As somebody who never bought Queen records and who didn’t laugh at Ben Elton jokes the first time around, We Will Rock You was never a show at the top of my bucket list. I have to say the prospect of sitting in a theatre for more than two hours watching a musical written by the ’80s comedian based on the best known songs of Queen was up there with a lengthy wait for an invasive dental procedure.
Of course, with my critic’s hat on, I have to cast aside any preconceived notions about such shows and, let’s face it, the track record for We Will Rock You speaks for itself. On its 20th anniversary tour, it’s the 11th longest-running musical in West End history and must have made both Elton and the remaining members of Queen even richer than before.
A ‘jukebox musical’ (by which I presume they mean the hits just keep on coming once you've paid), this dystopian story is based around a group of ‘Bohemians’ (essentially the ensemble dressed as various rock and pop icons, from Cliff Richard to Lady Gaga) who set out to save rock music at a time real music has been banned and the back history of pop culture is an unknown and little more than a sacred mystery.
READ MORE: The lakeside festival near Bristol where you can eat Michelin quality food
They team up with geeky musical misfits Galileo (Ian McIntosh) and Scaramouche (Elena Skye) who are being hunted down by bad guys Khashoggi (Adam Strong) and Killer Queen (a stand-out performance from Jenny O’Leary who has a fantastic voice). This pantomime-style duo are trying to kill live music and make it as homogenised as some might say it has become today.
Backed by a well seasoned live band who fleetingly appear on stage, the cast wrestles with some clunky lines, cliche-ridden jokes and some dubious lighting. At times, it was all very am-dram.
At one point when Michael McKell (as Cliff) took centre stage for These Are The Days of Our Lives, the wobbly spotlight struggled to keep up with him. Maybe the operator nodded off or just needs to make a quick trip to Specsavers before the next performance.
The scaffolding-framed set and computerised images in the background work well and make for some slick scene changes rather than the traditional scenery shifting. The huge Space Invaders scuttling across the width of the stage may have looked dated to those who remember them the first time around but they worked.
And, of course, the 24 Queen classics pour out from start to finish, including Radio Ga Ga, One Vision, Fat Bottomed Girls and We Are The Champions. Although the audience were asked not to sing along from the outset (via a pre-recorded message from Ben Elton), it didn’t stop people dancing in their seats.
My row in the stalls was positively rocking from side to side before the interval and one middle-aged man was showing off some fine air guitar and drum skills. As for the chap in one of the boxes next to the stage, he looked like he was having a great time, fists in the air as if reliving Queen at Wembley.
But the biggest surprise to those studying the song list in their theatre programmes is the omission of Bohemian Rhapsody. Arguably Queen’s finest song and a track that’s a musical and opera in itself, it’s as if the printers made a mistake.
Of course, it would be spoiling the party if I told you what happened once the cast returned to the stage after a standing ovation beneath a neon sign saying ‘do you want more….?’. But if you’re a Queen fan, the finale is certainly worth the two hour wait.
We Will Rock You is at Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday April 23. For tickets, go to atgtickets.com/bristol
