From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
We Will Rock You (often abbreviated as WWRY) is a
based on the songs of
with a book by . The musical tells the story of a group of Bohemians who struggle to restore the free exchange of thought, fashion, and live music in a distant future where everyone dresses, thinks and acts the same. Musical instruments and composers are forbidden, and rock music is all but unknown.
Directed by Christopher Renshaw and choreographed by , the original West End production opened at the
on 14 May 2002, with , ,
in principal roles. Although the musical was at first panned by critics, it has become an audience favourite, becoming the longest-running musical at the Dominion Theatre, celebrating its tenth anniversary on 14 May 2012. The London production closed on 31 May 2014 after a final performance in which Brian May and Roger Taylor both performed.
A number of international productions have since followed the original, and We Will Rock You has been seen in five of the world's continents. Many productions are still active globally.
According to Brian May, Queen's manager
had spoken with the band about creating a
with Queen's songs since the mid-1990s. Initially, the intent was to create a biographical story of . About this time, 's production company Tribeca expressed interest in a Queen musical, but it found the original idea difficult to work with.
In 2000, Ben Elton was approached to start talks with May and Taylor on the project. He 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
of the science-fiction film . 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 ran at this venue until 31 May 2014.
London's critics almost uniformly panned the show, criticising the concept and direction.
wrote that the premise "really is as
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
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 , Steve Lowe and Alan MacArthur derided the show as having "a plot similar to the
concept album 2112".
The statue of
above the entrance to the Dominion Theatre
The original production of We Will Rock You opened on 12 May 2002 at the
in London, England.
played the lead role of Galileo, with
as Scaramouche,
as Killer Queen,
as Pop, Nigel Clauzel as Brit and
as Meat. For her performance, Clarke was nominated for "Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical or Entertainment" at the 2003 .
On 17 August 2005 We Will Rock You became the longest running musical at that venue, surpassing the previous record-holder . This is a notable achievement because the Dominion Theatre is one of the largest theatrical venues in West End, with a seating a capacity of 2,163 patrons. The show recently closed at the theatre, on 31 May 2014. At the 2011 , the show won the .
Notable cast replacements include , who played Galileo, taking over from .
took over the role of Killer Queen after 's departure in April 2004. Murray left the production in August 2011, which made her the longest running principal cast member, although she left the production briefly in September 2010 for maternity leave. Brenda Edwards, who was an X Factor semi-finalist in 2005, is currently performing the role of Killer Queen. On 22 September 2008
semi-finalist, , began performing in the role of Meat. She left the production on 19 September 2009. The role was then taken on by Irish born performer Louise Bowden, who had already performed in several prolific musicals including Mama Mia, Guys and Dolls and Mary Poppins. Bowden unexpectedly quit the production in May 2010. It was then left to Amanda Coutts to perform the role Meat. Coutts was originally Bowden's understudy. The West End production features a nine piece live band under the musical direction of Stuart Morley. Show timings are Monday - Friday 7.30pm with a 2.30pm matinee performances on Saturdays. An extra matinee showing takes place on the last Wednesday of each month, also at 2.30pm.
A national UK tour was launched in 2009 at the . The 2009 tour cast initially included,
as Galileo,
as Scaramouche,
as Killer Queen,
as Khashoggi,
as Pop. Gaumond and French-Ellis returned to play their characters in the West End and were Galileo and Scaramouche.
A second UK tour launched in December 2010 at the .
On 11 March 2014 it was announced the West End production will close on 31 May 2014, shortly after its 12th Anniversary, and after 4600 performances at the Dominion Theatre.
The first international production premiered at the
in Melbourne, Australia on 7 August 2003. The cast included
as Galileo,
as Scaramouche and
as Killer Queen. , 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,
(27 April to June 2004), Queensland Performing Arts Centre,
(27 July to 25 September 2004), and Star City Lyric Theatre, Sydney (9 October 2004 to 13 March 2005). The same production then made an international tour stop at the
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
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
from 5 January 2007 at the .
A new tour of Australia was announced on 17 August 2015. This tour is scheduled to commence in Sydney, NSW on 30 April 2016.
A Spanish production ran from 3 November 2003 to 30 May 2004 at Teatro Calderón, . 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
(12 November to 12 December 2004),
(17 December 2004 to 16 January 2005) and
(3 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
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.
A US tour had originally been planned for 2004, with initially announced stops in
and . However, due to scheduling conflicts of the creative team, the US tour was scrapped and replaced with a production housed at the
hotel and casino in , , 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.
and Kacie Sheik shared the role of Scaramouche,
was Killer Queen, and
was Brit. The Las Vegas production "trimmed" down the book into a single act show. This production closed on 27 November 2005. Vincent and Miller would wind up getting married in 2008.
On 15 October 2013, a North American tour began at the
in . The original cast includes Brian Justin Crum (Broadway's ) as Galileo, PJ Griffith (Broadway's
and ) as Kashoggi, Jacqueline Arnold (Broadway's ) as Killer Queen, Jared Zirilli (Broadway's ) as Britney, Ruby Lewis (, ) as Scaramouche, Ryan Knowles (, ) as Buddy and Erica Peck ( Toronto Cast) as Oz. The North American leg on the
tour covered nearly the whole of the US, corners of Canada and a sold out run in Mexico City at the . In all, the North American leg of the WWRY World tour included 298 performances, 30 cities, 23 States/Territories, 3 Countries, over 30,000 miles traveled and over a half-a-million people in attendance.
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
of . 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.
A German production opened in the Musical Dome,
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 . 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 and closed for good on 21 October 2011.
A follow up tour version started in December 2012 in Basel and closed in June 2013 in Essen. It is going to restart in September 2014 in Munich followed by Frankfurt and Vienna.
A South African production opened at the Civic Theatre in
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
(from 25 July) and the Playhouse Opera in
(29 September to 29 October 2006) before closing.
A German-language production opened in Zürich, Switzerland on 3 December 2006 at Theatre Stadthof 11,
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
on 24 January 2008, at the Raimund Theatre where it ran until 13 July 2008.
A Canadian production began previews on 14 March and officially opened on 10 April 2007 at the , Toronto. , 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,
as Oz and Evan Buliung as Khashoggi. McNeil had been a participant of the reality show , 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 , 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" 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,
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, was scheduled to reprise her role from 29 May to the closing date. This production closed on 28 June 2009.
An Australasian tour was launched on at the end of 2007 in New Zealand, in which previous We Will Rock You cast members
(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 , New Zealand at The Civic, The Edge (26 October to 2 December 2007), in , South Korea at the Seongnam Arts Centre (2 to 24 February 2008), in
(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 , Thailand at the Muangthai Ratchadalai Theatre (12 to 27 July 2008).
An Italian production opened on 4 December 2009 at the Allianz Teatro in , 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 . 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 , ,
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.
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.
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 Saether, Galileo: Espen Grjotheim, Scaramouche: Marie Haugen Smistad, Ozzy: Anna Lidman, Brit: Eivind Dundas, Khashoggi: Daniel Engman, Oddi (Pop): Mads Henning J?rgensen, Big Macca: H?vard Bakke, Teacher: Linda Holmgren. The production closed 16 April 2011.
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:
Galileo – Tim Driesen
Scaramouche – Marjolein Teepen
Killer Queen – Goele De Raedt
Khashoggi – paul dreisan
Brit – Martin van der Starre
Ozzy – Floortje Smit
Arno – Karel Deruwe
Marjolein Teepen has won the Flemish Musical Award on 18 June 2012. Marjolein has won the award for "Best Female Lead" for her role as Scaramouche in the Belgian version of the musical We Will Rock You. She was also nominated in the Netherlands.
A production of the show opened on 23 April 2015 on board the new Royal Caribbean cruise ship, . The show is freely available to all cruisers on the ship, so long as they book a particular performance in advance.
Open on March 2016 in S?o Paulo, Brazil.
Alírio Netto (Galileo)
Beto Sargentelli (Galileo alternate)
Lívia Dabarian (Scaramouche)
Felipe de Carolis (Toca/POP)
Fred Silveira (Khashoggi)
Andrezza Massei (Killer Queen)
Nicholas Maia (Brit)
Thais Piza (Ozzy)
Letícia Soares (Teacher)
Raquel Quarterone (Ensemble) Fernanda Belinatti (Ensemble) Mariana Hidemi (Ensemble) Carol Isolani (Ensemble) Bárbara Guerra Xavier (Ensemble) Marisol Marcondes (Ensemble) Amanda Doring (Ensemble) Jefferson Ferreira (Ensemble) Fernando Marianno (Ensemble) Daniel Caldini (Ensemble) Renato Bellini (Ensemble) Thiago Machado (Ensemble) Fernando Louren??o (Ensemble) Leo Rommano (Ensemble) Anelita Gallo (Swing e Dance Captain) Clara Camargo (Swing) Gabriel Conrad (Swing e Dance Captain Assistente) Danilo Barbieri (Swing)
From 2006, the show has been licensed for amateur productions in the UK, with proceeds going to the . This license also extends to school performances, under the title "".
In early 2007 Queen Theatrical granted the rights for a non- 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 , Sweden from February to July 2007. A Dutch production was opened at 4 September[Premiere] 2010.
The story is set exactly 300 years in the future in a vaguely
world. Earth has been renamed as the "iPlanet" (Planet Mall in older productions) and is controlled by the Globalsoft Corporation. ("") On the iPlanet, 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. ("")
In the newest graduating class is
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. ("") Galileo is captured by Khashoggi, commander of Globalsoft's police. The teacher also reveals a second anomaly, a young
woman who is openly mocked and derided by her peers (""). She too is arrested by Khashoggi.
Ruling Globalsoft Corporation is the Killer Queen. ("") She has heard of a prophecy that instruments have been hidden somewhere on the iPlanet 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 the iPlanet. ("")
Galileo and the young woman wake up in a hospital ("" (intro)). They realise that they are kindred spirits, feared by the rest of their society. ("") They flee together from the hospital.
Killer Queen has blown up all the rocks on the iPlanet, but cannot find any supposed hidden instruments. She insists that they have won, and the prophecy will not come to pass. ("")
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. ("") 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 "". 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 , which is located at the ruins of the , where the Bohemians have made their home. ("") 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. ("") The group then celebrate the reason rock bands started playing music in the first place, which was for 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")
The Ga Ga Kids of the iPlanet move on in their regular fashion. ("")
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 realising that they are all that's left of the rebels, they confess their love for each other. ("")
The surviving Bohemians have been rounded up by Khashoggi to be tortured. ("") When he cannot get any information from them about the prophecy, he has them brain-drained. (""— "")
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 offence. 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 ("") Khashoggi reports that the Bohemians are no longer a problem. Killer Queen prematurely starts to celebrate. ("") 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. ("")
Galileo and Scaramouche are making their way to the Seven Seas of Rhye, arguing all the way. ("") At the Seven Seas of Rhye pub in Montreaux, Pop the librarian is serving drinks to the lifeless Bohemians. ("") 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 (Brian May, his last request being a final guitar solo, apparently delayed his execution for three and a half days). Scaramouche figures out that the bright shining star of the prophecy is rock star Freddie Mercury's statue, and that it's pointing to , the "place of living rock". After initially preparing to travel by bicycle, (opening of "") Scaramouche protests that the method "isn't very cool", and so they travel there by motorcycle. ("Headlong (reprise)")
Wembley Stadium is in ruins, with no instruments to be found. Reconciling and their love for each other rekindled (""), Scaramouche inspires Galileo to perform the opening of "", and an
is revealed. Galileo cannot play it, but Scaramouche can. (" solo") Pop hacks into Globalsoft's network so their music can be heard by everyone on the iPlanet, and Killer Queen is defeated. ("", " / ")
After the curtain calls (""), 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 .
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
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 ' "", "", "", "", "" and "", 's "" and "", the theme from , ' "", 's "", 's "" and "",
"", ' "", 's "", 's "" and "",
"", 's "", ' "", 's "",
"", 's "",
and songs by
May often performs with the London production on special occasions such as anniversaries and Freddie Mercury's birthday.
, 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 "", ordinarily sung by Killer Queen, the band "" (who were at No. 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 "" 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 , 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 "", 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!" The Killer Queen proceeded to yell "Screw the script!" before continuing the song. 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 "", 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 "" with May playing guitar. As with the year before, Elton gave a thank you speech and the entire cast performed "", 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 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 's 64th birthday, and afterwards Brian gave a farewell speech to the cast that were leaving.
On Saturday 5 October 2013, Brian appeared through the cloud of smoke to play Bohemian Rhapsody once more. This was because it was cast change and some of the cast were leaving. Brian appeared to be very emotional when he was giving his speech.
Queen guitarist
and drummer
often perform at premieres and special events. Bassist
in 1997, and hasn't performed with May or Taylor since.
When Bohemian Rhapsody is performed with Brian and Roger, Brian comes up from a trap in the stage with a lot of smoke (only at . Elsewhere he is walking from the Wembley gate in the back, to the front of stage.) He performs the solo right before the opera section. Then the opera section begins, he walks off stage. Doing the headbanging section Roger comes up on the Heartbreak Hotel platform and Brian runs back on stage (only at . Elsewhere Roger's drum kit is being pushed by stage crew and Brian runs on stage.) They perform the headbanging section with the cast and the low key section. They end it all with a big ending before the stage goes into blackout.
Performance
BBC Television Centre
Brian & Roger
(1) "Somebody to Love" (2) "Hammer to Fall"
(3) "We Will Rock You" (4) "We Are the Champions"
Buckingham Palace
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
12 November
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
16 November
BBC Television Centre
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Performance
20 September
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Matinee and Evening performances
27 September
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Evening performance
20 October
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
27 October
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
29 October
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Evening performance
30 October
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Evening performance
Performance
Teatro Calderon de la Barca
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
27 January
Teatro Calderon de la Barca
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "Tie Your Mother Down"
Madrid's 100th We Will Rock You performance.
31 January
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "We Are the Champions" (Evening only)
Matinee and Evening performances.
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "We Are the Champions"
Teatro Calderon de la Barca
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Press launch for the cast album.
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "We Are the Champions"
BBC Sport Relief Charity special.
Teatro Calderon de la Barca
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Final We Will Rock You performance.
11 December
Television Studio
Brian & Roger
(1) "We Will Rock You"
(2) "We Are the Champions"
Wetten, dass..? Q+PR tour announcement.
18 December
Paris Hotel
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2) "Brighton Rock"
(3) "The Show Must Go On"
Matinee and Evening performances
Performance
12 January
Dominion Theatre
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
1,000th West End performance.
Dominion Theatre
Brian & Roger
They were presented a couple of awards on stage (Longest Running Live Show in the Dominion Theatre and Most Successful Albums Act In UK Chart History).
On 13 August We Will Rock You took over the no.1 position of the longest running show at the Dominion Theatre. Ben Elton also attended on the 17th to celebrate this event.
Performance
28 January
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Hannah Jane Fox's last show.
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"
4th anniversary.
5 September
Dominion Theatre
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2) "Love of My Life" (3) "Say It's Not True" (4) "The Show Must Go On"
Marking Freddie Mercury's 60th birthday. McFly performed "Don't Stop Me Now".
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Matinee and Evening performances. Originally West End's final show. Brian announced an extension.
Performance
The London Studios
Brian & Roger
(1) "Tie Your Mother Down"
Al Murray's Happy Hour
Dominion Theatre
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"
5th anniversary.
Canon Theatre
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"
The Show Must Go On was performed with Canadian Idol Top 7 finalists.
29 September
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Matinee and Evening performances.
29 December
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Matinee and Evening performances.
Performance
24 January
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
We Will Rock You Austria
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Don't Stop Me Now" (2) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (3) "The Show Must Go On"
Technical faults stopped Brian performing onstage during "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Performance
10 January
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Matinee and Evening performances.
Manchester
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
We Will Rock You UK Tour
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"
7th anniversary.
Sunderland
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Birmingham
Hippodrome
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Brian fell into Roger's drum kit but recovered and finished the song.
12 September
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On" (Evening only)
Matinee and Evening performances.
17 September
Hippodrome
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Rufus Taylor played drums on "Bohemian Rhapsody".
9 November
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Edinburgh premiere.
12 November
Apollo Theater
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"
We Will Rock You Stuttgart 1st anniversary.
4 December
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Performance
15 January
RT? Studios
Brian & Roger
(1) "We Will Rock You"
(2) "We Are the Champions"
31 January
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Matinee and Evening performances. Roger attended but did not perform.
Dominion Theatre
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
8th anniversary.
3 September
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
4 September
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Matinee and Evening performances
12 September
Cirkus Arena Restaurang
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
21 October
Theater des Westens
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Performance
20 January
King's Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Roger attended the performance but did
27 January
Folketeatret
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Roger attended the performance but did
23 February
Copenhagen
Forum K?benhavn
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Brian attended the performance but could not play due to a hand injury.
Millennium Centre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Roger attended the performance but did not play.
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"
9th anniversary
His Majesty's Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Birmingham
Hippodrome
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Mazz Murray's final performance.
13 September
Dominion Theatre
(1) "We Will Rock You"
(2) "We Are the Champions"
Children In Need: Pop Goes The Musical.
With Mel C.
13 October
Hippodrome
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
1 December
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Gala performance in aid of the
Mercury Phoenix Trust.
Performance
Royal Opera House
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Olivier Awards
Dominion Theatre
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"
Technical fault prevented Roger appearing onstage until the final minute of "The Show Must Go On".
Performance
Nottingham
Capital FM
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Roger attended but did not perform.
Dominion Theatre
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Cast change with Rachel John and Wayne Robinson leaving
16 October
France-Merrick P.A.C.
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Roger attended but did not perform.
Performance
Dominion Theatre
Brian & Roger
(1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"
Performed at both shows due to show closing at the Dominion Theatre
Galileo Figaro – The central char 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 iPlanet 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 , is the main male Bohemian rebel. In other productions, his name is either Paris (short for ), Duff (short for ), Vic (short for ) or J.B. (short for ).
Meat (alternately Oz, Ozzy) – Meat, short for , is the main female Bohemian. In some productions, the character is named Oz after .
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 ).
Pop (alternately Polo, Bap, DJ, Buddy) – 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 , , , or the relevant regional variant). Probably named for
or simply a diminutive for "Grandfather". In the German production his full name is "Bap Niedecken". The name refers to the German band "Bap" (Cologne dialect for "Papa" = "Father") and the singer Wolfgang Niedecken.
Other Bohemians – The other Bohemians have constantly changing names following media trends. These are usually music-related, and have included , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
and recently , , , , , , , and .
As a jukebox musical, the show's music consists entirely of Queen material. The musical numbers of the original London production are as follows.
and ensemble
"" – Ga Ga Kids
"" – Galileo
"I Want to Break Free" (reprise) – Scaramouche
"" – Scaramouche and Teen Queens
"" – Killer Queen and Yuppies
"" – Killer Queen and Yuppies
""* (instrumental)
"" – Galileo and Scaramouche
"" – Killer Queen, Khashoggi and Yuppies
"" – Brit and Meat
"" – Brit, Meat, Galileo and Scaramouche
"" – Meat and Bohemians
""* – Brit, Meat, Galileo, Scaramouche and Bohemians
"" (instrumental)
"" / "" (reprise) – Ga Ga Kids
"" – Galileo and Scaramouche
"" – Bohemians
"" – Khashoggi and Bohemians
""* – , Killer Queen and Sex Yuppies
"" – Killer Queen
"" – Killer Queen
"" – Galileo and Scaramouche
"" – Pop and Bohemians
"Bicycle Race"* – Bohemians
"Headlong" (reprise)* – Galileo, Scaramouche and Pop
"Brighton Rock" solo* (instrumental)
""* (instrumental)
"" – Galileo and Bohemians
"" – Galileo and ensemble
"We Will Rock You" (fast version) – Ensemble
"" – 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 "". In the
North American tour, "You're My Best Friend" is added after "I Want It All." "Who Wants To Live Forever" is reinstated, after "Flash" and "Seven Seas of Rhye."
For the Australasian tour, Canadian production and the 2013-14 North American tour, "Play the Game" is replaced by "".
For the revamped Canadian production and the 2013-14 North American tour, "One Vision" is removed. "Flash" and "Seven Seas Of Rhye" are repositioned to the start of Act Two.
On special occasions, "" is added to the encore.
The cover of the original London cast album, featuring .
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".
In 2012, a 10th Anniversary Edition of the London Cast Recording was issued, comprising the original cast recording album, along with a CD with bonus material.
Peak chart positions
(The Original London Cast)
(The Original London Cast,
"Another One Bites The Dust"
(Queen + )
(The Spanish Cast)
"Solo Por Ti (No One But You)"
(Queen + )
(The K?ln Cast)
(The Italian Cast)
"" 10th Anniversary
(The Original London Cast)
Alana Bridgewater recorded version of Fat Bottomed Girls on her debut album "Horizon".
The 10th Anniversary album including the original 2002 album, along with a bonus CD with the following tracks:
Another One Bites The Dust (2003 Remix) – , Queen
Sólo Por Ti (No One But You) (In Spanish) (Short Version) – Eva Maria Cortes, Queen
Sin Control (Headlong) (In Spanish) – The Spanish Cast
Algo Loco Es El Amor (Crazy Little Thing Called Love) (In Spanish) – The Spanish Cast
Killer Queen (In German) – The German Cast
Play The Game (In German) – The German Cast
Bohemian Rhapsody ('' Live At Buckingham Palace, 2002) - The London Cast, Queen
Radio Ga Ga ["" German TV Live Performance, 2004] – The German Cast
Somebody To Love ["Wetten, dass..?" German TV Live Performance, 2004] - The German Cast, Queen
We Will Rock You ["Wetten, dass..?" German TV Live Performance, 2004] - The German Cast, Queen
We Are The Champions ["Wetten, dass..?" German TV Live Performance, 2004] - The German Cast, Queen
At the time of launching the musical,
referred to the possibility of a film version.
In a 2009 interview with the ,
said that a film version was proposed, and that
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.
Award ceremony
Best New Musical
Best Actor in a Musical
Best Actress in a Musical
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical
Best Director
Award ceremony
Best Musical
Best Male Actor in a Musical
Best Female Actor in a Musical
Kate Hoolihan
Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Best Direction of a Musical
Best Choreography in a Musical
Best Music Direction
Mike Dixon,
Best Sound Design
Bobby Aitken
Award ceremony
Naledi Theatre Award
Best Male Performance in a Musical
Neels Calsen
Best Female Performance in a Musical
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
Award ceremony
Outstanding Production of a Musical
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 Direction of a Musical
Outstanding Choreography in a Play or Musical
Outstanding Musical Direction
Outstanding Costume Design
Tim Goodchild
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
Bobby Aitken
Award ceremony
Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role – Musical
Marjolein Teepen
Best Lyrics
Best Music
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
Bobby Aitken
Award ceremony
Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role – Musical
Marjolein Teepen
Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role - Musical
Tim Driesen
Best Ensemble
We Will Rock You
Retrieved 23 January 2011
Retrieved 15 May 2012
A final song, The show must go, on was performed to mark the occasion. The show must go on was the same song the cast performed in the 2014 Westend Eurovision.
broadwayworld, Retrieved 11 March 2014
We Will Rock You The Musical by Queen and Ben Elton: The Official Book. pp. 10–27
Logan, Brian (15 May 2002). . The Guardian (London).
. . 10 July .
. Wwry-london.co.uk. 31 May .
Shenton, Mark (22 August 2008). .
– We Will Rock You tour, Official website
– WWRY Tour Page
– bestoftheatre.co.uk
– Queen Press Release
– Robert Grubb website
– Metropolis.co.jp
– Arts Australia Japan
– Arts Australia Japan
– Official Queen news website
– Official Queen news website
Catherine Lambert. . Herald Sun. News Corp 2015.
– Brian May's blog
– Original Madrid Cast Recording
– Official website
– Official Queen website
– Business Wire
– Official Queen website
playbill, retrieved 11 March 2014
playbill, retrieved 11 March 2014
– The Moscow Times
– Brian May's blog
– Official Queen news website
– Official Queen news website
– Official ticket vendor website. Retrieved 1 August 2008
– ArtSmart
– Queen website
– ArtSmart
– Official Queen news website
– Official Queen news website
– Edmonton S reproduced by
– Official Queen website
– Official website
– New Straits Times
– Archived by Official Queen News website
– The Korea Times
– Lunchbox Productions
– Official Queen News website
– ThaiTicketMajor official website (Thailand)
– Official website
– Official website
– Official website
– Brian May's blog
– Brian May's blog
– Brian May's blog
– Dress Circle website, exclusive distributor
, What's On Stage, 26 March 2002
, BBC Bristol, 17 September 2009
. The Rock Dose. 20 September .
. Queen Zone. 20 September .
– Olivier Awards
– Olivier Awards
. Live Performance Australia 2013.
– Naledi Theatre Awards
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