Review: We Will Rock You - Bray Musical Society

Society name: Bray Musical Society

Show name: We Will Rock You

Adjudicator date of attendance: 09/04/2026

Bray Musical Society presented ‘We Will Rock You’ at the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray against a backdrop of chaos across Dublin, with fuel protests causing major traffic disruption and delays throughout the city. Despite all of that, we made it through the madness and were rewarded with a fun night’s entertainment packed with some of Queen’s most iconic tunes and Ben Elton’s endless stream of puns, jokes and one-liners. It was exactly what we needed that night. Something loud, silly, energetic and over the top. Whatever chaos was happening outside the theatre doors was forgotten for a couple of hours everyone left in very good form.

There was a great buzz in the packed foyer of the Mermaid before the show. The atmosphere was lively and there was a real sense of anticipation in the building. Front of house were dealing with large numbers but everything appeared organised and well managed throughout. Despite the business, patrons were moved through efficiently and the evening ran smoothly. The AIMS President was also in attendance on the night and we were made to feel extremely welcome and very well looked after for what was a very entertaining evening.

Director Chris Currid did very good work with what is quite a difficult show to navigate, at times. There was a good sense throughout that Mr. Currid understood the rhythm of the piece and the importance of momentum. The incorporation of pre-recorded video material was one of the production’s strongest elements. Bringing cast members into the audience during ‘Headlong’ while Heartbreak Hotel was assembled onstage was a very smart piece of direction that kept the pace moving so well. ‘Hammer to Fall’ was another standout sequence. The angry confrontation between Galileo and Scaramouche captured their frustration and emotional exhaustion very well. Comedy was generally handled very well too, which is crucial in this show. There were moments where I felt that the direction could have pushed further. Some principals appeared slightly unsure of the heightened performance style required for this material. Delivery needs to be larger than life and knowing and I felt that not everybody was fully comfortable operating at that pitch all of the time. That aside, this was a confident and well-paced piece of direction overall and there was plenty of imagination evident throughout the evening.

Musical Director Elizabeth Gregan led the band from the pit and there was no question that a great deal of work had gone into the musical preparation. Principal vocals were very strong throughout and it was obvious that careful attention had been given to the show’s wonderful harmonies and choral arrangements. There were moments where that really shone through, particularly in some of the offstage vocals and quieter sections. Unfortunately, however, there were also fairly significant balance issues throughout much of the show and it would be unfair not to mention them. The bass levels were far too dominant for most of the show and, while the bass playing itself was excellent, the overall mix often became so bass-heavy that vocal harmonies and ensemble singing were swallowed up entirely. Whenever the balance settled, harmonies were clear and accurate. The offstage vocals in particular were often beautifully blended, giving a glimpse of the potential that was there.

Roisin Currid’s choreography played a big part in keeping the energy levels high throughout. There was a wide range of ability onstage but the choreography rarely felt beyond anybody’s reach and the overall effect was that movement always looked comfortable and confident. ‘Radio Ga Ga’ was strong, with very good synchronicity throughout and sharp disciplined movement that captured the cold uniformity of the Globalsoft world very well. ‘‘Killer Queen’ was one of the standout routines of the night. The choreography had flair and plenty of attitude, which suited both the character and the music perfectly. ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’ featured some excellent chair choreography that was inventive and very together. ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the evening. It was unapologetically bold and risqué, exactly as the number needs to be. The girls committed fully to its style and humour and the final picture gave the number a wonderful finish.

Jordan Bass brought great energy to the role of Galileo Figaro. This was a performance full of personality and strong comic instinct. Mr. Bass was extremely animated throughout and made very good use of physicality with his awkward gestures, nervous movement and exaggerated reactions. He judged the tone well as he committed to the madness and humour of the piece. Vocally, he was one of the production’s strongest assets. His singing had great power and he handled the demanding Queen score with confidence. ‘I Want to Break Free’ showed off his range and vocal strength particularly well, while also showing his strong musicality. This musicality was especially evident during ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, one of the most challenging numbers in the show vocally.

Sophie Walsh brought wonderful presence to the role of Scaramouche. Her dry, sarcastic delivery was brilliantly judged throughout. She had great comic timing and was very comfortable with the style of comedy required. Ms Walsh was a very accomplished singer too. ‘Somebody to Love’ was one of the musical highlights of the production, with great power and control in her voice. ‘Under Pressure’ was another standout moment musically, with Ms. Walsh and Mr. Bass blending beautifully together. Her strongest moment came during ‘Hammer to Fall’. There was a real emotional edge to her performance here as she delivered the anger and frustration of the scene with great vocal and dramatic strength.

Lyndsay Tracey had tremendous stage presence as Killer Queen and fully embraced the outrageous nature of the character. She dominated the stage the moment she appeared with her commanding physicality and sharp delivery. She too had great comic timing and clearly understood the tongue-in-cheek innuendo and sarcasm. Ms. Tracey had an excellent voice. ‘Killer Queen’ suited her very well and allowed her to show off her power and personality. Timing slipped slightly during ‘A Kind of Magic’ but she recovered and kept going like a pro.

A standout performance came from James Scott as Khashoggi, Killer Queen’s sinister right-hand man. Mr. Scott was excellent as an almost comic-book type villain. He brought a very cool, controlled presence to the role but there was always an underlying menace beneath the surface. Vocally, he really came into his own during ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’. There was wonderful authority in his vocal delivery. Much of his humour came through understatement and deadpan delivery and that worked so well against the more exaggerated characters around him. Overall, excellent work from Mr. Scott in what was a most entertaining performance.

Conor Martin gave a solid performance as the rebellious Bohemian, Brit. The character is one of the more exaggerated figures in the show and Mr. Martin brought plenty of enthusiasm and commitment to the role. He was a strong singer, showing great power and range in ‘Headlong’ and ‘I Want It All’. From an acting perspective, there was plenty of potential on display. I did feel, however, that the performance could perhaps have been pushed even further stylistically. ‘We Will Rock You’ exists in a very heightened theatrical world. At times, Mr. Martin seemed slightly restrained and a little more focus on the role’s comic absurdity might have made what was a strong performance even better.

Tia Tyndall-Kenna did well in the role of Oz. Ms. Tyndall-Kenna brought plenty of attitude and presence to the role, particularly in the musical numbers. She was at her strongest vocally, with some superb singing, most notably during ‘I Want It All’, where her riffing and vocal control were extremely impressive. The quality of her voice was excellent. At times, though, I found myself wanting her to fully let go and trust just how good she actually was. The vocal ability was absolutely there, but there were moments where the performance felt slightly held back when it could perhaps have exploded even further with confidence and attitude.

Eoin Martin played Buddy as a laid-back, ageing hippie type, with a very relaxed delivery throughout. There was something very likeable about the performance. Buddy is a character who should drive the comedy directly at the audience. Mr. Martin occasionally seemed a little hesitant in that regard. The opportunities were there for him to really eyeball the audience, own the room and embrace the madness of the material but at times it felt like he was gently tapping the fourth wall rather than breaking it. Mr. Martin was another very strong singer. ‘These Are the Days of Our Lives’ was beautifully sincere and, despite the sound balance issues affecting the number, he still impressed vocally. With a little more confidence in pushing the character’s theatricality and audience interaction further, it could have been a truly standout portrayal.

Ruth Coughlan made a very strong impression in the cameo role of Teacher and showed herself to be an excellent character actress. She fully committed to the heightened style of the show from the moment she appeared and brought great energy and confidence to the role.

The ensemble was very committed throughout. Whether appearing as Bohemians, Yuppies, Ga Ga Kids or Fat Bottomed Girls, there was a very strong sense that they had bought into the madcap tone of the production and that they were enjoying every minute. Kudos to the production team for instilling this in their cast. The Bohemians in particular brought great life to the stage. There was a lovely sense of interplay and casual banter between them that made the group feel like a believable community. A lot of work had obviously gone into the vocal preparation of the ensemble. The rich harmonies were there and whenever the sound balance settled, the quality was very apparent. Performance levels during the choreographed sections were consistently high, with the cast maintaining strong energy and commitment right across the evening.

The set design was functional and versatile, giving the cast plenty of space to work with in the large open playing area. The large upstage platform was used to very good effect, creating opportunities for levels and varied staging. The central stair unit was another useful element. Much of the atmosphere came from the LED screens which did a lot of the heavy lifting visually. The graphics and pre-recorded video material were extremely well created and gave the production a very polished look. The futuristic imagery, animated backgrounds and filmed inserts added much excitement and humour to scenes. Overall, the combination of staging, graphics and video content worked very well together to create a practical playing space which offered great versatility and fluidity for the production team.

Gerry McCann’s stage management was excellent throughout and the show ran with impressive smoothness from a technical point of view. The crew were extremely slick and well-rehearsed, carrying out all scene changes with speed and efficiency and maintaining great pace and momentum through the show. While ‘We Will Rock You’ does not rely on large-scale moving scenery to the same extent as some productions, there was still plenty happening behind the scenes and everything appeared highly organised.

The lighting design played a huge role in creating atmosphere throughout the show. There was a strong understanding of the rock-concert aesthetic of ‘We Will Rock You’, while still maintaining the atmospheric moments required in musical theatre. The use of side lighting was particularly effective, combined with haze and strong colour choices. ‘Under Pressure’ was especially well handled. The cueing here was excellent, with a very effective blend of musical theatre precision and rock-gig atmosphere which helped to heighten the tension and connection between Galileo and Scaramouche. ‘No One But You’ was another standout moment with lighting allowing the emotion of the song to come through naturally. ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’ featured some very clever design and cueing choices as the Bohemians were ‘processed’. One of the upstage lighting bars appeared to bounce at various points during the show and this had a knock on with lights moving erratically on the stage at times. The distraction wasn’t a major one but it did draw the eye.

Sound was probably the area of the production that most needed attention on the night. I don’t know whether some of the issues stemmed from limitations within the house PA itself, but I can only respond to what was heard on the night and unfortunately there were some fairly significant balance problems throughout the show. The main issue was the dominance of the bass within the overall mix. At times it was overpowering to the point that vocals were being lost underneath it. ‘These Are the Days of Our Lives’ was probably the moment where the issue became most noticeable. Because it is a softer, more reflective number, the heavy bass presence underneath it was even more apparent and, unfortunately, took away from the number’s warmth. There was also plenty of evidence of how good the sound design could be when the balance sat properly. Offstage vocals were often beautifully amplified and blended. ‘I Want It All’ sounded excellent, while the offstage vocals during ‘Headlong’ were particularly strong and showed the quality of the choral work very well. Dialogue throughout the show was very clear. Principals were, for the most part, well supported vocally and cueing for dialogue was excellent throughout. Sound effects were also well chosen and very well timed.

Costumes were one of the production’s strongest elements. There was a very good understanding throughout of the contrast between the conformity of Globalsoft and the chaos of the Bohemians. The Bohemians looked excellent as a group. There was tartan, leather, mesh, chains, distressed fabrics and mismatched accessories everywhere. Oz’s punk-inspired styling and Brit’s tartan-heavy look were excellent. The Globalsoft aesthetic worked very well too, especially the ensemble’s silver, white and metallic uniforms. Killer Queen was especially successful with her bold red palette ensuring she dominated the stage whenever she appeared. Khashoggi’s long black coat and sharp tailoring gave him an imposing presence which suited the character perfectly. Buddy’s tie-dye colours and headband brought great visual humour to the character. The ensemble overall were extremely well dressed throughout. Excellent work throughout.

Hair and makeup complemented the costume design very effectively. Strong eye makeup, textured hairstyles, wigs, braids and metallic styling all contributed to the overall visual. Killer Queen’s bold makeup and vivid red hair were particularly striking, while Buddy’s wig and ageing were nice details.

There was very good work from the props department throughout, with plenty of attention paid to the quirky, offbeat nature of the show. Brit’s homemade instrument was excellent. It genuinely looked cobbled together out of scraps and random materials. The ‘cattle prods’ used during the ‘processing’ of the Bohemians were also very effective. Small details like Killer Queen’s whip were very effective and the Harley during ‘Headlong’ gave the scene a real injection of energy and attitude when it appeared onstage. The all-important videotape was another key part of the story. Overall, there was excellent attention to detail from the props team throughout.

‘We Will Rock You’ is one of those shows that needs energy, commitment and a group willing to unapologetically throw itself into the madness of its world. Bray Musical Society certainly did that. We were left with the sense of a society which had given absolutely everything to the show. There was great ambition, creativity and heart throughout. In the midst of a chaotic evening outside the theatre, Bray Musical Society succeeded in doing exactly what theatre is supposed to do; it transported its audience somewhere else for a few hours and sent us home smiling. Job done.

Pat McElwain

Sullivan Adjudicator 2025/2026

Photos by Lisa Hamilton and Daniel Johnston.