Kings Theatre, Southsea from Saturday to Saturday, October 17-24

Having been in the show four times, Sean Smith is uniquely qualified to direct Portsmouth Theatres’ production of We Will Rock You, the smash hit musical at the Kings Theatre, Southsea from Saturday to Saturday, October 17-24.

The show comes from the team behind Grease, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Annie, The Full Monty and many other Portsmouth Theatres productions. It offers a great showcase for the music of Queen – and a story which is seeming more and more relevant, says Sean.

“It's a great show. First and foremost you've got the music of Freddie Mercury and the music of Queen. When you listen to it, you realise how unbelievably brilliant these Queen songs are and how well they work in the show. The score is exceptional.

“And then you've got a great story. The story is a little bit bonkers. It was written by Ben Elton but I think you've just got to buy into it and then it works.”

Set in a futuristic world where rock music is banned, We Will Rock You follows the story of Galileo and Scaramouche, two young rebels who are determined to Break Free and embrace the power of rock music. With the help of the Bohemians, they embark on a quest for freedom, individuality and the powerful sound of Queen.

“I was lucky enough to work with the original director who worked very closely with Ben Elton, and he really made me buy into it. I went into it thinking it was a bit bonkers and what on earth was it all about but he made me really get into it and that's what I want to do now I'm directing it. You realise that every line has got a purpose. It was first done in 2001 and at that time it was a bit mad but I think since then the world has slowly been ticking over and heading in the direction that the show was about. This show is set a few years in the future and I think maybe we're already seeing some of the things it talks about. The government is always wanting more eyes on us, at least it feels that way, and I think weirdly this story has stood the test of time.

“You think back to Back To The Future in the 1980s and you think of all these things like flying cars and flying skateboards. Those haven't happened yet but it feels like this work is maybe heading in that direction.”

In it you've got the Killer Queen who represents the new world order: “It is not necessarily repressive. In this world they're living in, it's a perfect world. If you can imagine what people put on Instagram when they just put out the good things in their lives and not the bad, then this is what that world is like but it's a world that has no heart and no soul and no emotion.”

And that's where rock music comes in: “It represents heart and realness and soul and feeling. Galileo and Scaramouche know that they were born different, and in the show they follow their own journey.”