Melton Theatre rocks to a musical Freddie Mercury would be proud of

It was the opening night of The Melton Musical Theatre Company (TMMTC) performance of the classic musical and this talented cast certainly didn’t disappoint.

The show stands or falls on the quality of the music and every hit – from Radio Gaga and A Kind of Magic to Don’t Stop Me Now and Another One Bites the Dust – is belted out with a passion which Freddie Mercury would be proud of.

Ben Elton penned the script and these local performers did it justice by delivering the lines with dramatic effect sprinkled with plenty of humour.

The dystopian story is set way in the future to a time when everything is digital and no-one is allowed to create their own music.

We follow a group of rebels who want to bring back rock ‘n’ roll with support from the Bohemians, who indulge their passion for music in a secret bar.

Galileo (James Barlow) and Scaramouche (Vikki Taylor) take centre stage in the plot and we follow their growing love affair as they are pursued by the authoritarian regime determined to stamp out any musical creativity.

We get great vocals from both James and Vikki with an array of classic tunes, accompanied by a brilliant live orchestra in the pit.

There is comedy in the fact that the rebels are aware of the names of classic music acts from the past but they don’t know anything about them. The other budding romance is played out delightfully by Britney Spears (Josh Gallagher) and Ozzy Osbourne (Hannie Castledine) as they join the battle to resurrect rock music.

A sinister presence throughout is Killer Queen, played superbly by Tash Bailey, who is committed to maintaining the status quo (‘the current state of things’ rather than the rock group!) where the Globalsoft empire controls everything.

There are plenty of well choregraphed dance sequences involving young members of the cast as the ‘Yuppie/GaGa Kids’ perform to classic Queen tunes.

Plenty of audience laughs rang out with reference to a mystical video tape (pronounced in the show as a ‘V-EYE-DIO TAPPEY) showing Queen’s epic 1985 performance at Live Aid.

As the production comes to a crescendo we are treated to a full cast performance of the iconic anthem Bohemian Rhapsody.

A fitting finale to a show which is well worth a watch whether you are a child or an ageing rocker.

There are lots of opportunities to clap along to the music or just tap your toe to one banger after another.

After their recent sold-out production of Shrek the Musical, this is another triumph for the TTMMC cast.

And further evidence that Melton Theatre provides a unique environment for people of all ages to develop their creative skills and entertain the community in style.

We Will Rock You continues tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at 7.30pm with a matinee on Saturday at 2.30pm.

Go to https://meltontheatre-tickets.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173670628 to buy tickets.