Later this month, Cherry Hill West invites the community to indulge in a kind of magic, as its winter production delves into sci-fi musical fantasy, courtesy of one of the greatest bands in classic rock history.
“We Will Rock You” tells the story of a dystopian future where music is all but unknown. A small band of young rebels fights an evil conglomerate and its hyper-logical governance. Scaramouche and Galileo, two young outsiders, cannot come to terms with the bleak conformist reality, and join the search to find the unlimited power of freedom, love and music.
Since 2002, the production has brought the songs of Queen to a new generation. British comedic writer Ben Elton built the show around more than two dozen of Queen’s biggest hit songs, including: “We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions,” “Radio GaGa,” “I Want To Break Free,” “Somebody To Love,” “Killer Queen, Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Under Pressure,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Another One Bites The Dust.”
West Senior Jonathan Smith, who plays a villain called Khashoggi — taken from a character in a song from the band’s 1989 release, “The Miracle” — revealed in a Dec. 22 conversation with the Sun that, “I’ve always loved Queen, but I never really knew how big they were.”
Smith was surprised at just how deep the band references run in the show, since a character known as Killer Queen is his boss, and the rebels they’re trying to stop are called the Bohemians, both recognizable as titles of two of Queen’s earliest and most lasting hits.
“The way they reference Queen and fellow artists, both old and new, it’s so cool how (Elton’s) affiliated them into a show like this,” he gushed.
No one involved with the cast, at such an early age, could possibly conceptualize a world where music, as we know it, did not exist.
“It would be so utterly foreign and weird to never have music around before a certain point where you’re awakened,” Smith said.
Jacqueline Smith, a senior who plays Oz, added: “(That life) would be so superficial. I would never want to be in a world where it doesn’t exist,” she offered. “(In the context of the show) it’s like the whole world has changed and the world could never go back to what it was before.”
Chris Reigel, a junior who plays Buddy, would be similarly befuddled: “Honestly, I couldn’t. I’m involved with music inside and out: choir and violin. It’s been a part of me for a very long time. I definitely could not exist in the world as presented (in the show).”
The sheer density of the script was something that also took the cast by surprise, as the numerous Queen references were buttressed by scatterings of recognizable pop culture from various sources over the last 50 years.
“I was raised listening to this music, and I feel such a connection to it. There were a lot of jokes and references that went over my castmates’ heads at first,” Jacky Smith added. “There are so many references packed into this thing, it’s amazing how much effort they put into things being so descriptive.”
The energy and effort the cast, crew and directors have put into the production since its intended opening last spring is intended to give a world-weary audience a deep message — but one that comes with a heavy dose of entertainment.
“The fact we’re doing this, coming out of all that happened in 2020, is perfect. Youth are the ones who are going to carry the world forward,” Reigel added. “At the end of the day, we’ve put a lot of work into this, but who doesn’t want to look back, relax and listen to some Queen?”
For additional information regarding showtimes and dates, visit: https://chwtheater.wordpress.com/.
