Some things are just meant to be together and right up there has to be the music of Queen and a live audience. There’s something about these iconic tunes which sound even better when belted out in a packed theatre. With a first class band, incredible group of singers and the writing talents of BEN ELTON you really do have a recipe for a perfect live experience.
With a combination like that, we are of course talking WE WILL ROCK YOU.
This huge, loud celebration of the music of Queen, burst onto the stage at the Wales Millennium Centre last night, and boy we were ready for this one. It’s actually been waiting to tour for almost two years, but with a pandemic ruling the world, this right royal offering was put on hold, until now.
Unbelievably, this is the 20th anniversary of WWRY, having first taken to the London Dominion stage in May 2002 and since then racked up some pretty impressive figures. Something like 16 million people have seen the show across 19 countries, so there’s no denying it is something very special. But this is all shiny and new for 2022 and does it still hold up all these years later?
The answer is a resounding yes, and some. To quote a well known line from a Queen classic, We Will Rock You is guaranteed to blow your mind.
The show has a fanbase all of its own, made up of die hard Queen lovers, and those who love the world Ben Elton has created on stage. This is not merely a jukebox of the bands greatest hits, although we do get 24 of their biggest songs over the 2 hours 40 minutes, it is a proper story, and as Brian May said recently, ‘it actually feels more relevant now than ever before‘.
Before we go any further, let’s check out what some of the audience thought of this newly revamped version of We Will Rock You…….
THE AUDIENCE GIVE US THEIR TAKE ON WE WILL ROCK YOU…..
So, for the uninitiated, a brief plot…..
Set in a future world, ruled by Killer Queen, played by JENNY O’LEARY, where music is banned and musical instruments are a thing of myths. No one listens to rock, no one really knows what it is, apart from a rebellious few.
The story focuses on two main characters, always got to have a bit of theatrical love interest. Galileo, played by IAN MCINTOSH and Scaramouche, ELENA SKYE, who are both excellent. Galileo sets out to bring rock music back to the world, and along with Scaramouche and the other bohemian rebels, they attempt to break free from the corporate-controlled society.
One thing to listen out for are the regular references to song titles and performers names. The way they are knitted into the script is cleverly done by Ben Elton – he even manages to give the Benny Hill hit Ernie: The Fastest Milkman in the West a mention. You’ve gotta have a lotta bottle to do that……
I saw We Will Rock You back in the day in London, I was even in it for one night only (don’t ask), so I’m pretty familiar with the original script. While all the elements we know and love still make up the show, Ben Elton has waved his magic fingers over it and made it fresh and updated.
There are plenty of current references, and enough naughtiness to keep us laughing in all the right places. In a story set so far in the future, they even manage to get a few pandemic mentions included.
But script and story aside, what we love most about WWRY is the music, and this is a show packed with hit after hit. Huge credit to the band, who are first rate. We occasionally get to see them, high above the newly revamped set, but boy could we hear them. They are as tight a musical outfit as you’ll find in any show, and an absolute credit to the music of Queen.
The set is probably the most notable change for the die hard fans who have seen previous productions of the show. The use of the huge rear screen, makes it feel ‘of the time it is set in.’ The costumes are all shiny and new, but fear not, this is still WWRY.
The lighting too is outstanding. Those of you who have been fortunate to see Queen live will know how much pride they take in the staging of the concerts, the same goes here. What we see on stage is extravagant to say the least. There’s video screens aplenty and an enormous lighting rig, which adds to that live gig feel later in the show.
I should also mention the sound. What you will notice are the huge banks of speakers all around the Donald Gordon stage, usually more akin to a rock concert, than a rock musical.
And that brings us on to the songs. As we said, 24 Queen classics are carefully woven into the plot, occasionally eased in to fit the storyline, but always brilliantly performed. And we get them all – We Will Rock You, of course, We Are The Champions and they even manage to squeeze in Fat Bottom Girls. But the one we were waiting for is the song Queen claimed was always the most challenging to play live – Bohemian Rhapsody.
It’s a precious song to pretty much all of us, and any attempt to mess with it would definitely be frowned upon. Well, rest assured they handled it superbly. The band and cast should be rightly proud of the fantastic job they made of this 1975 masterpiece.
WE WILL ROCK YOU will blast you into a future world and rock you to your entire core. It’s loud and fun and never takes itself too seriously. To quote Queen – Was It All Worth It? Absolutely it is, all 2 hours 40 minutes of it. It really does have A Kind Of Magic all of its own.
The show is at the Wales Millennium Centre till Saturday 16th April. Performances are at 7:30pm with matinee show on both Thursday and Saturday’s. For more details and to get tickets, go HERE. Just a word of warning, they are down to either single number tickets, or indeed completely sold out on some performances, so get in quick while you can.
And to check out our original show feature, go HERE.
