Of all the musicals wrapped around hits of a band or solo star, only two have achieved genuine longevity and worldwide success – the joyful Mamma Mia! and this rip-snorting spectacle of Queen’s finest.
Seldom has the Royal Concert Hall witnessed an ensemble of such vocal accomplishment, not just restricted to a couple of lead performers, but seven prominent characters, each stepping forward to present their interpretation of Queen standards.
The talent on show is immense.
Linking more than 20 classic tracks is Ben Elton’s gloriously outrageous script, dripping with wit, cynicism and innuendo. The master craftsman has created a nightmare world in which everyone lives online; all individuality and imagination crushed by a global internet company, controlled by the Killer Queen (Jenny O’Leary) and menacing Khashoggi (Adam Strong). Live music is banned, rock and roll is dead and all but forgotten.
But, with a nod to Star Wars, there is a rebellion. The Bohemians, with names like Buddy (Michael McKell), Britt (David Michael Johnson) and Oz (Amy Di Bartolomeo), dress like ‘70s kids, live underground in the Heartbreak Hotel and wait for a musical messiah to save their souls.
Enter Galileo Figaro (Ian McIntosh), a nerdy youth with snatches of lost lyrics swirling in his brain. With his spiky sidekick Scaramouche (Elena Skye), he goes in search of the Holy Grail, the last instrument on the iplanet – an instantly recognisable red Verithin guitar which will unleash the power of rock.
The best of Queen is all there: Radio Gaga, Somebody To Love, I Want To Break Free … all the songs fit the script, apart from Fat Bottomed Girls but who cares, it has to be heard.
We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions announce victory for the rebellion, setting up the finale the audience demands, a full-on but ultimately poignant, arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody.
We Will Rock You runs at the Royal Concert Hall until Saturday. Sold out.
