We Will Rock You.
A very bold claim for anything to make, let alone a musical based on the back catalogue of Queen.
But, fair do's, my tickets were free. So I shouldn't complain.
Does NOT mean I won't though.
First, the fact that the set and costumes looks like they were sponsored by some sort of collaboration between Dixons and your local S&M store. TV screens as set are friggin lazy. Charging people £45 a ticket to sit and watch a massive television show pictures of deserts and rivers for just over 2 and a half hours is down right rude. As is advertising it as a family friendly show and having the female ensemble dick about in their underwear for the majority of it.
Secondly, when did musicals stop needing plots?
Plot seems to have fallen out of favour circa 1999 with the birth of M*mm* M**. (No, I can't even bring myself to say it.)
Plot seems to have fallen out of favour circa 1999 with the birth of M*mm* M**. (No, I can't even bring myself to say it.)
Having seen it now about 10 times (not paying once) the story seems to be something like, its the future, all non-autotuned and manufactured music is banned, this guy hears song lyrics in his dreams and thinks they'll make good songs, he finds a load of "bohemians" (haha!) who celebrate music from "the good ol' days" and finds out about Queen, he then finds Brian May's guitar, plays We Will Rock You, then him and the cast do encore after encore and leave the stage 2 and a half hours later.
In summary. Shite.
Finally, the MAHOOSIVE PLOT HOLE.
If all man made rock and roll music is banned, how the hell do the main characters get away with not only singing Queen, but singing it with a live band?
For anyone who hasn't seen the show, this often happens when they are onstage with members of "Globalsoft" the folks who make the rules and make sure people obey them.
For anyone who hasn't seen the show, this often happens when they are onstage with members of "Globalsoft" the folks who make the rules and make sure people obey them.
It makes my head hurt.
The only redeeming feature is the quality of the cast. Props going to Amanda Coutts who played Scaramouche, an enormous voice for a tiny tiny person. Props also going to Noel (of of Hearsay) Sullivan who played Gallileo for having a nice car but failing to signal in it and nearly knocking me off the pavement in it. My waistcoat's pretty hard to miss mate!
'nother redeeming feature: Brian May, who came out on press night (that's why my tickets were free) and played the guitar solo for Bohemian Rhapsody. Even if it was right at the very end meaning I had to actually sit through the show first, that's one of those moments in life that are pretty fucking special. Noel from Hearsay couldn't believe his luck, first performing for Nicki Chapman and now Brian bloody May! Just look at his face on that picture.
We said goodbye to the show on Saturday in't 'Deen. I believe they're heading to Birmingham for 5 weeks next, but if you must see it it's on at the Dominion Theatre in London running from now til the end of effin' time.
One can only hope that Freddie wasn't a musical loving gay.
