to clap along and revel in this feelgood show. The backing musicians, led by their consistently brilliant Musical Director Paul Firth, was solid and it was nice to see the lead guitarist get a moment in the spotlight during the encore of Bohemian Rhapsody.
As always, the quality of those on stage was a joy to behold. Last time I had the pleasure of knowing Martyn Preston, who played Buddy, he was Directing Chess at the same venue. This time he was centre stage as he sang These are the Days of our Lives, a song that probably had the most emotional resonance.
Ian Bennett’s Khashoggi and Ochi Odey’s Killer Queen were powerful and commanded attention when they stepped on stage and I really enjoyed the energy of the Gaga Girls, Molly-Mae, Chloe, Phoebe and River, who never dropped out of character.
The four principals worked in couples. Alex Cohen as Galileo and Rosie Plummer as Scaramouche were faultless and I was particularly impressed by Isaac Brooks as Brit and Katherine Farrow as Oz. Katherine has an amazing voice. I Want it All by Isaac and Oz was a show highlight for me. The entire ensemble were right on it as well. Choreographed by Simon Fitzpatrick, they added so much physical and vocal depth to the entire show.
I was with my wife and son in the audience and we all loved the performance and the show and would recommend it to anyone. MAODS are always consistently top class in their and this was no exception. It runs at the George Lawton Hall in Mossley until Saturday 25th April so there’s still time to get along and see We Will Rock You.
Look out for their version of the West End and Disney smash hit, Frozen, later in the year too, I already know that will be fabulous too.
We Will Rock You – George Lawton Hall, Mossley, until 25th April