Events

We Will Rock You, Tokyo

27 May 2005 - 24 August 2005

Since 2002, the enormously popular smash hit We Will Rock You, The Musical by Queen and Ben Elton from London, will be arriving to rock Shinjuku Koma Theatre from the 27th May to 24th August. Japan will be its sixth country in 4 years as it plays to packed theatres around the world.

The charge is led by Peter Murphy, fresh from performing Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, in the role of Galileo, and Australian film actress Pippa Grandison best known from Muriel's Wedding as the lippy Scaramouch. The Australian cast, musicians and staff come to Tokyo fresh and exhilarated from the enormously popular Australian tour.

Story

In 2046, in a place once known as Earth where making music is banned, musical instruments have been confiscated and young people's tastes and fashions are controlled by the Globalsoft CEO Killer Queen, with the aid of Khashoggi and his sinister secret police. It's a safe and happy, GAGA world.

Yet beneath the gleaming cities, in the lower depths live the Bohemians who remember a Golden Age called the Rhapsody when kids formed their own bands and wrote their own songs. Galileo who remembers pop-rock and Scaramouch who knows punk will never die are just the kind of freedom-loving independent rebels Killer Queen fears. Together they gather with fellow collaborators Brit and Meat who inform them of the secret, the legend that somewhere on Planet Mall, buried deep in rock, a mighty guitar is waiting to be found. But the GAGA police have caught wind of their plot, and if they catch Galileo first they will surely drag him before the Killer Queen and consign him to the oblivion of brainwashing across the Seven Seas of Rye.

Cast

Peter Murphy (Galileo):
A performer since the age of three, Peter's musical theatre career is studded with leading roles such as Jesus in Andrew Lloyd Weber's, Jesus Christ Superstar (2004), Johnny in Shout! The Musical of the Wild One (2003). Nick Piazza in Fame - The Musical (2000), covered the lead roles of Roger and Mark in Rent (2000) and Kay in the Snow Queen (1988). He has also performed in Cameron Mackintosh's Les Miserables (1989) and in Nine, The Musical, with John Dietrich.

In the comedy duo Spud and Colander, he supported comedians Kasey Chambers, George Smilovici, Greg Sullivan and Elliot Goblet, written for the MMM Breakfast Show and for Cleopatra's Comedy Restaurant and Crazies.

In 1992 he won the Ausmusic Songwriting Competition, and completed a new rock musical King of the World, with Jonathan Brooke-Densem and Damon Fealy.

Pippa Grandison (Scaramouche):
Pippa is a talented actress originally from Perth who has a number of major film credits including Lovesong (2004), Sway (2002), Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Dating The Enemy (1996), Hotel De Love (1996) and Muriel's Wedding (1994).

Annie Crummer (Killer Queen):
Residing in New Zealand, since 1993 Annie has released her own solo albums, won several major awards (ARIAs), worked with famed Australian stars Jimmy Barnes, John Farnham and Diesel as well as New Zealanders Dave Dobby and the Finn brothers. She has supported Paul McCartney, K.D. Lang, Ray Charles, Sting and Michael Jackson. She has also featured in the Australian hit musical Rent and is truly honoured to be part of the We Will Rock You team.

Ross Girven (Khashoggi):
Known as one of New Zealand's most versatile actors, Ross has worked in theatre, film, television, musicals, opera, radio and rock n' roll. He has many stage, opera, musical, television, and film credits including Marat/Sade and Galileo, Side by Side by Sondheim and South Pacific, Lucia di Lammamoor and Madame Butterfly, Dangerous Orphans and Water Rats to name a few. He has a daughter Grace with his partner Delia.

Robert Grubb (Pop):
Robert has starred in Australia's best loved films such as My Brilliant Career, Gallipoli, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Phar Lap. His musical theatre credits include Mamma Mia, Sunset Boulevard, and The Phantom of the Opera in the title role. Robert became a familiar face on Australian television in the role of Dr Geoff Standish in The Flying Doctors as well as working on MDA, The Secret Life of Us, Sea Change and in theatre productions of M. Butterfly, The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui, Arcadia and A Flea in her Ear.

Daniel Fletcher (Brit):
Daniel has performed in the musicals Vaudeville X, Fame the Musical, Girl's Night Out, and in theatre productions of Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Nights Dream, Macbeth. He has worked in television productions of Blue Heelers, Neighbours, and Thunderstone 2. A big fan of Queen, he is thrilled to be in this production.

Rebecca Jackson-Mendoza (Oz):
Rebecca has performed in Miss Saigon, Showboat and Hair. She also is a singer/songwriter and has released two singles Venus or Mars and Ordinary Girl with EMI/Virgin.

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