As an NSTA Representative, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the final night of We WIll Rock You at The Folkestone School for Girls on Friday, 18th July 2025. Arriving at school on Friday evening for a sell-out performance, and seeing even the front of house team decked in various rock-themed T-shirts, I knew I was in for a treat. From Mr Ferguson’s welcome (and closing speech), it is clear that he is a teacher and director of great passion, and that shone through in the whole show.
We Will Rock You is a cut above the average jukebox musical. The fantastical futuristic setting – a world where the creative soul has been enslaved by shameless online corporate consumerism – feels increasingly prophetic as the years go by! The story revolves around Galileo Figaro, a brooding outsider, destined to be hailed as ‘The Dreamer’ by the outcast Bohemians, he is plagued by seemingly nonsensical dreams. However, these fragments of iconic song-lyrics will inspire the resurrection of true music and bring about the downfall of Globalsoft and its evil head – the half-human, half-pixelated, all bad Killer Queen! Ben Elton’s wit keeps the plot bubbling along within the framework of fabulous Queen classics.
The premise that Globalsoft has essentially taken over the world was enhanced by the wonderfully witty futuristic pre-show videos. Then the terrific live band, a traditional 4-piece combo expertly directed by Ms Livingston, kicked off the show itself. The ensemble hit the ground running, explaining the backstory with crisp, precise choral speech before launching into ‘Radio Ga Ga’ with gusto. In their vibrant coloured wigs, the opening chorus showcased slick choreography (courtesy of Mrs Barnes and her team), strong vocal harmonies, and intense focus, setting the tone for the whole show.
The ensemble did not just start strong, but were excellent throughout. It was a large chorus – who nailed every harmony – and had clearly responded brilliantly to Mr Ferguson and Mrs Barnes’ clever management of the stage space. Placements were spot-on, allowing the movement to flow effortlessly, particularly in the very well-handled choreography canons (especially the fun human dominoes in ‘Another One Bites the Dust’) and with excellent prop handling, such as the canes.
Although all of the ensemble cast were fabulous, there were some performances that deserve specific mention. If the story is Galileo’s, Lily played a pivotal role in bringing it so vividly to life. A show with a charismatic lead character requires an equally charismatic lead performer to pull it off, and my goodness Lily delivered! Also credited as Assistant Director and Assistant Choreographer, Lily’s stagecraft is clearly exceptional. Her dance instincts were in evidence in her characterisation, cleverly dropping her centre of gravity and prowling the stage with a fluidity as though she were fronting a massive stadium gig. She set the bar high from her first solo; ‘I Want to Break Free’ – complete with hoover gag! – and never missed a beat through the whole show. Her comical stuttering and spluttering paralinguistics were superb, showing Galileo’s own amazement at his own bizarre babbling, as bubbles of suppressed creativity burst forth. Lily captured Galileo’s brooding intensity but with superb comic timing. She was laser focused throughout but never drawing unnecessary focus, allowing her co-stars to share the limelight.
In that respect, Lily’s on-stage chemistry with Keira, playing Scaramouche (Galileo’s “muse”) was outstanding. Keira had a commanding stage presence and a gorgeously smoky rock quality to her vocals. The vibrato on her held notes was amazing, particularly evident in ‘Somebody to Love’. Keira and Lily’s harmonies were an exceptional blend throughout, but ‘Hammer to Fall’ in Act 2 was exceptional!
Equally exceptional were their adversaries, the Killer Queen, played by Eleanore, and her henchman, Khashoggi, played by Mariella. Both revelled in their villainous roles. Khashoggi has a lot of the song lyric gags and Mariella’s timing was exquisite, landing every pun and joke. Eleanore strutted around the stage brimming with poise and attitude. ‘Now I’m Here’ was a particular highlight of pouting powerhouse vocals.
Galileo and Scaramouche are encouraged in their struggle by the aspirational, well-meaning but somewhat clueless Bohemians. The depth of talent in the cast was sensational, meaning the supporting roles sprinkled their own kind of magic over the audience. Angelina’s characterisation of Oz (Ozzy Osbourne) was terrific – ‘Only the Good Die Young’ was delivered with power and poignancy. Meanwhile, Oz’s love interest – the biggest, baddest Britney Spears, was brought to life superbly by Audrey. Much of the humour in the role usually comes from Elton’s deliberate scripting of Britney Spears as a male role, but Audrey’s comic timing was masterful, including in her slapstick battle with the Globalsoft guards, and the Brit-Oz double act was a real treat for the audience. Equally impressive comic timing was on display from Sienna. She played the Bohemians’ leader, Buddy. A parodic masterclass, exploiting every hippy stereotype, Sienna’s Buddy was a raspy dreamer, delightfully eccentric, but also capable of the mellow nostalgia needed for numbers like ‘Days of Our Lives’.
All in all, this was a production that fully embraced the spirit of the show. This was a supremely talented cast at work, entertaining their audience with consummate professionalism. Like true rock’n’roll legends, they knew how to work their crowd, building to the triumphant ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We Are the Champions’ and then milking it for all it was worth – deservedly so – in the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ encore. It was a joy (and a privilege) to behold! Rock on!
National School Theatre Awards
@schooltheatreawards
