One Vision!
ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR MUSICAL WE WILL ROCK YOU BRIAN MAY, ROGER TAYLOR AND BEN ELTON REFLECT ON ITS SUCCESS
WHAT better way to follow the worldwide box office success of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody than with the return of smash hit Queen and Ben Elton musical We Will Rock You?
Since 2002, over 18 million theatregoers in over 20 countries have been thrilled by this epic show. Having enjoyed a run of 12 years at London’s Dominion Theatre, followed by many triumphant tours and the 10th anniversary world arena tour in 2013, We Will Rock You will dazzle audiences in Birmingham from next week.
We Will Rock You is set in a distant, dystopian future where Earth is called Planet Mall and its inhabitants wear the same clothes, think the same thoughts and exist in a brain-dead haze. This system forbids musical instruments and composers, whilst rock music is all but unknown.
The musical tells the story of Galileo, Scaramouche, Killer Queen and the other ‘Bohemians’ on their journey to discover the Holy Grail of Rock and restore the free exchange of thought, fashion and, most importantly, live music.
Ben Elton, one of Britain’s most successful writers, says it became clear to him that the story had to comprise an abstract quality “that
reflected the feel of the word and music, rather than its literal content”.
He elaborates: “This was not pop music, but rock music. Some of the most famous rock ever written, and legendary music should have a legendary context. I began to think of legends, both new and old, from King Arthur to The Terminator; heroic myths in which brave individuals take on the vast monolithic force of evil systems.”
Queen’s Brian May and Roger
Taylor admit they had early reservations about staging a musical.
“We were not initially convinced, not being fans of the musical theatre’ genre on the whole,” says Brian. “The show needed to work in a theatrical context and retain the rock, whilst also incorporating the spectacle, uniqueness and humour embodied by Queen.”
This was certainly an important aspect for Roger, who affirmed: “We (Queen) took the music seriously, but we never took ourselves seriously. We always had the ability to laugh at ourselves. Some of the stage gear and even some of the music is quite humorous – the whole middle section of Bohemian Rhapsody. We did a lot of daft things and a lot of experimentation.”
It was therefore important to do something new. Brian continues: “If we were going to go into this arena, the challenge was that we would somehow try and make it our own. There was a point where I realised there was a whole new area of creativity opening up to us if we wanted it – a whole new canvas to paint on”.
The show is fun, light and humorous, yet also contains those softer and, at times, heart-rending moments, which allow an audience to emotionally invest. Ben describes it as “intriguing, challenging, achingly romantic, brutally cynical and at once both sad and hilarious”.
Roger describes the show as “silly, but funny and making quite a lot of serious points while it goes on its rather daft course”.
Thematically, We Will Rock You couldn’t seem more relevant today: set in a world where individuality is no longer valued. With today’s focus on technological advancement, reading and the marriage of minds seem to have become outdated activities.
Brian says: “I think it’s a very good comment on the way things are going. Ben’s idea that individuality is being eroded every second of the day and soon it will be impossible for people to write their own music, think their own thoughts, write their own poetry is very perceptive.”
Speaking about the band’s relevance today he goes on to say: “I’m quite shocked at how fresh this stuff still sounds and it makes me very happy, obviously.
“We’re confident We Will Rock You fans will love revisiting the world’s first true rock theatrical, and a whole new generation will now discover the vibe!”
We Will Rock You UK tour is at Birmingham Hippodrome from July 4-30. Tickets can be booked at www.birminghamhippodrome.com