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August 5, 2024 10 mins

It's a hit show that is adored overseas, and now it's on its way to Wellington.

We Will Rock You is the story of a world without musical instruments, where the cast fights for the rebirth of rock. It features 24 Queen classics and is endorsed by Brian May and Roger Taylor. 

Nick was joined by two homegrown members of the cast, Caleb Jago-Ward and Ella Monnery, who told us what we can expect. 

You can catch it at the St James Theatre from August 15. Tickets from Ticketmaster. 

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk said b.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Joining us in the studio now, two of the stars.
What I'm told is the very high energy stage show
arriving at the Saint James Theater from next week August
the fifteenth. To be exact, we will rock you as
a story of the future without musical instruments, with the
cast fighting for the rebirth of rock. How can you
have rock without instruments? Its features twenty four of Queen's songs,

(00:33):
and it's endorsed by Brian May and Roger Taylor, obviously
from Queen. Joining me now are Caleb jago Ward, Good morning, Caleb.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Good job neck. Last time you couldn't say it, but
this time you nailed it. Do you remember me in
a drag face?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
You got me? You got me? I knew I was
thinking You've got me, but I couldn't. What do I say?
Would I call you somehow?

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Caleb, Cargo, Ggo, callek. There was a few different It
was all good.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
You've got a bitter be breather be and Ala montery
head out the past. Yeah, perfect, great to have you
both here. Tell us come on, Caleb, you come in
and start telling us about the show, because you start
and then aw I's going to come in after you.

Speaker 3 (01:14):
Okay. So it's the music of Queen obviously a musical
on stage, it's a little bit musical, a little bit concert.
So the basic idea is it's set in a dystopian
future where there's no rock music, there's no instruments. And
I played this character Galileo, who is essentially the spirit
of Freddy Mercury who feels the rock music inside them.
So we've go on this little journey to rediscover rock music.
It's super fun. The script's written written by Ben Elton,

(01:36):
so it's full of one liners and it's it's just
a good time for the family.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
How much rehearsing have you done so so far? And
how does it feel?

Speaker 3 (01:44):
We've had three weeks in the room.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
We've been working like dogs.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Like dogs, sat down here. All in Wentington?

Speaker 3 (01:49):
Correct, all in Wellington? We are Yeah. So it's cool
to have Valentonian's all in one room and putting on
this awesome show.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
What school did you? I'm going to tell I love
playing this game of predicting what schools you went?

Speaker 3 (02:02):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Perfect, you went.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
To Marsden really close, so close, so close.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
But I've only just met them. Where'd you go?

Speaker 4 (02:09):
Well to Queen Margaret? Yeah, come on, she's a private
school girl.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
Okay, what about me, I'm going to say.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
I'm going to say, somewhere in the hut.

Speaker 4 (02:23):
Nine nine night college.

Speaker 3 (02:26):
You look like trouble young man. No, I went, I
went to a funeral college and Levin.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Oh, okay, I said, you're from Wellington. That's okay. Back
to the show.

Speaker 4 (02:36):
What school did you go to? Hang on?

Speaker 2 (02:38):
I went to a really get never get what school
I went to because I went to middle middle Ground,
New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
The School of hard Knocks I went.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
I went to Tawa College.

Speaker 4 (02:49):
Beautiful.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
So how does it work for the audience? How do
they walk in? Because I reckon that a lot of
people are expecting some sort of like rock.

Speaker 4 (02:58):
Cons or like a Queen tribution.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah, our director did say that most of the audience
walking a little bit confused. But I feel like when
you walk in, you say set, you have a little
look at the program that you're gonna you're gonna be
in for an amazing night, and you know that you're
going to hear some of the most iconic songs played
by a killer band and performed by an amazing ensemble.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
So live band?

Speaker 3 (03:17):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (03:18):
How big is the band?

Speaker 3 (03:20):
Six piece? Seven pieces?

Speaker 4 (03:21):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Have they been rehearsing with you so you've got all
you're not rehearsing the backing tracks and bringing the band.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
You can't do rock music with backing tracks. Yeah, unless
you're on the radio, of course.

Speaker 4 (03:32):
Like we will do.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
So how does it feel.

Speaker 4 (03:35):
It feels amazing. And we had our first sing through
with the band last week and it was amazing.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
See that's what I was telling you, that you did
a whole lot of rehearsing without the band.

Speaker 4 (03:43):
Yeah, just with a piano, because you know, we can't
expect them to turn up every single day. So it's Yeah.
When you put it all together and then you're in
the theater with the lights, costume, band and everything, it's
going to be magic man.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Okay. Caleb tell us, Caleb tell us what the highlight
of it's for you?

Speaker 3 (03:58):
The highlight? Well, I get to sing some of the
greatest songs of all time.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
What do you say?

Speaker 3 (04:01):
That's awesome?

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Which ones do you?

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Which ones do I sing?

Speaker 4 (04:04):
Every second song?

Speaker 3 (04:05):
Is there?

Speaker 1 (04:05):
Like?

Speaker 3 (04:05):
Yeah? Pretty much? Twenty one plus songs. We sing half
of them, Me and Ella.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
Right, yeah, compare yourself to the man himself.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
Compare myself. It's not possible. It's not possible. But I
am lucky that I've got a kind of a similar
attack and vocal sound to Freddy.

Speaker 4 (04:22):
It does a great job.

Speaker 3 (04:23):
There are particular artists who I won't touch, like Michael Jackson,
for example. I think most women shouldn't touch Whitney Houston.
But like I feel like, well, you know, if Freddy
was watching, maybe I wouldn't sing. But he's passed on,
so I've got to keep the spurad alive.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
Well, tell us the highlight for you? What is the
highlight of the show. What's the peak? What's part of
the show that you the heir on the back of
your head raises and you go gosh. Every time we
do that part, I go wow.

Speaker 4 (04:47):
It would probably be a duet that Caleb and I
do who Wants to Live Forever. It's one of the
more ballad type songs, and it's slower and it's it
just feels beautiful. It's a really beautiful song. And the
feel of the music and even the notes that we
sing in the harmonies and stuff is really spine tingling.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
Why didn't you choose to do that today?

Speaker 3 (05:06):
It's a little tougher to do in the setting, but
it is a nice song. I think what makes it
great in the show is that the whole show is
super high energy, having a lot of fun, and then
you have this one beautiful, tender moment and the audience
generally sometimes you see a few tears, which is quite nice.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
How BIG's a cast, how many people involved?

Speaker 3 (05:21):
I don't know. If it's at thirty probably there's gonna
be a good gift. We've got a nice we've got
a nice size ensemble of Valentinian You've both done a lot.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Of shows, So how does this feel? I mean, are
people going to be blown away? Are people going to
walk out of the Saint James? Normally you walk out
of the Saint James you're blown away by the venue alone,
the entertainment. Are they going to be blown away? Are
they going to go? Wow? That was amazing? To tell
my mates?

Speaker 3 (05:42):
Well, I think any show that you do, that's always
the test. Will they will they not? But I mean
the fact that you've got a score written by these
awesome guys on your side. I mean, you know, at
least if we sucked. The music's great. But we don't suck.
It's amazing, it's a great time. It's it's hard not
to have fun in the show.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
Okay, let's get ready. You want to play some song?
Come on, that's I really want to have. Get the
feel of it.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
Oh, there's no bad here. Don't my fucking talk.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, don't start paying starry with me now, or I'll
get your namer of it order.

Speaker 4 (06:12):
Please.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, that was that was my producers job. Did he
not breathe the water now?

Speaker 4 (06:16):
I'm never coming back here again.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
No, I don't blame you, don't no free water. Don't
go to that bar again. Okay, let's go. You're gonna
play us a song.

Speaker 3 (06:26):
Oh hey, hey, that's good fun.

Speaker 4 (06:33):
Yeah, I'm just tissing my levels.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
I wanted to.

Speaker 3 (06:35):
Give it some Come on you we still are you well?

Speaker 1 (06:43):
See, won't care it all?

Speaker 3 (06:45):
You wait the day but fade Lenny Mercy won't be.

Speaker 1 (06:53):
He always no time.

Speaker 3 (06:57):
Don't hear the bell when you answer the cool you
can't see you.

Speaker 4 (07:05):
You're just waiting for the hammer of a fall.

Speaker 3 (07:08):
Hey hey.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah yeah, ham a fall.

Speaker 4 (07:16):
Heavy day and every day her little piece of ears
falling away, Where live yourments?

Speaker 1 (07:25):
Who whistle away?

Speaker 2 (07:26):
Baby? Who do muscles as your body?

Speaker 1 (07:29):
It pays?

Speaker 2 (07:30):
Took your night a sailergain.

Speaker 4 (07:35):
Let the anisthetic cover it all to a day.

Speaker 1 (07:39):
They call your name lords.

Speaker 2 (07:43):
Time for the hammer a ball, Yo.

Speaker 4 (07:51):
Haw a fall a for all famous on your two
days all the same?

Speaker 2 (08:00):
Oh no, oh no, hell of your.

Speaker 1 (08:06):
It is hard your theme?

Speaker 3 (08:11):
I know, baby, a little down's break here, come on, edit,
eding editor, I do three times.

Speaker 1 (08:30):
On the pop rock crazy?

Speaker 2 (08:34):
What the hell we'll find it for?

Speaker 3 (08:38):
She's surrounding man, it won't hurt it.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
Ooh, you just got time to save you this.

Speaker 3 (08:46):
Why are you waiting for the hammer? Hammer a ball?

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Hey, the hammer a bird? The hammer abom hey wow

(09:17):
wow like that. I loved it. I loved it.

Speaker 4 (09:20):
He was dancing, he was on his chair, he was.

Speaker 2 (09:24):
Cub of music.

Speaker 1 (09:24):
Guy.

Speaker 2 (09:24):
I loved it. The show is called We Will Rock You.
It's on at the Saint James, which is the greatest
theater in New Zealand. We're probably in the world. They're
performing the Queen's songs and that sounded amazing. The show
looks like it's going to be incredible. It's called We
Will Rock You. Starts August fifteenth or Sectember one. Tickets
available at ticket Master. Please Wellington support local entertainment. It's

(09:49):
going to be a show that we'll be talking about. Hey,
can we can we get you on after the show
and have a chat about it. Can we do a
little bit of a wrap afterwards?

Speaker 3 (09:55):
No problem with that, perfect, get it done.

Speaker 2 (09:58):
Caleb jago Ward and Ala Monterey, Thank you both for
us coming into the studio and, as they say in
Showers your league.

Speaker 3 (10:07):
Thanks ry.

Speaker 1 (10:09):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, Listen live
to news talks It'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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