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We Will Rock You (musical)
Encyclopedia
We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical
, based on the songs of Queen
and named after their hit single of the same name
. The musical was written by British
comedian and author Ben Elton
in collaboration with Queen members Brian May
and Roger Taylor. The musical was first produced in London by Queen Theatrical Productions, Phil McIntyre Entertainment and Tribeca Theatrical Productions, with Christopher Renshaw as director, Mark Fisher as the production designer, Willie Williams
as the lighting designer, Williams & Fisher as co-video directors, Tim Goodchild as the costume designer, Arlene Phillips
as choreographer and Bobby Aitken as sound designer.
The musical opened in the West End
at the Dominion Theatre
on 14 May 2002, with Tony Vincent
, Hannah Jane Fox
, Sharon D. Clarke and Kerry Ellis
in principal roles. The musical was panned by critics, but was an audience favourite, and has since been played to packed houses around the world, and has become the longest-running musical at the Dominion Theatre. The story takes place in a tongue-in-cheek
dystopian future where originality and individualism are shunned, and a lone "Dreamer" appears who can fulfill a prophecy that will enable the return of rock 'n roll.
A number of international productions have followed the original, and We Will Rock You has been seen in Ireland, Australia, Canada, Russia, Spain, Japan, South Africa, Zürich, Vienna, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong. As of July 2009, productions are still active in Great Britain, Italy and Germany. The Dutch production premiered at the end of summer 2010 and the Swedish production in autumn 2010.
A sequel is currently in the works, and as of March 2009 a draft has been completed.
had spoken with the band about creating a jukebox musical
with Queen's songs since the mid-1990s. Initially, the intent was to create a biographical story of Freddie Mercury
. About this time, Robert De Niro
's production company Tribeca expressed interest in a Queen musical, but it found the original idea difficult to work with.
In the year 2000, Ben Elton was approached to start talks with May and Queen drummer Roger Taylor on the project. Elton suggested taking the musical down a different path than initially imagined, creating an original story that would "capture the spirit of much of [their] music". He worked closely with May and Taylor to incorporate Queen's songs into the story. Elton has also stated that he was in part inspired by the computer-controlled dystopia
of the science-fiction film The Matrix
. The script was eventually completed midway through 2001. Before working on We Will Rock You, neither May nor Taylor liked the musical genre.
The original London production began previews on 26 April 2002 and opened on 14 May 2002 at the Dominion Theatre. The show is currently still playing there, and on 31 May 2011 celebrated its 9th anniversary.
wrote that the premise "really is as sixth form
as it sounds", called the production "ruthlessly packaged and manufactured" and opined that the "sometimes funny" libretto exists mainly to "devise more unlikely ways to wring out another Queen song." The Daily Mirror wrote that "Ben Elton should be shot for this risible story." However, some individual performances received praise and the production remains a popular success. In their popular book Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Shit
, Steve Lowe and Alan MacArthur derided the show as having "a plot similar to a Yes
concept album".
in London, England. Tony Vincent
played the lead role of Galileo, with Hannah Jane Fox
as Scaramouche, Sharon D. Clarke as Killer Queen, Nigel Planer
as Pop and Kerry Ellis
as Meat. For her performance, Clarke was nominated for "Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical or Entertainment" at the 2003 Olivier Awards.
On 17 August 2005 We Will Rock You became the longest running musical at that venue, surpassing the previous record-holder Grease
. This is notable because the Dominion Theatre is one of the largest theatrical venues in West End, with a seating a capacity of 2,000 people. The show recently extended its booking date, meaning that it is now set to run until March 2012.
Notable cast replacements include Mig Ayesa
, who played Galileo; Mazz Murray
, who took over the role of Killer Queen from Sharon D. Clarke in April 2004 and left it in August 2011, making her the longest running principal cast member, though she went on maternity leave in September 2010. Brenda Edwards (semi-finalist in X-Factor in 2005) is currently covering for a limited season in the West End. Rachel Tucker
, a semi-finalist in BBC's I'd Do Anything
, played the role of Meat from 22 September 2008 until 19 September 2009, this role was taken over in September 2009 by Irish born Louise Bowden (Mama Mia /Guys and Dolls / Mary Poppins). However, an unexpected departure of Bowden in May 2010 led to the role of Meat being taken over by Amanda Coutts who was previously understudying the part. The show features a live band with Elliott Ware as musical director.
A national UK tour was launched in 2009 at the Palace Theatre, Manchester
. The 2009 tour cast initially included, Alex Gaumond
as Galileo, Sarah French-Ellis as Scaramouche, Brenda Edwards
as Killer Queen, Georgina Hagen
as Meat, Jonathan Wilkes
as Khashoggi, Kevin Kennedy
as Pop. Gaumond and French-Ellis returned to play their characters in the West End and are the current Galileo and Scaramouche.
A second UK tour launched in December 2010 starting at the Palace Theatre, Manchester
and is currently due to run through until early 2012.
in Melbourne
, Australia on 7 August 2003. The cast included Michael Falzon as Galileo, Kate Hoolihan as Scaramouche and Annie Crummer
as Killer Queen. Amanda Harrison
, who originated Oz in this Melbourne production, had previously been in the ensemble of the original London production. The production closed at this venue on 4 March 2004 to make way for Australian tour stops at Burswood Theatre, Perth
(27 April to June 2004), Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane
(27 July to 25 September 2005), and Star City Lyric Theatre, Sydney
(9 October 2004 to 13 March 2005). The same production then made an international tour stop at the Shinjuku Koma Theater
in Tokyo, Japan where it ran from 27 May to 24 August 2005.
Due to the success of the Japan tour stop, another Australian tour group was put together in 2006. They performed at the same venue: the Shinjuku Koma Theatre in Tokyo, from 14 November to 17 December 2006. Some of the actors of the 2005 tour returned for the 2006 tour, including Peter Murphy as Galileo, Daniel Fletcher as Brit, Ross Givern as Khashoggi and Robert Grubb
as Pop. Kate Hoolihan, who had played Scaramouche in the 2005 tour, chose to switch to the role of Oz in the 2006 tour. The tour group then performed in Osaka
from 5 January 2007 at the Umeda Arts Theater
.
. The lead role of Galileo was shared by José Luis Cortés and Miguel Fernández. The rest of the cast included María Blanco as Scaramouche, Sheilah Cuffey as Killer Queen and Eva María Cortés (sister of José Luis Cortés) as Meat. The Madrid production had all spoken dialogue and the lyrics translated into Spanish, except for the songs "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Bohemian Rhapsody", which retained their English lyrics. After closing at Teatro Calderón, the show began a tour through Spain with stops at Barcelona
(12 November to 12 December 2004), Bilbao
(17 December 2004 to 16 January 2005) and Valencia (3 February to 27 February 2005).
In 2007 the production returned to Calderón Theatre, Madrid with previews from 23 January and an official opening on 12 February. This stage featured an entirely new cast, with Daniel Diges
and Julian Fontalvo sharing the role of Galileo, Ruth Calvo and Elena Medina sharing the role of Scaramouche, Maria Lopez and Lara Alcazar sharing the role of Meat, as well as Nieves Val and Tessa sharing the role of Killer Queen. The production finally closed on 6 January 2008.
and Seattle. However, due to scheduling conflicts of the creative team, the US tour was scrapped and replaced with a production housed at the Paris Las Vegas
hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada
, which is the musical's first North American venue.
The Las Vegas production had previews from 4 August and officially opened on 8 September 2004. Tony Vincent, who had originated the role of Galileo in the London production, reprised the role, which he alternated with Jason Wooten. Aspen Miller
and Kacie Sheik shared the role of Scaramouche, Patti Russo
was Killer Queen, and Ty Taylor
was Brit. The Las Vegas production "trimmed" down the book into a single act show. This production closed on 27 November 2005.
. This production closed only four months after its opening due to disagreements between the show's producers, despite fan protests to keep the show going.
on 12 December 2004. The Cologne production had the spoken dialogue translated to German, but the musical numbers consisted of a mix of translated German language lyrics and the original English language lyrics. According to Brian May, the language combination was intentional by writer Ben Elton, with German representing the show's "present day" and English representing the distant past. The production closed at this venue on 30 September 2008 to be transferred to Stuttgart
. The Stuttgart transfer opened at the Apollo Theatre on 13 November 2008 after previews from 7 November 2008.
The production opened in Berlin
on 21 October 2010.
on 9 May 2006. The production starred Francois Schreuder as Galileo, Helen Burger as Scaramouche, Vicky Sampson as Killer Queen, and Helen Goldberg as Oz. This production made tour stops at the Artscape in Cape Town
(from 25 July) and the Playhouse Opera in Durban
(29 September to 29 October 2006) before closing.
, Toronto
. Mig Ayesa
, who played the lead role in the London production, had been offered the role in the Canadian production by Brian May and Ben Elton, but the Canadian producers wanted an all-Canadian cast and Quebec native Yvan Pednault was given the role. The rest of the cast included Erica Peck as Scaramouche, Alana Bridgewater as Killer Queen, Suzie McNeil
as Oz and Evan Buliung as Khashoggi. McNeil had been a participant of the reality show Rockstar: INXS, in which she had competed against Ayesa and former Las Vegas We Will Rock You cast member Ty Taylor.
This production closed at the Canon Theatre on 11 May 2008 to be transferred to the Panasonic Theatre, where it opened on 16 July 2008. The new Toronto production underwent major rewrites in order to trim the show before its reopening. Changes include: there is no longer any dialogue between "Ga-Ga" and "I Want to Break Free"; "One Vision" has been cut; the Act Two song sequence is now "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Who Wants to Live Forever", "Seven Seas of Rhye", "Hammer to Fall" and then "Another One Bites the Dust" before leading to the finale. In October 2008, Camilla Scott
took over the role of Khashoggi, a character that had previously been portrayed as a male, though her understudies remain male. Erica Peck, who originated the role of Scaramouche in this production, is scheduled to reprise her role from 29 May. This production closed on 28 June 2009.
(London cast), Annie Crummer (original Australian cast), Neels Clasen (original South African cast) and Malcolm Terry (original South African cast) reprise their roles as Galileo, Killer Queen, Khashoggi and Pop respectively. Talia Kodesh, who had played Oz in the South African production, played the role of Scaramouche in the New Zealand tour stop. After the tour left New Zealand, the role was taken over by Sivan Raphaely, who had been in the ensemble of the original South African production.
The tour performed in Auckland
, New Zealand at The Civic, The Edge (26 October to 2 December 2007), in Seoul
, South Korea at the Seongnam Arts Centre (2 February to 24 February 2008), in Singapore
at the Esplanade Theatre (28 March to 27 April 2008), in Hong Kong
at The Lyric Theatre of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (16 May to 22 June 2008) and in Bangkok
, Thailand
at the Muangthai Ratchadalai Theatre (12 July to 27 July 2008).
, Italy. Starring Gianluca Merolli and Salvo Vinci as Galileo, Marta Rossi and Martina Ciabatti as Scaramouche, Valentina Ferrari as Killer Queen, Salvo Bruno and Carlo Spano as Khashoggi, Paolo Barillari as Brit, Loredana Fadda and Mary Dima as Oz and Massimiliano Colonna as Pop. WWRY Italy is produced by Barley Arts and directed by Maurizio Colombi.
The musical director is Roberto Zanaboni followed by Davide Magnabosco (keyboard), Giovanni Maria Lori (keyboard), Linda Pinelli (bass), Alex Polifrone (drums), Marco Scazzetta (percussions), Andrea Cervetto (guitar) and the lead guitarist is Tristan Avakian, who had a successful run with WWRY Toronto. All the dialogues are in Italian and almost all the songs are in English expect for Radio Ga Ga and Noone but you. The translation and adaptation of the Italian script were made by Raffaella Rolla with the cooperation of Alice Mistroni. The show is scheduled to tour across Italy over the year, so far visiting Milan
, Bologna
, Trieste
and Rome .
The second season is due to start in Bergamo on 4 November and it will be on tour until March 2011.
The double cast has been dropped therefore this year the leading roles are : Galileo (Salvo Vinci), Scaramouche (Martha Rossi), Oz (Loredana Fadda), Brit (Paolo Barillari), Khashoggi (Salvo Bruno), Killer Queen (Valentina), Pop (Massimiliano Colonna). The new lead guitarist is Marco Gerace.
It was an amazing spectacle and they are still playing every single day for a full theatre.
A big part of the cast already played the musical in the Netherlands, but the challenge was that they had to learn the 'Belgian language'.
But there was a small change in the cast:
Cast
. This license also extends to school performances, under the title "Schools Will Rock You".
In early 2007 Queen Theatrical granted the rights for a non-equity
production of We Will Rock You at the Jedlicka Performing Art Centre in Chicago
from April, making it the first North American production since the Las Vegas show closed.
An externally-licensed production was staged in Varberg
, Sweden from February to July 2007.
A Dutch production was opened at 3 December 2010.
world. Earth has been renamed as "Planet Mall" (the "iPlanet" as of October 2011), and is controlled by the Globalsoft Corporation. ("Innuendo
") On Planet Mall, mainstream commercial conformity reigns, in which Ga Ga Kids watch the same movies, listen to computer-generated music, wear the same clothes and hold the same thoughts and opinions. Musical instruments are forbidden, and rock music is unknown. ("Radio Ga Ga
")
In the newest graduating class is black sheep
Galileo, who has dreams and hears strange words in his head, most of which are lyrics of songs long since lost, though he does not understand their significance. Despite his teacher's advice, Galileo refuses to conform like the rest of his classmates. ("I Want to Break Free
") Galileo is captured by Khashoggi, commander of Globalsoft's police. The teacher also reveals a second anomaly, a young goth
woman who is openly mocked and derided by her peers ("Somebody to Love
"). She too is arrested by Khashoggi.
Ruling Globalsoft Corporation is the Killer Queen. ("Killer Queen") She has heard of a prophecy that instruments have been hidden somewhere on Planet Mall in the "place of living rock", and a "bright star" will show the way to them. She orders Khashoggi to get to the bottom of the matter and crush the rebel Bohemians who believe in the prophecy. Killer Queen then basks in her power over Planet Mall. ("Play the Game")
Galileo and the young woman wake up in a hospital ("Death on Two Legs
" (intro)). They realize that they are kindred spirits, feared by the rest of their society. ("Under Pressure
") They flee together from the hospital.
Killer Queen has blown up all the rocks on Planet Mall, but cannot find any supposed hidden instruments. She insists that they have won, and the prophecy will not come to pass. ("A Kind of Magic
")
On the streets, Bohemians Brit and Meat climb out of the sewers, where they have been gathering materials to make musical instruments. Brit is a believer in the Dreamer who will fulfil the prophecy, and insists to the cynical Meat that it's the key to bringing real music back into the world. ("I Want It All
") Brit and Meat hear footsteps approaching, and hide.
Galileo and the woman arrive, with Galileo talking about his belief that he has a destiny. He says that he has a name for the woman: "Scaramouche". Brit and Meat reveal themselves, and accuse Galileo and Scaramouche of being spies, because Galileo keeps spouting words of the "sacred text". Galileo insists that he only hears those words in his head. Brit tests Galileo, singing the first few lines of "Bohemian Rhapsody
". Galileo responds correctly with the subsequent lines, and Brit realises that he is the Dreamer of the prophecy. They bring Galileo and Scaramouche to the Heartbreak Hotel
, which is located at the ruins of the Tottenham Court Road tube station
, where the Bohemians have made their home. ("Headlong
") Of note, the original London production is staged at the Dominion Theatre, which is located above the real Tottenham Court Road tube station.
The Bohemians explain that they take their names after singers long gone, and mourn the deaths of those who died young. ("No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)
") The group then celebrate the reason rock bands started playing music in the first place, which was for love. ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love
")
Khashoggi and his police suddenly arrive at the Heartbreak Hotel, where they round up the Bohemians for capture. Brit breaks free and battles the police in order to enable Galileo and Scaramouche to escape, but in the process is killed. ("Ogre Battle")
")
Galileo and Scaramouche have escaped the Heartbreak Hotel, and realise that back at the hospital, tracking devices were installed in their heads. They remove them, and upon realizing that they are all that's left of the rebels, they confess their love for each other. ("Who Wants to Live Forever
")
The surviving Bohemians have been rounded up by Khashoggi to be tortured. ("Flash
") When he cannot get any information from them about the prophecy, he has them brain-drained. ("Seven Seas of Rhye
"—interpolating
"Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon")
Galileo wakes up, and tells Scaramouche that he had a dream that the Bohemians were sent to the Seven Seas of Rhye. Scaramouche agrees they have to go there, but then Galileo insists that she stay because she's a "chick", to which Scaramouche takes offense. They argue, and decide that both of them will go to the Seven Seas of Rhye, but their relationship will be purely professional.
Back at Globalsoft headquarters ("Fat Bottomed Girls
") Khashoggi reports that the Bohemians are no longer a problem. Killer Queen prematurely starts to celebrate. ("Don't Stop Me Now
") Khashoggi interrupts her, explaining that Galileo and Scaramouche escaped. Killer Queen declares this is the last time Khashoggi has disappointed her, and has him brain-drained. ("Another One Bites the Dust
")
Galileo and Scaramouche are making their way to the Seven Seas of Rhye, arguing all the way. ("Hammer to Fall
") At the Seven Seas of Rhye pub, Pop the librarian is serving drinks to the lifeless Bohemians. ("These Are the Days of Our Lives
") When Galileo and Scaramouche arrive, Pop explains the full nature of the prophecy to them as inscribed by the three remaining members of the band Queen just before they were sentenced to death. Scaramouche figures out that the bright shining star of the prophecy is rock star Freddie Mercury's statue, and that it's pointing to Wembley Stadium
, the "place of living rock". After initially preparing to travel by bicycle, (opening of "Bicycle Race")Scaramouche protests that the method "isn't very cool", and so they travel there by motorcycle. ("Headlong (reprise)")
Wembley Stadium is in ruin, with no instruments to be found. Reconciling and their love for each other rekindled ("Love of My Life"), Scaramouche inspires Galileo to perform the opening of "We Will Rock You
", and an electric guitar
is revealed. Galileo cannot play it, but Scaramouche can. ("Brighton Rock solo") Pop hacks into Globalsoft's network so their music can be heard by everyone on Planet Mall, and Killer Queen is defeated. ("Tie Your Mother Down
", "We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions
")
After the curtain calls ("We Will Rock You (fast version)
"), a question appears that says "Do you want "Bohemian Rhapsody"?" Everybody in the audience is supposed to shout yes, and the answer appears as "Oh...alright then" and the entire cast perform "Bohemian Rhapsody" as an encore
.
The dialogue contains many references to popular culture, with lyrics from numerous non-Queen songs and albums inserted into the text. These references are constantly changing, and according to writer Elton, this is to keep the show "fresh". Songs that have been referenced include The Beatles
' "Help!
", "Strawberry Fields Forever
", "Penny Lane
", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
", "I Am the Walrus
" and "Hello, Goodbye", Little Richard
's "Tutti Fruitti
" and "Long Tall Sally
", the theme from The Wombles
, The Goodies
' "Funky Gibbon", Bruce Springsteen
's "Born to Run
", David Bowie
's "Rebel Rebel
" and "Space Oddity", The Wild Ones'
"Wild Thing", Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women
", Bob Dylan
's "Mr. Tambourine Man
", ABBA
's "Dancing Queen
" and "Fernando
", Oasis'
"(What's the Story) Morning Glory?
", Eminem
's "The Real Slim Shady
", Spice Girls
' "Wannabe
", Elton John
's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
", Black Lace's
"Agadoo
", The Clash
's "Complete Control
", Teletubbies
and "Michael Jackson
"
Hannah Jane Fox
, who originated Scaramouche, was the last original principal cast member to remain with the show. She gave her final performance on 28 January 2006, four years after the musical opened at the Dominion Theatre, and the event was celebrated with May appearing on stage to perform the guitar solo during the "Bohemian Rhapsody" encore.
On 5 September 2006, the London show celebrated what would have been Freddie Mercury's 60th birthday. During the song "Don't Stop Me Now
", ordinarily sung by Killer Queen, the band "McFly
" (who were at #1 with the song on the singles charts the previous week) emerged onto the stage to sing it instead. Brian May and Roger Taylor joined the encore, performing Taylor's "Say It's Not True
" as a duo. Ben Elton also addressed the audience on this special occasion. The following week, tickets to the London show were sold from £19.46, Mercury's birth year.
On 14 May 2007, the London show celebrated its fifth anniversary with a special show featuring both May and Taylor playing in the final section of the show. Writer Ben Elton also made an appearance to present a special plaque to the cast, May and Taylor. During the portion of the show based in Pop's bar, the line "But the Pub Landlord has a Bike" was followed by a cameo appearance of British comedian Al Murray
, who came up through the stage on a motorcycle.
The London show's sixth anniversary performance was held on 21 May 2008, a week after its actual anniversary due to the unavailability of Brian May. For the first time since the show opened, the Killer Queen character performed the entire song "Don't Stop Me Now
", a musical number which is normally interrupted by the Khashoggi character. This unique performance is acknowledged by Killer Queen's dialogue: "No, you didn't let me finish, you never let me finish. For six long years, night after night, week after week, year after year. Well, tonight, I'm going to finish." To which Khashoggi replied: "It's not in the script?" Additionally, May joined Killer Queen and the dancers on stage for the performance. After the encore, Elton made a thank you speech, after which the entire cast performed "The Show Must Go On
", accompanied by May on guitar.
The seventh anniversary of the London Show was celebrated on Monday 18 May 2009. The show contained a special appearance from Brian May and Ben Elton who emerged together in a cloud of smoke during the encore rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody
" with May playing guitar. As with the year before, Elton gave a thank you speech and the entire cast performed "The Show Must Go On
", accompanied by May on guitar.
On Saturday 12 September 2009 at the early matinee performance Brian May again emerged in a cloud of smoke playing the guitar in "Bohemian Rhapsody". What was the occasion for this appearance is not clear. He did the same again on Saturday 14 November 2009 (Brian May birthday)at the matinee.
On Sunday 31 January 2010 in The O2 Dublin, Brian May once again played Bohemian Rhapsody with the company during the finale of both the matinee and evening shows to celebrate the end of their year long tour.
On Saturday 5 September 2010 Brian also appeared though a cloud of smoke, again to play "Bohemian Rhapsody". This was due to the annual cast change, as well as a celebration of what would have been Freddie Mercury
's 64th birthday, and afterwards Brian gave a farewell speech to the cast that were leaving.
- The central character of the musical; a dreamer who hears strange words in his head. He is eventually revealed to be a reincarnation of Freddie Mercury. The character's name is a reference to the lyrics in the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Scaramouche – A sarcastic, cynical character and Galileo's love interest. In the finale she shows talent playing the electric guitar, and Galileo declares that she is a reincarnation of Brian May, only this time "he's a babe". The character's name is a reference to the lyrics in the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Killer Queen – The villain of the musical, she rules over Planet Mall with an iron fist. The character's name is a reference to the Queen song "Killer Queen".
Brit (alternately Paris, Duff, Vic and J.B.) – Brit, short for Britney Spears
, is the main male Bohemian rebel. In other productions, his name is either Paris (short for Paris Hilton
), Duff (short for Hilary Duff
), Vic (short for Victoria Beckham
) or J.B. (short for Jeanette Biedermann
).
Meat (alternately Oz, Ozzy) – Meat, short for Meat Loaf
, is the main female Bohemian. In some productions, the character is named Oz after Ozzy Osbourne
.
Commander Khashoggi – Killer Queen's second-in-command, he is head of Globalsoft's police and carries out Killer Queen's dirty work. The character's name is a reference to the Queen song "Khashoggi's Ship" (which is about the real life Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi
).
Pop (alternately Polo, Bap, DJ) – An elderly librarian trying to figure out the "exact date the music died", in some productions in love with Scaramouche, believed to be named after the creation of reality television talent shows (the example given varies depending on the production, but includes Popstars
, Pop Idol
, The X Factor
, or the relevant regional variant). Probably named for Iggy Pop
or simply a diminutive for "Grandfather".
Other Bohemians – The other Bohemians have constantly changing names following media trends. These are usually music-related, and have included Paul McCartney
, Bruce Springsteen
, Robbie Williams
, Beyoncé, Madonna
, Amy Winehouse
, Bob the Builder
, Cheeky Fairy, Boy George
, Cliff Richard
, Spice Girls
, Elton John
, Jackson Five, Prince, Burton Cummings
, John Farnham
, Charlotte Church
, Crazy Frog
, Eddie Cochran
, Avril Lavigne
, Shania Twain
, Lily Allen
, Kelly Osbourne
and Clay Aiken
, Cheeky Girls, Kurt Cobain
and recently Michael Jackson
.
Act I
Act II
Later in the London production, the "One Vision" sequence was changed to include Freddie Mercury's recorded vocals for the bridge. Previously, the bridge had been sung by the ensemble.
In the original London production, "Fat-Bottomed Girls" was a short instrumental interlude prior to "Another One Bites the Dust". Subsequent international productions expanded the song into a full song and dance sequence. Due to the positive response, the change was transferred back to the London production.
For the single-act Las Vegas production, "Who Wants to Live Forever" is replaced by "You're My Best Friend".
For the Australasian tour and Canadian production, "Play the Game" is replaced by "Now I'm Here
".
For the revamped Canadian production, "One Vision" is removed.
On special occasions, "The Show Must Go On
" is added to the encore.
A cast recording of the original London production was released in November 2002. Not all songs in the show were included in the album, the omitted tracks have been marked* in the above list. In August 2003, the London cast recording was given an Australian edition re-release, containing a bonus track of the original Australian Killer Queen, Annie Crummer, singing a studio version of "Another One Bites the Dust".
In 2004, Kerry Ellis, who was the original Meat in the London production, worked with Brian May to record an instrumental studio version of "No One but You (Only the Good Die Young)". This version is available through the official Queen website and in Ellis' limited-release CD single titled Wicked in Rock.
A Madrid cast recording was released in 2004. The recording includes a bonus second disc containing an extended Spanish-translated studio version of "No-One But You" ("Solo Por Ti") sung by the original Meat, Eva María Cortés, and video clips of the original Madrid production.
A Cologne cast recording was released in 2005. It is the only We Will Rock You cast recording to contain "Fat Bottomed Girls".
Alana Bridgewater recorded version of Fat Bottomed Girl on her debut album "Horizon".
referred to the possibility of a film version.
In a 2009 interview with the BBC
, Brian May
said that a film version was proposed, and that Ben Elton
had written a full script with a "grittier" storyline. He emphasised that a lot more action can be included during the songs in a film than in a stage musical.
2003 Theatregoers' Choice Awards nominations
2004 Helpmann Award nominations
2006 Naledi Theatre Awards nominations
2007 Dora Mavor Moore Awards nominations
2010 Olivier Awards nominations
2011 Olivier Awards nominations
Jukebox musical
A jukebox musical is a stage or film musical that uses previously released popular songs as its musical score. Usually the songs have in common a connection with a particular popular musician or group — either because they were written by, or for, the artists in question, or were at least...
, based on the songs of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
and named after their hit single of the same name
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
. The musical was written by British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
comedian and author Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
in collaboration with Queen members Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
and Roger Taylor. The musical was first produced in London by Queen Theatrical Productions, Phil McIntyre Entertainment and Tribeca Theatrical Productions, with Christopher Renshaw as director, Mark Fisher as the production designer, Willie Williams
Willie Williams (lighting designer)
Willie Williams is a video director, stage and lighting designer for concerts, theatre, & multimedia projects...
as the lighting designer, Williams & Fisher as co-video directors, Tim Goodchild as the costume designer, Arlene Phillips
Arlene Phillips
Arlene Phillips OBE is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout, TV presenter, TV judge and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment...
as choreographer and Bobby Aitken as sound designer.
The musical opened in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the Dominion Theatre
Dominion Theatre
The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre on Tottenham Court Road close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point Tower, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:...
on 14 May 2002, with Tony Vincent
Tony Vincent
Tony Vincent, born Anthony Peter Strascina, is an American actor, singer and songwriter born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and based out of New York City, New York. He took the stage name Tony Vincent when he was preparing to release his first EP in 1993 .-Early career:Vincent's professional career...
, Hannah Jane Fox
Hannah Jane Fox
Hannah Jane Fox is an English stage actress, best known for playing "Scaramouche" in the Queen jukebox musical We Will Rock You. She is an alumna of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.-Theatre:-TV:...
, Sharon D. Clarke and Kerry Ellis
Kerry Ellis
Kerry Jane Ellis is an English stage actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music...
in principal roles. The musical was panned by critics, but was an audience favourite, and has since been played to packed houses around the world, and has become the longest-running musical at the Dominion Theatre. The story takes place in a tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
dystopian future where originality and individualism are shunned, and a lone "Dreamer" appears who can fulfill a prophecy that will enable the return of rock 'n roll.
A number of international productions have followed the original, and We Will Rock You has been seen in Ireland, Australia, Canada, Russia, Spain, Japan, South Africa, Zürich, Vienna, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong. As of July 2009, productions are still active in Great Britain, Italy and Germany. The Dutch production premiered at the end of summer 2010 and the Swedish production in autumn 2010.
A sequel is currently in the works, and as of March 2009 a draft has been completed.
Development
According to Brian May, Queen's manager Jim BeachJim Beach
Jim Beach MA LLB is the long-time manager of the English rock band Queen and its individual members. He took over as manager of the band in 1978 after he had acted on their behalf as a lawyer. He is also a film and TV producer. His son Ol Beach is the keyboard player for the rock band Wire...
had spoken with the band about creating a jukebox musical
Jukebox musical
A jukebox musical is a stage or film musical that uses previously released popular songs as its musical score. Usually the songs have in common a connection with a particular popular musician or group — either because they were written by, or for, the artists in question, or were at least...
with Queen's songs since the mid-1990s. Initially, the intent was to create a biographical story of Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
. About this time, Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
's production company Tribeca expressed interest in a Queen musical, but it found the original idea difficult to work with.
In the year 2000, Ben Elton was approached to start talks with May and Queen drummer Roger Taylor on the project. Elton suggested taking the musical down a different path than initially imagined, creating an original story that would "capture the spirit of much of [their] music". He worked closely with May and Taylor to incorporate Queen's songs into the story. Elton has also stated that he was in part inspired by the computer-controlled dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
of the science-fiction film The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
. The script was eventually completed midway through 2001. Before working on We Will Rock You, neither May nor Taylor liked the musical genre.
The original London production began previews on 26 April 2002 and opened on 14 May 2002 at the Dominion Theatre. The show is currently still playing there, and on 31 May 2011 celebrated its 9th anniversary.
Critical reception
London's critics almost uniformly panned the show, criticising the concept and direction. The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote that the premise "really is as sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
as it sounds", called the production "ruthlessly packaged and manufactured" and opined that the "sometimes funny" libretto exists mainly to "devise more unlikely ways to wring out another Queen song." The Daily Mirror wrote that "Ben Elton should be shot for this risible story." However, some individual performances received praise and the production remains a popular success. In their popular book Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Shit
Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Shit
Is It Just Me or Is Everything Shit?: The Encyclopedia of Modern Life is a book by Steve Lowe and Alan McArthur. It was published in Britain in 2005. The authors give satirical criticisms of people, places, institutions and phenomena seen in modern British life. Subjects include Live 8, 50 Cent,...
, Steve Lowe and Alan MacArthur derided the show as having "a plot similar to a Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
concept album".
Productions
West End and UK tour
The original production of We Will Rock You opened on 12 May 2002 at the Dominion TheatreDominion Theatre
The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre on Tottenham Court Road close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point Tower, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:...
in London, England. Tony Vincent
Tony Vincent
Tony Vincent, born Anthony Peter Strascina, is an American actor, singer and songwriter born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and based out of New York City, New York. He took the stage name Tony Vincent when he was preparing to release his first EP in 1993 .-Early career:Vincent's professional career...
played the lead role of Galileo, with Hannah Jane Fox
Hannah Jane Fox
Hannah Jane Fox is an English stage actress, best known for playing "Scaramouche" in the Queen jukebox musical We Will Rock You. She is an alumna of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.-Theatre:-TV:...
as Scaramouche, Sharon D. Clarke as Killer Queen, Nigel Planer
Nigel Planer
Nigel George Planer is an English actor, comedian, novelist and playwright.Planer is perhaps best known for his role as Neil Pye in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray...
as Pop and Kerry Ellis
Kerry Ellis
Kerry Jane Ellis is an English stage actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music...
as Meat. For her performance, Clarke was nominated for "Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical or Entertainment" at the 2003 Olivier Awards.
On 17 August 2005 We Will Rock You became the longest running musical at that venue, surpassing the previous record-holder Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
. This is notable because the Dominion Theatre is one of the largest theatrical venues in West End, with a seating a capacity of 2,000 people. The show recently extended its booking date, meaning that it is now set to run until March 2012.
Notable cast replacements include Mig Ayesa
Mig Ayesa
Miguel Alfonso Ramon Legarda "MiG" Ayesa is an Australian rock vocalist.-Biography:Born in Manila, Philippines and raised in Sydney, Australia, and has three-fourths-Spanish maternal ancestry and fourth-Ilonggo paternal and maternal ancestries. His Spanish ancestry came from Preysler lineage...
, who played Galileo; Mazz Murray
Mazz Murray
Mazz Murray is a stage actress who is currently portraying the role of Killer Queen in the West End production of the musical We Will Rock You. She is the longest cast member to be involved in the show, having been in the original ensemble when the musical opened in May 2002. She took over the...
, who took over the role of Killer Queen from Sharon D. Clarke in April 2004 and left it in August 2011, making her the longest running principal cast member, though she went on maternity leave in September 2010. Brenda Edwards (semi-finalist in X-Factor in 2005) is currently covering for a limited season in the West End. Rachel Tucker
Rachel Tucker
Rachel Tucker is a Northern Irish singer and actress who competed as one of the finalists in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008...
, a semi-finalist in BBC's I'd Do Anything
I'd Do Anything (BBC TV series)
I'd Do Anything is a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom and broadcast on BBC One. It premièred on 15 March 2008...
, played the role of Meat from 22 September 2008 until 19 September 2009, this role was taken over in September 2009 by Irish born Louise Bowden (Mama Mia /Guys and Dolls / Mary Poppins). However, an unexpected departure of Bowden in May 2010 led to the role of Meat being taken over by Amanda Coutts who was previously understudying the part. The show features a live band with Elliott Ware as musical director.
A national UK tour was launched in 2009 at the Palace Theatre, Manchester
Palace Theatre, Manchester
The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent...
. The 2009 tour cast initially included, Alex Gaumond
Alex Gaumond
Alex Gaumond is an actor, singer and songwriter known mainly for playing the lead roles of Galileo in the Queen musical We Will Rock You and Emmett Forrest in the West End production of musical Legally Blonde, based on the hit movie starring Reese Witherspoon.Gaumond was born in Montreal, Canada...
as Galileo, Sarah French-Ellis as Scaramouche, Brenda Edwards
Brenda Edwards
Brenda Edwards is a British singer and West End actress. Known for her strong vocals and personality, she rose to fame during her appearance on the second series of The X Factor, where she came fourth.-Early Life:...
as Killer Queen, Georgina Hagen
Georgina Hagen
Georgina "Georgie" Kimberley Hagen is an English actress and singer, most famous for her appearance as Lauren in ITV's Britannia High...
as Meat, Jonathan Wilkes
Jonathan Wilkes
Jonathan Wilkes is an English television presenter, actor and musician. Jonny Wilkes is currently performing as Billy Flynn in Chicago at The Cambridge Theatre, London. He is also the best friend of singer Robbie Williams...
as Khashoggi, Kevin Kennedy
Kevin Kennedy (actor)
Kevin Kennedy is an English actor, writer, producer, singer, and guitarist, best known for playing the bottle-lensed Curly Watts in ITV's long running soap opera Coronation Street between 1983 and 2003.-Early life:Kennedy was born in Manchester. He attended St Paul's RC Secondary High School...
as Pop. Gaumond and French-Ellis returned to play their characters in the West End and are the current Galileo and Scaramouche.
A second UK tour launched in December 2010 starting at the Palace Theatre, Manchester
Palace Theatre, Manchester
The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent...
and is currently due to run through until early 2012.
Australia and Japan
The first international production premiered at the Regent TheatreRegent Theatre, Melbourne
The Regent Theatre is a 2162 seat theatre in Melbourne, Australia. It is listed by the National Trust of Australia and is on the Victorian Heritage Register.-History:...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia on 7 August 2003. The cast included Michael Falzon as Galileo, Kate Hoolihan as Scaramouche and Annie Crummer
Annie Crummer
Annie Crummer is a New Zealand Pop singer and songwriter who has seen success in both a solo career and as part of various musical groups.She grew up in West Auckland. Her father, a Cook Islander, was one of her strongest musical influences...
as Killer Queen. Amanda Harrison
Amanda Harrison
Amanda Harrison is an Australian musical theatre performer who will be originating the role of Paula in the World Premiere of An Officer and a Gentleman in Sydney 2012.-Early years:...
, who originated Oz in this Melbourne production, had previously been in the ensemble of the original London production. The production closed at this venue on 4 March 2004 to make way for Australian tour stops at Burswood Theatre, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
(27 April to June 2004), Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
(27 July to 25 September 2005), and Star City Lyric Theatre, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
(9 October 2004 to 13 March 2005). The same production then made an international tour stop at the Shinjuku Koma Theater
Shinjuku Koma Theater
The was a major theatre in the Kabukichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. The theatre opened in 1956 and it had a capacity of 2,088 seats.- Past shows :*Kōhaku Uta Gassen *Saburō Kitajima*Ken Matsudaira*Hibari Misora*Kiyoshi Hikawa*Sachiko Kobayashi...
in Tokyo, Japan where it ran from 27 May to 24 August 2005.
Due to the success of the Japan tour stop, another Australian tour group was put together in 2006. They performed at the same venue: the Shinjuku Koma Theatre in Tokyo, from 14 November to 17 December 2006. Some of the actors of the 2005 tour returned for the 2006 tour, including Peter Murphy as Galileo, Daniel Fletcher as Brit, Ross Givern as Khashoggi and Robert Grubb
Robert Grubb
Robert Grubb is an Australian actor. He studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art , where he graduated in 1978.Grubb played the role of Dr. Geoffrey Standish in the popular series The Flying Doctors...
as Pop. Kate Hoolihan, who had played Scaramouche in the 2005 tour, chose to switch to the role of Oz in the 2006 tour. The tour group then performed in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
from 5 January 2007 at the Umeda Arts Theater
Umeda Arts Theater
is a Japanese theater located at Chayamachi Applause in Chayamachi, Kita-ku, Osaka, operated by Umeda Arts Theater Co., Ltd. It opened in 1992.-Access:*Hankyu Umeda Station - approx. 3 minutes from Chayamachiguchi Gate on foot...
.
Spain
A Spanish production ran from 3 November 2003 to 30 May 2004 at Teatro Calderón, MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. The lead role of Galileo was shared by José Luis Cortés and Miguel Fernández. The rest of the cast included María Blanco as Scaramouche, Sheilah Cuffey as Killer Queen and Eva María Cortés (sister of José Luis Cortés) as Meat. The Madrid production had all spoken dialogue and the lyrics translated into Spanish, except for the songs "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Bohemian Rhapsody", which retained their English lyrics. After closing at Teatro Calderón, the show began a tour through Spain with stops at Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
(12 November to 12 December 2004), Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
(17 December 2004 to 16 January 2005) and Valencia (3 February to 27 February 2005).
In 2007 the production returned to Calderón Theatre, Madrid with previews from 23 January and an official opening on 12 February. This stage featured an entirely new cast, with Daniel Diges
Daniel Diges
Daniel Diges García is a Spanish singer, pianist, composer and actor. Although officially born in Madrid, he has spent all his youth in Alcalá de Henares .-Life and career:...
and Julian Fontalvo sharing the role of Galileo, Ruth Calvo and Elena Medina sharing the role of Scaramouche, Maria Lopez and Lara Alcazar sharing the role of Meat, as well as Nieves Val and Tessa sharing the role of Killer Queen. The production finally closed on 6 January 2008.
Las Vegas, North America
A US tour had originally been planned for 2004, with initially announced stops in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and Seattle. However, due to scheduling conflicts of the creative team, the US tour was scrapped and replaced with a production housed at the Paris Las Vegas
Paris Las Vegas
Paris Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, USA, that is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....
hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, which is the musical's first North American venue.
The Las Vegas production had previews from 4 August and officially opened on 8 September 2004. Tony Vincent, who had originated the role of Galileo in the London production, reprised the role, which he alternated with Jason Wooten. Aspen Miller
Aspen Miller
Aspen Vincent is an American voice actor and pop singer.Possibly best-known for the role of Dodie Bishop in Nickelodeon's Emmy-nominated As Told by Ginger, she also performed the role of Baby Alice in the Rugrats episode 'Hurricane Alice', and has done voice-over work for several CD-ROM games...
and Kacie Sheik shared the role of Scaramouche, Patti Russo
Patti Russo
Patricia "Patti" Russo is an American singer/songwriter/actress. She is perhaps best known as Meat Loaf's female lead vocalist, touring the world with his Neverland Express band for eighteen years.-Career:...
was Killer Queen, and Ty Taylor
Ty Taylor
Ty Taylor is an American musician best known for being the guitarist and vocalist of R&B group Dakota Moon and was also a contestant on the reality TV show Rock Star: INXS. He is currently the lead singer and guitarist for Los Angeles based Soul/Rock band, Vintage Trouble...
was Brit. The Las Vegas production "trimmed" down the book into a single act show. This production closed on 27 November 2005.
Russia
A Russian production opened in the Estrada Theatre, Moscow on 17 October 2004. The production's dialogue and all songs but three were translated into Russian, by Evgeny Margulis of Mashina VremeniMashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer in Soviet rock music, and remains one of the oldest still active rock bands in Russia...
. This production closed only four months after its opening due to disagreements between the show's producers, despite fan protests to keep the show going.
Germany
A German production opened in the Musical Dome, CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
on 12 December 2004. The Cologne production had the spoken dialogue translated to German, but the musical numbers consisted of a mix of translated German language lyrics and the original English language lyrics. According to Brian May, the language combination was intentional by writer Ben Elton, with German representing the show's "present day" and English representing the distant past. The production closed at this venue on 30 September 2008 to be transferred to Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. The Stuttgart transfer opened at the Apollo Theatre on 13 November 2008 after previews from 7 November 2008.
The production opened in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on 21 October 2010.
South Africa
A South African production opened at the Civic Theatre in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
on 9 May 2006. The production starred Francois Schreuder as Galileo, Helen Burger as Scaramouche, Vicky Sampson as Killer Queen, and Helen Goldberg as Oz. This production made tour stops at the Artscape in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
(from 25 July) and the Playhouse Opera in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
(29 September to 29 October 2006) before closing.
Switzerland and Austria
A German-language production opened in Zürich, Switzerland on 3 December 2006 at Theatre Stadthof 11, Oerlikon using the book of the bilingual Cologne production. The Swiss production starred Jessica Kessler as Scaramouche, Brigitte Oelke as Killer Queen and Rachel Fischer as Ozzy. This production closed at the end of 2007 to be transferred to Vienna. The transfer opened in Vienna, Austria on 24 January 2008, at the Raimund Theatre where it ran until 13 July 2008.Canada
A Canadian production began previews on 14 March and officially opened on 10 April 2007 at the Canon TheatreCanon Theatre
-History:The Canon Theatre began as the Pantages Theatre in 1920 as a combination vaudeville and motion picture house. Designed by the great theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb, it was the largest cinema in Canada and one of the most elegant.The Pantages was built by the Canadian motion picture...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Mig Ayesa
Mig Ayesa
Miguel Alfonso Ramon Legarda "MiG" Ayesa is an Australian rock vocalist.-Biography:Born in Manila, Philippines and raised in Sydney, Australia, and has three-fourths-Spanish maternal ancestry and fourth-Ilonggo paternal and maternal ancestries. His Spanish ancestry came from Preysler lineage...
, who played the lead role in the London production, had been offered the role in the Canadian production by Brian May and Ben Elton, but the Canadian producers wanted an all-Canadian cast and Quebec native Yvan Pednault was given the role. The rest of the cast included Erica Peck as Scaramouche, Alana Bridgewater as Killer Queen, Suzie McNeil
Suzie McNeil
Susan Jane "Suzie" McNeil is a Canadian pop rock recording artist.-Early life:McNeil was born in Mississauga, Ontario. She has a sister, Laura Norris, a teacher at a public high school in Toronto.-Rock Star: INXS:...
as Oz and Evan Buliung as Khashoggi. McNeil had been a participant of the reality show Rockstar: INXS, in which she had competed against Ayesa and former Las Vegas We Will Rock You cast member Ty Taylor.
This production closed at the Canon Theatre on 11 May 2008 to be transferred to the Panasonic Theatre, where it opened on 16 July 2008. The new Toronto production underwent major rewrites in order to trim the show before its reopening. Changes include: there is no longer any dialogue between "Ga-Ga" and "I Want to Break Free"; "One Vision" has been cut; the Act Two song sequence is now "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Who Wants to Live Forever", "Seven Seas of Rhye", "Hammer to Fall" and then "Another One Bites the Dust" before leading to the finale. In October 2008, Camilla Scott
Camilla Scott
Camilla Scott is a Canadian actress and television host.-Biography:Scott's first job was a cashier at the Canadian grocery chain Dominion when she was age 15...
took over the role of Khashoggi, a character that had previously been portrayed as a male, though her understudies remain male. Erica Peck, who originated the role of Scaramouche in this production, is scheduled to reprise her role from 29 May. This production closed on 28 June 2009.
Australasian tour
An Australasian tour was launched on at the end of 2007 in New Zealand, in which previous We Will Rock You cast members MiG AyesaMig Ayesa
Miguel Alfonso Ramon Legarda "MiG" Ayesa is an Australian rock vocalist.-Biography:Born in Manila, Philippines and raised in Sydney, Australia, and has three-fourths-Spanish maternal ancestry and fourth-Ilonggo paternal and maternal ancestries. His Spanish ancestry came from Preysler lineage...
(London cast), Annie Crummer (original Australian cast), Neels Clasen (original South African cast) and Malcolm Terry (original South African cast) reprise their roles as Galileo, Killer Queen, Khashoggi and Pop respectively. Talia Kodesh, who had played Oz in the South African production, played the role of Scaramouche in the New Zealand tour stop. After the tour left New Zealand, the role was taken over by Sivan Raphaely, who had been in the ensemble of the original South African production.
The tour performed in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand at The Civic, The Edge (26 October to 2 December 2007), in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea at the Seongnam Arts Centre (2 February to 24 February 2008), in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
at the Esplanade Theatre (28 March to 27 April 2008), in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
at The Lyric Theatre of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (16 May to 22 June 2008) and in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
at the Muangthai Ratchadalai Theatre (12 July to 27 July 2008).
Italy
An Italian production opened on 4 December 2009 at the Allianz Teatro in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy. Starring Gianluca Merolli and Salvo Vinci as Galileo, Marta Rossi and Martina Ciabatti as Scaramouche, Valentina Ferrari as Killer Queen, Salvo Bruno and Carlo Spano as Khashoggi, Paolo Barillari as Brit, Loredana Fadda and Mary Dima as Oz and Massimiliano Colonna as Pop. WWRY Italy is produced by Barley Arts and directed by Maurizio Colombi.
The musical director is Roberto Zanaboni followed by Davide Magnabosco (keyboard), Giovanni Maria Lori (keyboard), Linda Pinelli (bass), Alex Polifrone (drums), Marco Scazzetta (percussions), Andrea Cervetto (guitar) and the lead guitarist is Tristan Avakian, who had a successful run with WWRY Toronto. All the dialogues are in Italian and almost all the songs are in English expect for Radio Ga Ga and Noone but you. The translation and adaptation of the Italian script were made by Raffaella Rolla with the cooperation of Alice Mistroni. The show is scheduled to tour across Italy over the year, so far visiting Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and Rome .
The second season is due to start in Bergamo on 4 November and it will be on tour until March 2011.
The double cast has been dropped therefore this year the leading roles are : Galileo (Salvo Vinci), Scaramouche (Martha Rossi), Oz (Loredana Fadda), Brit (Paolo Barillari), Khashoggi (Salvo Bruno), Killer Queen (Valentina), Pop (Massimiliano Colonna). The new lead guitarist is Marco Gerace.
Sweden
12 September through 18 December 2010 a big production of WWRY were played in Stockholm, Sweden at the venue Cirkus. The spoken dialogue is translated to Swedish by Anders Albien. Cast: Killer Queen: Tina Lejonberg, Galileo: Bruno Mitsogiannis, Scaramouche: Marie Haugen Smistad, Ozzy: Anna Lidman, Brit: Henrik Orwander, Khashoggi: Daniel Engman, Peps: Simon Bengtsson Tibblin, Teacher: Linda Holmgren, Christer: Tomas Marcotte.Norway
January 2011, the Stockholm Production of WWRY moved to Oslo, Norway. The production opened 23 January at Folketeateret. The spoken dialogue (and some of the songs) was translated to Norwegian by Kjetil Indregard. Cast: Killer Queen: Reidun Sæther, Galileo: Espen Grjotheim, Scaramouche: Marie Haugen Smistad, Ozzy: Anna Lidman, Brit: Eivind Dundas, Khashoggi: Daniel Engman, Oddi (Pop): Mads Henning Jørgensen, Big Macca: Håvard Bakke, Teacher: Linda Holmgren. The production closed 16 April 2011.Belgium
On the first of september 2011 WWRY opened in Antwerp.It was an amazing spectacle and they are still playing every single day for a full theatre.
A big part of the cast already played the musical in the Netherlands, but the challenge was that they had to learn the 'Belgian language'.
But there was a small change in the cast:
Cast
- Galileo - Tim Driesen
- Scaramouche - Marjolein Teepen
- Killer Queen - Goele De Raedt
- Khashoggi - Paul Donkers
- Brit - Martin van der Starre
- Ozzy - Floortje Smit
- Arno - Karel Deruwe
Other productions
From 2006, the show has been licensed for amateur productions in the UK, with proceeds going to the Mercury Phoenix TrustThe Mercury Phoenix Trust
The Mercury Phoenix Trust is a charity organisation that fights AIDS worldwide.After the death of Freddie Mercury from AIDS-related causes in London in 1991, the remaining members of Queen and Jim Beach, their manager, organised The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness, the proceeds...
. This license also extends to school performances, under the title "Schools Will Rock You".
In early 2007 Queen Theatrical granted the rights for a non-equity
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
production of We Will Rock You at the Jedlicka Performing Art Centre in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
from April, making it the first North American production since the Las Vegas show closed.
An externally-licensed production was staged in Varberg
Varberg
Varberg is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 26,041 inhabitants in 2005.Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their 'typical west coast' sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into...
, Sweden from February to July 2007.
A Dutch production was opened at 3 December 2010.
Act One
The story is set exactly 300 years in the future in a vaguely OrwellianOrwellian
"Orwellian" describes the situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free society...
world. Earth has been renamed as "Planet Mall" (the "iPlanet" as of October 2011), and is controlled by the Globalsoft Corporation. ("Innuendo
Innuendo (song)
"Innuendo" is a 1991 song by the English rock band Queen. It is the opening track on the album of the same name, and was released as the first single from the album. At six and a half minutes, it is one of Queen's longest songs, and their longest ever released as a single, exceeding "Bohemian...
") On Planet Mall, mainstream commercial conformity reigns, in which Ga Ga Kids watch the same movies, listen to computer-generated music, wear the same clothes and hold the same thoughts and opinions. Musical instruments are forbidden, and rock music is unknown. ("Radio Ga Ga
Radio Ga Ga
"Radio Ga Ga" is a 1984 song performed and recorded by the British rock band Queen, written by their drummer Roger Taylor. It was released as a single with "I Go Crazy" by Brian May on the original B-side and was included on the album The Works...
")
In the newest graduating class is black sheep
Black sheep
In the English language, black sheep is an idiom used to describe an odd or disreputable member of a group, especially within a family. The term has typically been given negative implications, implying waywardness...
Galileo, who has dreams and hears strange words in his head, most of which are lyrics of songs long since lost, though he does not understand their significance. Despite his teacher's advice, Galileo refuses to conform like the rest of his classmates. ("I Want to Break Free
I Want to Break Free
"I Want to Break Free" is a song by the British rock band Queen, which was written by its bassist John Deacon. The song was featured on the Queen's 1984 album The Works and distributed as a single on 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl records and 3-inch and 5-inch CDs. The song had three versions: album,...
") Galileo is captured by Khashoggi, commander of Globalsoft's police. The teacher also reveals a second anomaly, a young goth
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
woman who is openly mocked and derided by her peers ("Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love (Queen song)
"Somebody to Love" is a song by British rock band Queen. Written by lead vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury, the track featured on their 1976 album A Day at the Races, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
"). She too is arrested by Khashoggi.
Ruling Globalsoft Corporation is the Killer Queen. ("Killer Queen") She has heard of a prophecy that instruments have been hidden somewhere on Planet Mall in the "place of living rock", and a "bright star" will show the way to them. She orders Khashoggi to get to the bottom of the matter and crush the rebel Bohemians who believe in the prophecy. Killer Queen then basks in her power over Planet Mall. ("Play the Game")
Galileo and the young woman wake up in a hospital ("Death on Two Legs
Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)
"Death on Two Legs " is a song by British rock group Queen, the opening track on their fourth studio album A Night at the Opera...
" (intro)). They realize that they are kindred spirits, feared by the rest of their society. ("Under Pressure
Under Pressure
"Under Pressure" is a 1981 song recorded by Queen and David Bowie. It marked Bowie's first released collaboration with another recording artist as a performer, and is featured on Queen's 1982 album Hot Space. The song reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also number 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest...
") They flee together from the hospital.
Killer Queen has blown up all the rocks on Planet Mall, but cannot find any supposed hidden instruments. She insists that they have won, and the prophecy will not come to pass. ("A Kind of Magic
A Kind of Magic
A Kind of Magic is a 1986 album by British rock band Queen. It was the band's twelfth studio album and their first to be recorded digitally, and is based on the soundtrack to the film Highlander, the first in a series directed by Russell Mulcahy....
")
On the streets, Bohemians Brit and Meat climb out of the sewers, where they have been gathering materials to make musical instruments. Brit is a believer in the Dreamer who will fulfil the prophecy, and insists to the cynical Meat that it's the key to bringing real music back into the world. ("I Want It All
I Want It All
"I Want It All" is a song by English rock band Queen, featured on their 1989 twelfth studio album The Miracle. Written by guitarist and backing vocalist Brian May and produced by David Richards, the song was released as the lead single from the album on 2 May 1989...
") Brit and Meat hear footsteps approaching, and hide.
Galileo and the woman arrive, with Galileo talking about his belief that he has a destiny. He says that he has a name for the woman: "Scaramouche". Brit and Meat reveal themselves, and accuse Galileo and Scaramouche of being spies, because Galileo keeps spouting words of the "sacred text". Galileo insists that he only hears those words in his head. Brit tests Galileo, singing the first few lines of "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
". Galileo responds correctly with the subsequent lines, and Brit realises that he is the Dreamer of the prophecy. They bring Galileo and Scaramouche to the Heartbreak Hotel
Heartbreak Hotel
"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American rock and roll musician Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. His first number-one pop record, "Heartbreak Hotel" topped Billboards Top 100 chart, became his first...
, which is located at the ruins of the Tottenham Court Road tube station
Tottenham Court Road tube station
Tottenham Court Road is a London Underground station in central London. It is an interchange between the Central line and the branch of the Northern line.On the Central line it is between and , and on the Northern line it is between and...
, where the Bohemians have made their home. ("Headlong
Headlong
Headlong may refer to:* Headlong, a British theatre company* Headlong , a 1980 novel by Emlyn Williams* Headlong , a 1999 novel by Michael Frayn* Headlong , a 1999 novel by Simon Ings...
") Of note, the original London production is staged at the Dominion Theatre, which is located above the real Tottenham Court Road tube station.
The Bohemians explain that they take their names after singers long gone, and mourn the deaths of those who died young. ("No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)
No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)
"No-One But You " is a song recorded by the remaining three members of the British rock band Queen following the death of singer Freddie Mercury. Guitarist Brian May – the writer of the song – and drummer Roger Taylor share lead vocals...
") The group then celebrate the reason rock bands started playing music in the first place, which was for love. ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track featured on their 1980 album The Game, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
")
Khashoggi and his police suddenly arrive at the Heartbreak Hotel, where they round up the Bohemians for capture. Brit breaks free and battles the police in order to enable Galileo and Scaramouche to escape, but in the process is killed. ("Ogre Battle")
Act Two
The Ga Ga Kids of Planet Mall move on in their regular fashion. ("One VisionOne Vision
"One Vision" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Queen, first released as a single in November 1985 and then included on their 1986 album A Kind of Magic...
")
Galileo and Scaramouche have escaped the Heartbreak Hotel, and realise that back at the hospital, tracking devices were installed in their heads. They remove them, and upon realizing that they are all that's left of the rebels, they confess their love for each other. ("Who Wants to Live Forever
Who Wants to Live Forever
"Who Wants to Live Forever" is a song by the English rock band Queen. The song is the sixth track on the album A Kind of Magic, released in June 1986, and was written by guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack to the film Highlander, directed by Russell Mulcahy...
")
The surviving Bohemians have been rounded up by Khashoggi to be tortured. ("Flash
Flash (song)
"Flash" is a song by British rock group Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, "Flash" is the theme song of the 1980 film Flash Gordon. The soundtrack released to coincide with the film contained only the music composed and performed by Queen....
") When he cannot get any information from them about the prophecy, he has them brain-drained. ("Seven Seas of Rhye
Seven Seas of Rhye
"Seven Seas of Rhye" is a song by British rock group Queen. Written by Queen lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, it is the final track on both the group's debut album Queen and its follow-up Queen II . However, only a less-developed instrumental version was featured on the former...
"—interpolating
Interpolation (music)
Interpolation in music refers to an abrupt change in musical elements from the main theme.-In classical music:In music and musical composition, especially 20th century and later, interpolation is an abrupt change of elements, with continuation of the first idea...
"Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon")
Galileo wakes up, and tells Scaramouche that he had a dream that the Bohemians were sent to the Seven Seas of Rhye. Scaramouche agrees they have to go there, but then Galileo insists that she stay because she's a "chick", to which Scaramouche takes offense. They argue, and decide that both of them will go to the Seven Seas of Rhye, but their relationship will be purely professional.
Back at Globalsoft headquarters ("Fat Bottomed Girls
Fat Bottomed Girls
"Fat Bottomed Girls" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the track featured on their 1978 album Jazz, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
") Khashoggi reports that the Bohemians are no longer a problem. Killer Queen prematurely starts to celebrate. ("Don't Stop Me Now
Don't Stop Me Now
"Don't Stop Me Now" is a song by English rock group Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz. Written by vocalist Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August/September 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes , France, and is the twelfth track on the album.Musically, the song is based around...
") Khashoggi interrupts her, explaining that Galileo and Scaramouche escaped. Killer Queen declares this is the last time Khashoggi has disappointed her, and has him brain-drained. ("Another One Bites the Dust
Another One Bites the Dust
"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game . The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and...
")
Galileo and Scaramouche are making their way to the Seven Seas of Rhye, arguing all the way. ("Hammer to Fall
Hammer to Fall
"Hammer to Fall" is a 1984 song by the British rock group Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the song is the eighth track on their 1984 album The Works....
") At the Seven Seas of Rhye pub, Pop the librarian is serving drinks to the lifeless Bohemians. ("These Are the Days of Our Lives
These Are the Days of Our Lives
"These Are the Days of Our Lives" is a song by English rock band Queen. It was written largely by their drummer Roger Taylor, and is the eighth track on the band's 1991 album Innuendo. It is harmonically and structurally one of the simplest songs of the band's catalogue...
") When Galileo and Scaramouche arrive, Pop explains the full nature of the prophecy to them as inscribed by the three remaining members of the band Queen just before they were sentenced to death. Scaramouche figures out that the bright shining star of the prophecy is rock star Freddie Mercury's statue, and that it's pointing to Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, the "place of living rock". After initially preparing to travel by bicycle, (opening of "Bicycle Race")Scaramouche protests that the method "isn't very cool", and so they travel there by motorcycle. ("Headlong (reprise)")
Wembley Stadium is in ruin, with no instruments to be found. Reconciling and their love for each other rekindled ("Love of My Life"), Scaramouche inspires Galileo to perform the opening of "We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
", and an electric guitar
Red Special
The Red Special is an electric guitar owned by Queen guitarist Brian May and custom-built by May and his father. The Red Special is also sometimes named in reviews as the Fireplace or the Old Lady, both nicknames used by May when referring to the guitar. A guitar that would define May's signature...
is revealed. Galileo cannot play it, but Scaramouche can. ("Brighton Rock solo") Pop hacks into Globalsoft's network so their music can be heard by everyone on Planet Mall, and Killer Queen is defeated. ("Tie Your Mother Down
Tie Your Mother Down
"Tie Your Mother Down" is a song by the English rock group Queen, written by guitarist Brian May. It is the opening track and the second single from their 1976 album A Day at the Races...
", "We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions
We Are the Champions
"We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems...
")
After the curtain calls ("We Will Rock You (fast version)
Live Killers
Live Killers is a double vinyl and compact disc live album by English rock band Queen. It was released on June 22, 1979.It was recorded live during the European leg of Queen's Jazz world tour between January and March 1979...
"), a question appears that says "Do you want "Bohemian Rhapsody"?" Everybody in the audience is supposed to shout yes, and the answer appears as "Oh...alright then" and the entire cast perform "Bohemian Rhapsody" as an encore
Encore (concert)
An encore is an additional performance added to the end of a concert, from the French "encore", which means "again", "some more"; multiple encores are not uncommon. Encores originated spontaneously, when audiences would continue to applaud and demand additional performance from the artist after the...
.
Variations
International productions of the musical feature changes in the story and song line-up in order to better reach target audiences. All the main characters retain their general personalities across productions, but the names vary depending on the production. (See characters section below).The dialogue contains many references to popular culture, with lyrics from numerous non-Queen songs and albums inserted into the text. These references are constantly changing, and according to writer Elton, this is to keep the show "fresh". Songs that have been referenced include The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Help!
Help! (song)
"Help!" is a song by The Beatles that served as the title song for both the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was also released as a single, and was number one for three weeks in both the United States and the United Kingdom....
", "Strawberry Fields Forever
Strawberry Fields Forever
"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. It was inspired by Lennon's memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named "Strawberry Field" near his childhood home."Strawberry Fields...
", "Penny Lane
Penny Lane
"Penny Lane" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney. It was credited to Lennon–McCartney.Recorded during the Sgt. Pepper sessions, "Penny Lane" was released in February 1967 as one side of a double A-sided single, along with "Strawberry Fields Forever". Both songs were later included...
", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, for The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band...
", "I Am the Walrus
I Am the Walrus
"I Am the Walrus" is a 1967 song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon claimed he wrote the first two lines on separate acid trips. The song was in the Beatles' 1967 television film and album Magical Mystery Tour, and was the B-side to the #1 hit "Hello,...
" and "Hello, Goodbye", Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
's "Tutti Fruitti
Tutti Frutti (song)
"Tutti Frutti" is a 1955 song by Little Richard, which became his first hit record. With its opening cry of "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bop-bop!" and its hard-driving sound and wild lyrics, it became not only a model for many future Little Richard songs, but also one of the...
" and "Long Tall Sally
Long Tall Sally
"Long Tall Sally" is a rock and roll 12-bar blues song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson and Richard Penniman , recorded by Little Richard and released March 1956 on the Specialty Records label....
", the theme from The Wombles
The Wombles
The Wombles are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures that live in burrows, where they help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in useful and ingenious ways. Wombles were created by author Elisabeth Beresford, originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968...
, The Goodies
The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
' "Funky Gibbon", Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's "Born to Run
Born to Run
The album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...
", David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's "Rebel Rebel
Rebel Rebel
"Rebel Rebel" is a song by David Bowie, released in 1974 as a single and on the album Diamond Dogs. Cited as his most-covered track, it was effectively Bowie's farewell to the glam movement that had made him a star.-Music and lyrics:...
" and "Space Oddity", The Wild Ones'
The Wild Ones (band)
The Wild Ones were an American rock band from New York City. They are perhaps best known for recording the first version of Chip Taylor's song "Wild Thing", which would later be a smash hit for The Troggs. Their version of "Wild Thing" was produced by Gerry Granahan. Their 1965 album The Arthur...
"Wild Thing", Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women
Honky Tonk Women
"Honky Tonk Women" is a 1969 hit song by The Rolling Stones. Released as a single on 4 July 1969 in the UK and a week later in the US, it topped the charts in both nations.-Inspiration and Recording:...
", Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's "Mr. Tambourine Man
Mr. Tambourine Man
"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...
", ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
's "Dancing Queen
Dancing Queen
"Dancing Queen" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, but was first performed two months earlier, on 18 June 1976, during a Royal Variety Show in Stockholm the evening before the Swedish royal wedding. It was the follow-up single to the hit "Fernando"...
" and "Fernando
Fernando (song)
"Fernando" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the group's first non-album single and was released in November 1975 through Polar Music. Lead vocals were sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad...
", Oasis'
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
"(What's the Story) Morning Glory?
(What's the Story) Morning Glory?
Morning Glory? is the second studio album by the English rock band Oasis. It was released on 2 October 1995 through Creation Records. The album was Oasis' most enduring commercial success, charting at number one in the UK and number four in the U.S...
", Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's "The Real Slim Shady
The Real Slim Shady
"The Real Slim Shady" is a hip hop song written by Eminem for his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP . It was released as the lead single a week before the album's release...
", Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
' "Wannabe
Wannabe (song)
"Wannabe" is the debut song by British pop group Spice Girls. Written by the group members with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996...
", Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, released in 1973, is the seventh studio album by British singer-songwriter Elton John. It has come to be regarded as Elton John's best and most popular album, and is his best selling studio album with worldwide sales of at least 15 million copies.Recorded at the Château...
", Black Lace's
Black Lace (band)
Black Lace is a British Euro pop band, best known for novelty party records, including their biggest hit, "Agadoo". The band first came to the public eye after being selected to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they finished seventh with the song "Mary Ann"...
"Agadoo
Agadoo
"Agadoo" is a novelty song recorded by the band Black Lace in 1984. "Agadoo" peaked at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, and spent 30 weeks in the top 75. It went on to become the eighth best-selling single of 1984 in the UK....
", The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
's "Complete Control
Complete Control
"Complete Control" is a song by The Clash, released as a 7" single and featured on the U.S. release of their debut album.The song is often cited as one of punk's greatest singles, and is a fiery polemic on record companies, managers and the state of punk music itself, the motivation for the song...
", Teletubbies
Teletubbies
Teletubbies is a BBC children's television series targeted at pre-school viewers and produced from 1997 to 2001 by Ragdoll Productions. It was created by Ragdoll's creative director Anne Wood CBE and Andrew Davenport, who wrote each of the show's 365 episodes. The programme's original narrator was...
and "Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
"
Special shows
May often performs with the London production on special occasions such as anniversaries and Freddie Mercury's birthday.Hannah Jane Fox
Hannah Jane Fox
Hannah Jane Fox is an English stage actress, best known for playing "Scaramouche" in the Queen jukebox musical We Will Rock You. She is an alumna of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.-Theatre:-TV:...
, who originated Scaramouche, was the last original principal cast member to remain with the show. She gave her final performance on 28 January 2006, four years after the musical opened at the Dominion Theatre, and the event was celebrated with May appearing on stage to perform the guitar solo during the "Bohemian Rhapsody" encore.
On 5 September 2006, the London show celebrated what would have been Freddie Mercury's 60th birthday. During the song "Don't Stop Me Now
Don't Stop Me Now
"Don't Stop Me Now" is a song by English rock group Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz. Written by vocalist Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August/September 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes , France, and is the twelfth track on the album.Musically, the song is based around...
", ordinarily sung by Killer Queen, the band "McFly
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
" (who were at #1 with the song on the singles charts the previous week) emerged onto the stage to sing it instead. Brian May and Roger Taylor joined the encore, performing Taylor's "Say It's Not True
Say It's Not True
"Say It's Not True" is the first studio single by Queen + Paul Rodgers, It was released on World AIDS Day 1 December 2007. The song was available as a free download from QueenOnline.com. The track is written by drummer Roger Taylor and features all 3 members on vocal...
" as a duo. Ben Elton also addressed the audience on this special occasion. The following week, tickets to the London show were sold from £19.46, Mercury's birth year.
On 14 May 2007, the London show celebrated its fifth anniversary with a special show featuring both May and Taylor playing in the final section of the show. Writer Ben Elton also made an appearance to present a special plaque to the cast, May and Taylor. During the portion of the show based in Pop's bar, the line "But the Pub Landlord has a Bike" was followed by a cameo appearance of British comedian Al Murray
Al Murray
Alastair James Hay "Al" Murray , is a British comedian best known for his stand-up persona, The Pub Landlord, a stereotypical xenophobic public house licensee. In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy...
, who came up through the stage on a motorcycle.
The London show's sixth anniversary performance was held on 21 May 2008, a week after its actual anniversary due to the unavailability of Brian May. For the first time since the show opened, the Killer Queen character performed the entire song "Don't Stop Me Now
Don't Stop Me Now
"Don't Stop Me Now" is a song by English rock group Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz. Written by vocalist Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August/September 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes , France, and is the twelfth track on the album.Musically, the song is based around...
", a musical number which is normally interrupted by the Khashoggi character. This unique performance is acknowledged by Killer Queen's dialogue: "No, you didn't let me finish, you never let me finish. For six long years, night after night, week after week, year after year. Well, tonight, I'm going to finish." To which Khashoggi replied: "It's not in the script?" Additionally, May joined Killer Queen and the dancers on stage for the performance. After the encore, Elton made a thank you speech, after which the entire cast performed "The Show Must Go On
The Show Must Go On (Queen song)
"The Show Must Go On" is a song by English rock band Queen, featured as the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album Innuendo. It is credited to Queen, but written primarily by Brian May. The song chronicles the effort of Freddie Mercury continuing to perform despite approaching the end of his...
", accompanied by May on guitar.
The seventh anniversary of the London Show was celebrated on Monday 18 May 2009. The show contained a special appearance from Brian May and Ben Elton who emerged together in a cloud of smoke during the encore rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
" with May playing guitar. As with the year before, Elton gave a thank you speech and the entire cast performed "The Show Must Go On
The Show Must Go On (Queen song)
"The Show Must Go On" is a song by English rock band Queen, featured as the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album Innuendo. It is credited to Queen, but written primarily by Brian May. The song chronicles the effort of Freddie Mercury continuing to perform despite approaching the end of his...
", accompanied by May on guitar.
On Saturday 12 September 2009 at the early matinee performance Brian May again emerged in a cloud of smoke playing the guitar in "Bohemian Rhapsody". What was the occasion for this appearance is not clear. He did the same again on Saturday 14 November 2009 (Brian May birthday)at the matinee.
On Sunday 31 January 2010 in The O2 Dublin, Brian May once again played Bohemian Rhapsody with the company during the finale of both the matinee and evening shows to celebrate the end of their year long tour.
On Saturday 5 September 2010 Brian also appeared though a cloud of smoke, again to play "Bohemian Rhapsody". This was due to the annual cast change, as well as a celebration of what would have been Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
's 64th birthday, and afterwards Brian gave a farewell speech to the cast that were leaving.
Characters
Galileo FigaroGalileo Figaro
Galileo Figaro is the protagonist of Queen's musical, We Will Rock You. He is "The Dreamer" who hears "sounds in [his] head".His name is a reference to the Queen song Bohemian Rhapsody.-Act 1:...
- The central character of the musical; a dreamer who hears strange words in his head. He is eventually revealed to be a reincarnation of Freddie Mercury. The character's name is a reference to the lyrics in the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Scaramouche – A sarcastic, cynical character and Galileo's love interest. In the finale she shows talent playing the electric guitar, and Galileo declares that she is a reincarnation of Brian May, only this time "he's a babe". The character's name is a reference to the lyrics in the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Killer Queen – The villain of the musical, she rules over Planet Mall with an iron fist. The character's name is a reference to the Queen song "Killer Queen".
Brit (alternately Paris, Duff, Vic and J.B.) – Brit, short for Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, is the main male Bohemian rebel. In other productions, his name is either Paris (short for Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
), Duff (short for Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
), Vic (short for Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. In the late 1990s, Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls and was dubbed Posh Spice by the July 1996 issue of the British pop music magazine Top of the Pops...
) or J.B. (short for Jeanette Biedermann
Jeanette Biedermann
Jeanette Biedermann , also known by her stage name Jeanette, is a German recording artist, actress and television personality. Born and raised in Berlin, Biedermann began performing as a member of a troupe of acrobats in a children's circus at the age of six...
).
Meat (alternately Oz, Ozzy) – Meat, short for Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
, is the main female Bohemian. In some productions, the character is named Oz after Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
.
Commander Khashoggi – Killer Queen's second-in-command, he is head of Globalsoft's police and carries out Killer Queen's dirty work. The character's name is a reference to the Queen song "Khashoggi's Ship" (which is about the real life Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi
Adnan Khashoggi
Adnan Khashoggi is a Saudi Arabian arms-dealer and businessman. He is also noted for his engagements with high society in both the Occident and Arabic-speaking worlds, and for his involvement in the Iran–Contra and Lockheed bribery scandals, and numerous other affairs...
).
Pop (alternately Polo, Bap, DJ) – An elderly librarian trying to figure out the "exact date the music died", in some productions in love with Scaramouche, believed to be named after the creation of reality television talent shows (the example given varies depending on the production, but includes Popstars
Popstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
, Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
, The X Factor
The X Factor (TV series)
The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
, or the relevant regional variant). Probably named for Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
or simply a diminutive for "Grandfather".
Other Bohemians – The other Bohemians have constantly changing names following media trends. These are usually music-related, and have included Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
, Beyoncé, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
, Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder is a British children's animated television show created by Keith Chapman. In the original series Bob appears as a building contractor specialising in masonry in a stop motion animated programme with his colleague Wendy, various neighbours and friends, and their gang of...
, Cheeky Fairy, Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
, Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Jackson Five, Prince, Burton Cummings
Burton Cummings
Burton L. Cummings, OC, OM is a Canadian musician and songwriter.He was the lead singer and frequent keyboardist for the Canadian rock band The Guess Who...
, John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
, Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Maria Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the United States...
, Crazy Frog
Crazy Frog
Crazy Frog, originally known as Adam King, is a computer-animated character created in 2003 by Erik Wernquist. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba!, the animation was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl in 1997 while attempting to imitate the sound of a...
, Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
, Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
, Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
, Lily Allen
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
, Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne is an English media personality, television personality, host, judge, fashion designer, singer, and actress, best known for being the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne...
and Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken
Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
, Cheeky Girls, Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
and recently Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
.
Music
As a jukebox musical, the show's music consists entirely of Queen material. The musical numbers of the original London production are as follows.Act I
- InnuendoInnuendo (song)"Innuendo" is a 1991 song by the English rock band Queen. It is the opening track on the album of the same name, and was released as the first single from the album. At six and a half minutes, it is one of Queen's longest songs, and their longest ever released as a single, exceeding "Bohemian...
– Freddie MercuryFreddie MercuryFreddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
and ensemble - Radio Ga GaRadio Ga Ga"Radio Ga Ga" is a 1984 song performed and recorded by the British rock band Queen, written by their drummer Roger Taylor. It was released as a single with "I Go Crazy" by Brian May on the original B-side and was included on the album The Works...
– Ga Ga Kids - I Want to Break FreeI Want to Break Free"I Want to Break Free" is a song by the British rock band Queen, which was written by its bassist John Deacon. The song was featured on the Queen's 1984 album The Works and distributed as a single on 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl records and 3-inch and 5-inch CDs. The song had three versions: album,...
– Galileo - I Want to Break Free (reprise) – Scaramouche
- Somebody to LoveSomebody to Love (Queen song)"Somebody to Love" is a song by British rock band Queen. Written by lead vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury, the track featured on their 1976 album A Day at the Races, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
– Scaramouche and Teen Queens - Killer Queen – Killer Queen and Yuppies
- Play the Game – Killer Queen and Yuppies
- Death on Two LegsDeath on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)"Death on Two Legs " is a song by British rock group Queen, the opening track on their fourth studio album A Night at the Opera...
* (instrumental) - Under PressureUnder Pressure"Under Pressure" is a 1981 song recorded by Queen and David Bowie. It marked Bowie's first released collaboration with another recording artist as a performer, and is featured on Queen's 1982 album Hot Space. The song reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also number 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest...
– Galileo and Scaramouche - A Kind of MagicA Kind of Magic (song)"A Kind of Magic" is a rock song written by Roger Taylorfor the film Highlander, for which Queen wrote the music. The song reached number three in the UK Singles Chart, top ten in a number of European countries, and number forty-two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...
– Killer Queen, Khashoggi and Yuppies - Here Comes Santa! / Don't Stop Me NowDon't Stop Me Now"Don't Stop Me Now" is a song by English rock group Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz. Written by vocalist Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August/September 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes , France, and is the twelfth track on the album.Musically, the song is based around...
- Ga Ga Kids - I Want It AllI Want It All"I Want It All" is a song by English rock band Queen, featured on their 1989 twelfth studio album The Miracle. Written by guitarist and backing vocalist Brian May and produced by David Richards, the song was released as the lead single from the album on 2 May 1989...
– Brit and Meat - HeadlongHeadlong (song)"Headlong" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, but credited to Queen, it was released as the third single from their 1991 album Innuendo....
– Brit, Meat, Galileo and Scaramouche - No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)"No-One But You " is a song recorded by the remaining three members of the British rock band Queen following the death of singer Freddie Mercury. Guitarist Brian May – the writer of the song – and drummer Roger Taylor share lead vocals...
– Meat and Bohemians - Crazy Little Thing Called LoveCrazy Little Thing Called Love"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track featured on their 1980 album The Game, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
* – Brit, Meat, Galileo, Scaramouche and Bohemians - Ogre BattleOgre Battle (song)"Ogre Battle" is a song by British rock band Queen. Composed by lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, it is the sixth track on their second studio album Queen II, recorded on August 1973 at Trident Studios, London....
(instrumental)
Act II
- One VisionOne Vision"One Vision" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Queen, first released as a single in November 1985 and then included on their 1986 album A Kind of Magic...
/Radio Ga GaRadio Ga Ga"Radio Ga Ga" is a 1984 song performed and recorded by the British rock band Queen, written by their drummer Roger Taylor. It was released as a single with "I Go Crazy" by Brian May on the original B-side and was included on the album The Works...
(reprise) – Ga Ga Kids - Who Wants to Live ForeverWho Wants to Live Forever"Who Wants to Live Forever" is a song by the English rock band Queen. The song is the sixth track on the album A Kind of Magic, released in June 1986, and was written by guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack to the film Highlander, directed by Russell Mulcahy...
– Galileo and Scaramouche - FlashFlash (song)"Flash" is a song by British rock group Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, "Flash" is the theme song of the 1980 film Flash Gordon. The soundtrack released to coincide with the film contained only the music composed and performed by Queen....
– Bohemians - Seven Seas of RhyeSeven Seas of Rhye"Seven Seas of Rhye" is a song by British rock group Queen. Written by Queen lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, it is the final track on both the group's debut album Queen and its follow-up Queen II . However, only a less-developed instrumental version was featured on the former...
– Khashoggi and Bohemians - Fat Bottomed GirlsFat Bottomed Girls"Fat Bottomed Girls" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the track featured on their 1978 album Jazz, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
* – QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Killer Queen and Sex Yuppies - Don't Stop Me NowDon't Stop Me Now"Don't Stop Me Now" is a song by English rock group Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz. Written by vocalist Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August/September 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes , France, and is the twelfth track on the album.Musically, the song is based around...
(reprise) – Killer Queen - Another One Bites the DustAnother One Bites the Dust"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game . The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and...
– Killer Queen - Hammer to FallHammer to Fall"Hammer to Fall" is a 1984 song by the British rock group Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the song is the eighth track on their 1984 album The Works....
– Galileo and Scaramouche - These Are the Days of Our LivesThese Are the Days of Our Lives"These Are the Days of Our Lives" is a song by English rock band Queen. It was written largely by their drummer Roger Taylor, and is the eighth track on the band's 1991 album Innuendo. It is harmonically and structurally one of the simplest songs of the band's catalogue...
– Pop and Bohemians - Bicycle Race* – Bohemians
- Headlong (reprise)* – Galileo, Scaramouche and Pop
- Brighton Rock solo* (instrumental)
- Tie Your Mother DownTie Your Mother Down"Tie Your Mother Down" is a song by the English rock group Queen, written by guitarist Brian May. It is the opening track and the second single from their 1976 album A Day at the Races...
* (instrumental) - We Will Rock YouWe Will Rock You"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
– Galileo and Bohemians - We Are the ChampionsWe Are the Champions"We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems...
– Galileo and ensemble - Encore: We Will Rock You (fast version) – Ensemble
- Encore: Bohemian RhapsodyBohemian Rhapsody"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
– Entire cast
Later in the London production, the "One Vision" sequence was changed to include Freddie Mercury's recorded vocals for the bridge. Previously, the bridge had been sung by the ensemble.
In the original London production, "Fat-Bottomed Girls" was a short instrumental interlude prior to "Another One Bites the Dust". Subsequent international productions expanded the song into a full song and dance sequence. Due to the positive response, the change was transferred back to the London production.
For the single-act Las Vegas production, "Who Wants to Live Forever" is replaced by "You're My Best Friend".
For the Australasian tour and Canadian production, "Play the Game" is replaced by "Now I'm Here
Now I'm Here
"Now I'm Here" is a song by the English rock band Queen. The sixth song on their third album, Sheer Heart Attack, it was written by lead guitarist Brian May while he was in hospital with hepatitis. The song is noted for its hard riff and vocal harmonies. In the UK, the song hit #11 on the charts...
".
For the revamped Canadian production, "One Vision" is removed.
On special occasions, "The Show Must Go On
The Show Must Go On (Queen song)
"The Show Must Go On" is a song by English rock band Queen, featured as the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album Innuendo. It is credited to Queen, but written primarily by Brian May. The song chronicles the effort of Freddie Mercury continuing to perform despite approaching the end of his...
" is added to the encore.
Recordings
In 2004, Kerry Ellis, who was the original Meat in the London production, worked with Brian May to record an instrumental studio version of "No One but You (Only the Good Die Young)". This version is available through the official Queen website and in Ellis' limited-release CD single titled Wicked in Rock.
A Madrid cast recording was released in 2004. The recording includes a bonus second disc containing an extended Spanish-translated studio version of "No-One But You" ("Solo Por Ti") sung by the original Meat, Eva María Cortés, and video clips of the original Madrid production.
A Cologne cast recording was released in 2005. It is the only We Will Rock You cast recording to contain "Fat Bottomed Girls".
Discography
| Year | Release | Format | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
AUT Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
GER Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
IRE Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
NL Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||||
| 2002 | "We Will Rock You We Will Rock You (The Original London Cast Recording) This recording was made over two nights to become the first audio release of the musical. A couple of tracks are actual Queen sound recordings, notably One Vision and Ogre Battle. This recording does not however include all songs performed in the musical... " (The Original London Cast) |
Album | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003 | We Will Rock You: Australasian Edition We Will Rock You: Australasian Edition After "We Will Rock You" became a hit in London various other productions were put on around the world. One of the earliest was in Australia. The cast came from around Australia and New Zealand.... (The Origninal London Cast, Queen Queen (band) Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor... & Annie Crummer Annie Crummer Annie Crummer is a New Zealand Pop singer and songwriter who has seen success in both a solo career and as part of various musical groups.She grew up in West Auckland. Her father, a Cook Islander, was one of her strongest musical influences... ) |
Album | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003 | "Another One Bites The Dust" (Queen + Annie Crummer Annie Crummer Annie Crummer is a New Zealand Pop singer and songwriter who has seen success in both a solo career and as part of various musical groups.She grew up in West Auckland. Her father, a Cook Islander, was one of her strongest musical influences... ) |
Single | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | We Will Rock You: Australasian Edition We Will Rock You: Australasian Edition After "We Will Rock You" became a hit in London various other productions were put on around the world. One of the earliest was in Australia. The cast came from around Australia and New Zealand.... |
|
| 2004 | We Will Rock You: Spanish Cast (The Spanish Cast) |
Album | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004 | "Solo Por Ti (No One But You)" (Queen + Eva Maria) |
Single | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | We Will Rock You: Spanish Cast | |
| 2005 | We Will Rock You: German Cast (The Köln Cast) |
Album | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Alana Bridgewater recorded version of Fat Bottomed Girl on her debut album "Horizon".
Proposed film adaptation
At the time of launching the musical, Robert de NiroRobert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
referred to the possibility of a film version.
In a 2009 interview with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
said that a film version was proposed, and that Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
had written a full script with a "grittier" storyline. He emphasised that a lot more action can be included during the songs in a film than in a stage musical.
Awards and nominations
2003 Olivier nominations- Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical or Entertainment - Sharon D. Clarke
2003 Theatregoers' Choice Awards nominations
- Best New Musical (WINNER)
- Best Actor in a Musical - Tony Vincent (WINNER)
- Best Actress in a Musical - Hannah Jane Fox (WINNER)
- Best Supporting Actress in a Musical - Sharon D. Clarke (WINNER)
- Best Director - Christopher Renshaw (WINNER)
2004 Helpmann Award nominations
- Best Musical
- Best Direction of a Musical - Ben Elton
- Best Choreography in a Musical - Arlene Phillips
- Best Male Actor in a Musical - Michael Falzon
- Best Female Actor in a Musical - Kate Hoolihan (WINNER)
- Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical - Robert Grubb (WINNER)
- Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical - Amanda Harrison (WINNER)
- Best Music Direction - Mike Dixon, Brian May and Roger Taylor (WINNER)
- Best Sound Design - Bobby Aitken (WINNER)
2006 Naledi Theatre Awards nominations
- Best Performance in a Musical (Male) - Neels Calsen
- Best Performance in a Musical (Female) - Helen Burger
- Best Comedy Performance (Male) (Play, Musical or Revue) - Malcolm Terrey
- Best Musical Director / Score / Arrangement - Bryan Schimmel
- Best Theatre Sound Design - Mark Malherbe (WINNER)
2007 Dora Mavor Moore Awards nominations
- Outstanding Production of a Musical (WINNER)
- Outstanding Direction of a Musical - Ben Elton
- Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role (Musical) - Yvan Pedneault
- Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role (Musical) - Erica Peck
- Outstanding Costume Design - Tim Goodchild
- Outstanding Sound Design/Composition - Bobby Aitken
- Outstanding Musical Direction - Rick Fox
- Outstanding Choreography in a Play or Musical - Arlene Phillips
2010 Olivier Awards nominations
- Audience Award for Most Popular Show
2011 Olivier Awards nominations
- BBC Radio 2 Olivier Audience Award (WINNER)
External links
- Official website
- Official UK website
- Video: Brian May speaks about We Will Rock You(requires Real Player)