I WANT TO BREAK FREE

I know I say it has been a long time coming for a lot of things, but for this show, those words couldn't ring more true. This has quite literally been at the top of the list for 6 years, ever since it closed in the West End - so much so that I did a video for my Instagram Story of me crossing this off...

Last night, a friend from work and I went to see the new UK tour of We Will Rock You.....

Oh my word you have no idea how happy I am to finally see this!!

When it first came to London in 2002, starring Kerry Ellis (The Importance of Being Earnest) and Sharon D Clarke (Caroline Or Change) in its supporting cast, it absolutely panned with the critics. But, like Les Mis, the audience ate it up, and it ran at the Dominion Theatre for a whopping 12 years, featuring many many people who are/became West End favourites.

Now for the first time since it closed, the show based on the music of Queen and written by the band as well as Ben Elton is touring the UK with a brand new version.

The big sets I've been told were in the original are now gone in place of just a few moving blocks, and a lot relying on video projection and lighting - and this scaled back production does work very well for this type of show set in God knows how many years into the future, and it also works logistically for when it goes into smaller theatres than the Palace in Manchester.

Onto the show itself, and unlike a lot of jukebox musicals, this isn't one that tells the lives of Queen, but more like Mamma Mia or Rock of Ages when the songs are a basis for an original story.
Like I said before, We Will Rock You is set many years into the future. On the planet that was once called Earth, humankind spends their lives online and the only music heard is corporately made by computers, all produced by the mega company Global-Soft. We soon meet Galileo, a young man who dreams of real life away from Global-Soft, and sets out, alongside fellow Bohemian Scaramouche, to bring real music, and the spirit of Rock and Roll back.

Leading the company was Ian McIntosh, who I was even more excited to see after hearing him on the In The Frame podcast. Similar to School of Rock's Dewey Finn, Galileo is NON STOP (ba-dump ching!), screaming his face off in almost every number. There may be none like Freddie himself, but McIntosh damn well tries hard, melting off the face of every single member in the packed out audience (and yes it was packed!!).

In the supporting cast, I'd like to mention Emily Olive Boyd as Killer Queen covering for Jenny O'Leary (Heathers), Adam Strong having the time of his life as Khashoggi and Oz (formally known as Meat) aka Amy Di Bartolemeo (who was my colleague's favourite performance).

My favourite performance of the night though has to go to the cynical and sarcastic Scaramouche, played by Elena Skye. This girl has already played both Eponine and Kinky Boots' Lauren, and if judging by last night, she is going to be BIG!
Her vocal was like a young Kerry Ellis to me - from her moments in Somebody To Love when the whole band dropped to let her riff her face off, you KNEW this was a girl you wanted to get behind.
Plus it didn't help that this chick (no she doesn't have feathers) had ALL the best lines of the book: "When did you take the ***hole pill?" 😂

This is definitely one that if you are a fan of musical theatre or of Queen/similar music, you need to go try and watch. Try is a key word here though as A LOT of the tickets have gone - I mean, the Tuesday performance was the ONLY one at the time when I booked that had any seats that were NOT odd ones here and there and that had 2 seats together. I cannot say for certain if it is like that at other venues, but the word going around seems to be the case, so please be prepared for that.

Its story may not at all be its strong suit as it is pretty cheesy, especially in leading up into some of the songs; but it delivers on its execution, brilliant performances, epic scale and sound that blows your mind in just the intro and UNFORGETTABLE songs!

If you are going to this show, you are guaranteed to have a good time. It's the perfect escapist show to forget your troubles, remind yourself it could be a lot worse (heck I'm not looking forward to a future full of digital trash), and rock out to some incredible music.

I cannot believe I have FINALLY seen this incredible guilty pleasure of mine, having listened to the cast recording since college - my school did a production of it at the time. It is big, loud, epic and full of fantastic numbers; and it's going to be hard finding a show to beat it in the mind-blowing compartment!