Plymouth Theatre Review

Easy to Follow: 3

Family Friendly: 4

Must see: 3.5

Title: ‘We Will Rock You’

Venue: Roland Lavinsky Building, Plymouth University

Date: 17^th March 2026

MTG’s ‘We Will Rock You’ is a production with plenty of talent at its core, there is no denying the array of talents they have amongst the group with standout performances from both the principle and supporting cast. While the performances themselves were at times outstanding, the production felt somewhat hindered by the material, alongside some technical and directorial issues that stopped this production from fully landing. That aside, it looked like the cast had a great time, and some outstanding performances across both the principle and supporting cast really elevated the production adding passion and heart into these well-known musical numbers.

The cast overall were strong, with several actors across the cast giving standout performances. Kara Morgan as Scaramouche was a particular highlight, delivering a confident and engaging performance, bringing energy and pace to her scenes that was sometimes lacking elsewhere. Morgan’s characterisation was particularly captivating, fully embodying the character when on stage. With characterisation in mind, Ameilia Bennet as Killer Queen attacked the role with sass and an abundance of confidence. While I would have liked to have a seen a little more power behind her vocals on occasion, she more than made up for this with her attitude and embodiment of the character and she oozed confidence throughout. Iolo Pennington as Galileo also performed well vocally and consistently throughout, but I struggled to believe the relationship between him and Scaramouche and feel this pairing could have benefitted from further direction in their interactions with each other to make the relationship more attainable to the audience.

Aili Small, Ava Karynn and Ciara Barrett also deserve a mention for their supporting roles, Ailie really gave her all in her solo songs and sounded fantastic, as did Kiera in her role of Buddy Holly. Ava stood out as another great character actor and the comedy she brought to the role was much needed. A particular ensemble member also deserves mention for their captivating persona on stage Isa Rivera as Teen Queen fully embodied her role in the ensemble and it was clear that she was present, focused and giving her all throughout, every time she was on stage my eye was drawn to her presence and her performance was energising and full throttle throughout.

The biggest hurdle for this production is quite simply the show itself, it has never been a musical known for its strong storyline and here the plot felt thin to the point if being almost non-existent. This is of course, no fault of the cast themselves but having seen several productions by MTG I can’t help but feel their strength lies in their ability to tell a good story and with that lacking in this production, it did feel like something was amiss.

For me, it is the direction where this production struggled the most. The direction felt very basic with choices that didn’t always serve the energy or style of the show. At times the staging was very static and several moments where performers just seemed to be roaming the stage with no purpose rather than character driven movement. This is a cast with clear ability, but the direction did not allow them to show their true potential, with more shaping, stronger choices and some more polishing this could have felt more dynamic and fully realised.

The costumes were not as elaborate as they could have been overall, though they did serve a purpose. In a show with a storyline like this, putting bigger efforts into other areas of production that are in your control can elevate the overall impact. While the costumes did serve their purpose, this production would have benefited from a more elaborate style here as against the barren set design the costumes were a bit underwhelming. 

The set design was basic but functional, one touch I really did enjoy was having the band on stage, conducted by Kristy Marcer-Griffiths, the band performed well and brought life and energy to the stage. Technically there were elements that worked well, and the live music was a real strength of the production. The band sounded great and added energy where it was needed most. Sound was a major issue at times, when the ensemble sing, I didn’t really hear any of it – it lacked any punch and was difficult to hear even in the front rows. This was a shame as it is the big group numbers in this show that really get the audience on side and without this it fell a little flat.

Overall, there is a lot to like about MTG’s ‘We will Rock you’ particularly in the strength of the cast and the commitment of some of the performers mentioned who all brought moments of real quality to this performance. However, beneath the storyline, basic direction, underwhelming visual elements and moments where the show felt unpolished this was a show that didn’t quite reach the highs it could have. There is clearly potential here, but the show needed more work to sharpen the pacing, strengthen the characterisation and bring out the best in the cast, while a commendable performance it needs more polish and a stronger sense of direction to truly rock. 

Review by Ami Philpott

*Gifted – This theatre review was written following a gifted ticket to the performance. However, all opinions and views expressed in this review are entirely that of the reviewer and the review has not been influenced in any way by the provision of the ticket. Our commitment remains to provide an honest and unbiased assessment of the experience.