Full Casting Announced for Toronto's We Will Rock You

The complete all-Canadian cast of We Will Rock You has been announced.

We Will Rock You, the hit musical by Queen and Writer/Director Ben Elton, makes its Canadian premiere at Toronto's Canon Theatre beginning March 14, 2007.  It will open on April 10th.
 
"We auditioned over 2,000 performers from coast-to-coast and we are confident that we have assembled an extraordinary company that will rock Canada," says Director Ben Elton.
 
"Set 300 years in the future, in a time when live music is banned on earth, We Will Rock You is about the kids who are in rebellion, fighting against the all-powerful Globalsoft Corporation that controls their lives and feeds them a diet of synthesised pop. Could the young Galileo and Scaramouche be the heroes needed who will help them 'break free' of their chains to rediscover themselves and live music?," state press materials.

The production will star Yvan Pedneault will be the young Canadian Galileo, "the dreamer" who takes on the mighty Globalsoft Corporation on his quest to re-ignite the power of live rock and roll.  In his native Quebec, he has played starring roles in the French-language productions of Rent (The Olympia), Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Salle Jean-Marc Dion) and A Chorus Line (Chapelle du Bon Pasteur).  The role of Scaramouche will be played by Erica Peck, who will make her professional theatre debut. 

Alana Bridgewater will perform the role of Killer Queen, the cold-hearted boss of Globalsoft. Her recent credits include In A Jam (CBC Television), Little Shop of Horrors (St. Lawrence Stage Company), Womens' Blues Revue in Toronto and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Stage West).  Evan Buliung will play Khashoggi, the Killer Queen's henchman. Most recently starring as Aragorn in The Lord Of The Rings, he has performed at the Shaw Festival and the Stratford Festival.  Jack Langedijk will play Pop.  His previous credits include Shakespeare's Macbeth, Kiss of The Spiderwoman, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Crucible, Man of La Mancha and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. 
 
Sterling Jarvis will portray the Bohemian.  Jarvis' previous credits inlcude Disney's The Lion King (Mirvish Productions), Crowns (Canstage, Manitoba Theatre Centre and National Arts Centre) and Of Mice and Men (Theatre Calgary, Canstage).  Suzie McNeil will be Oz, the rock chick rebel. In 2005, McNeil was the last woman standing on CBS television's reality series Rockstar: INXS and she is featured singing a duet on both INXS's and "American Idol" finalist Clay Aiken's latest CDs. Her debut CD "Broken & Beautiful" is being released in March 2007 and her single 'Hung Up' is now available on iTunes.
 
Other supporting roles include Danny Balkwill (Mamma Mia! North American premiere) as Big Macca and Jewelle Blackman (Canadian premiere of Dreamgirls). The ensemble includes Matt Alfano, Breanne Arrigo, Adam Bolton, Nicole Bourgeois, Lindsay Croxall, Peter Deiwick, Kelly-Ann Evans, Kelly Fletcher, Brittany Gray, Deidrea Halley, Bryan Hindle, Melanie McInenly, Lindsay Owen Pierre, Jesse Robb, Talia Schlanger, Jason Sermonia, Valarie Stanois, Sam Strasfeld, Darren Voros and Scott Walters.

With Brian May and Roger Taylor as music supervisors, the musical is written and directed by Ben Elton (The Young Ones, Blackadder, The Beautiful Game and Popcorn) and features 32 of Queen's greatest hits. Mark Fisher, Production Designer, and Willie Williams, Lighting Designer, have created set designs for Pink Floyd, Janet Jackson, The Rolling Stones and U2. Tim Goodchild is Costume Designer and Arlene Phillips (Starlight Express, Grease and Saturday Night Fever) is Choreographer. Bobby Aitken (The Boyfriend, The Fix, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Grease and Mamma Mia!) is Sound Designer.
 
"Produced by David and Ed Mirvish and The Kimsa Group, in association with Queen Theatrical Productions, Phil McIntyre Entertainment and Tribeca Theatrical Productions, 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. The musical, now in its fifth sell-out year in London, has seen productions in Australia, Spain, Russia and South Africa and is presently playing in London, Switzerland, Germany and Japan. In 2007, the show reopens in Spain. Globally, an audience of more than five million has seen the show and now it's Toronto's turn to rock!," state press notes.
 
Visit www.wewillrockyou.ca for more information.