Band Members Announced for WE WILL ROCK YOU Australian Tour

Producers of the new Australian production of the worldwide smash hit musical WE WILL ROCK YOU, John Frost, Queen Theatrical Productions, Phil McIntyre Entertainment and Tribeca Theatrical Productions, today announced the members of the band. Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor have chosen the band members they trust with their classic songs, and who will travel with the show for the entire Australian tour.

The band will be led by musical director Dave Skelton who also plays Keys 1. On guitars will be James Barber and Simon Croft, with Andrew Swann on drums, Mark Costa on bass, and James Mack on percussion. Also on keyboards will be Michael Azzopardi and Assistant Musical Director Tim Cunniffe. Cast biographies are available on the website at wewillrockyou.com.au/band

John Frost, on behalf of his co-producers, said, "The band for WE WILL ROCK YOU is an integral part of the show, onstage during the production. Band members must be approved by the members of Queen before they are appointed. Our two guitarists for example, auditioned for Brian and Roger and were cast in the original Australian production of WE WILL ROCK YOU, and have since performed in the show all around the world because they are two of the top guitarists in the world."

WE WILL ROCK YOU stars Gareth Keegan (Jersey Boys, MTC's Next to Normal, Hugh Jackman - Broadway to Oz concerts) as Galileo, Erin Clare (Heathers, The Phantom of the Opera) as Scaramouche, Thern Reynolds (Rock of Ages, South Pacific) as Brit, Jaz Flowers (Hairspray, Hot Shoe Shuffle, Fame) as Oz, and Simon Russell (ABC TV's Jack Irish, Neighbours) as Khashoggi. Brian Mannix, formerly the lead singer of 1980s band Uncanny X-Men, will return to the musical stage as Buddy, and Killer Queen will be played by the extraordinary Casey Donovan (The Sapphires, Rent).

Also in the cast are Justin Anderson, Sheridan Anderson, Erinn Arnel, Michelle Barr, Hugh Barrington, Kyla Bartholomeusz, Sarah Clarke, Keane Fletcher, Scott McConnell, Suzie Melloy, Ruvarashe Ngwenya, Morgan Palmer, Joshua Russell, Ryan Sheppard, Leigh Sleightholme, Ashlee Smith, Thalia Smith, Mike Snell, Kate Thomas, Karla Tonkich and Paul Watson.

Since 2002 over 16 million theatregoers in 28 countries have been thrilled by this awe-inspiring production which is based on the songs of Queen with a book by Ben Elton (The Young Ones, Blackadder, Popcorn). Elton fashioned this hilarious futurist comedy around more than 24 of Queen's biggest hit songs including We Are The Champions, Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free, Somebody To Love, Killer Queen, Don't Stop Me Now, Under Pressure, Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites The Dust and of course, We Will Rock You.

WE WILL ROCK YOU reflects the scale and spectacle that marked Queen's live performances and earned the band its pinnacle position in rock history. With Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor as music supervisors and "a band without parallel in the theatre" behind the cast, the audience can expect WE WILL ROCK YOU to rock as fiercely as the best of Queen's concerts.

The new Australian tour begins at Sydney's Lyric Theatre on 28 April 2016, then travels to the Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane from 10 July; then on to Melbourne's Regent Theatre from 30 August. Perth's Crown Theatre follows from November, then the Festival Theatre, Adelaide from January, 2017.

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