We Will Rock You (musical)

We Will Rock You

Poster for 2005 Tokyo Production
Music Queen
Lyrics Queen
Ben Elton
Book Ben Elton
Productions 2002 London
2003 Melbourne
2003 Madrid
2004 Perth
2004 Brisbane
2004 Las Vegas
2004 Sydney
2004 Moscow
2004 Cologne
2004 Spanish Tour
2005 Tokyo
2006 Johannesburg
2006 Cape Town
2006 Durban
2006 Zurich
2006 Tokyo
2007 Madrid
2007 Osaka
2007 Toronto
2007 Auckland
2008 Vienna
2008 Seongnam
2008 Singapore
2008 Hong Kong
2008 Bangkok
2009 Stuttgart
2009 Milan
2009 UK Tour
2010 Utrecht
2010 Stockholm
2010 Berlin
2010 UK Tour
2011 Italian Tour
2011 Oslo
2011 Copenhagen
2012 Basel
2013 Arena Tour
2013 Essen
2013 U.S. Tour
2015 Anthem of the Seas
2015 GSHS
2016 Brazil
2016 Australian Tour
Awards 2003
WhatsonStage.com Best New Musical Award
Theatregoers’ Choice Best New Musical Awards
Capital Gold Radio 'Legends' Best Live Performance of the Year Award
2007
Dora Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical (WWRY Canada)
2011
Olivier Audience Award for Most Popular Show

We Will Rock You (often abbreviated as WWRY) is a musical based on the songs of Queen with a book by Ben Elton. 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 Arlene Phillips, the original West End production opened at the Dominion Theatre on 14 May 2002, with Tony Vincent, Hannah Jane Fox, Sharon D. Clarke and Kerry Ellis 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.[1][2] The London production closed on 31 May 2014 after a final performance in which Brian May and Roger Taylor both performed.[3]

A number of international productions have since followed the original, and We Will Rock You has been seen in six of the world's continents. Many productions are still active globally.

Development

According to Brian May, Queen's manager Jim Beach 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.[4]

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 dystopia of the science-fiction film The Matrix. The script was eventually completed midway through 2001.[4] Before working on We Will Rock You, neither May nor Taylor liked the musical genre.[4]

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.

Critical reception

London's critics almost uniformly panned the show, criticising the concept and direction. The Guardian 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."[5] The Daily Mirror wrote that "Ben Elton should be shot for this risible story."[6] However, some individual performances received praise[6] 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 the Rush concept album 2112".

Productions

The statue of Freddie Mercury above the entrance to the Dominion Theatre

West End and UK tour

The original production of We Will Rock You opened on 12 May 2002 at the Dominion Theatre 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, Nigel Clauzel as Brit 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.[7] 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 Laurence Olivier Awards, the show won the Audience Award for Most Popular Show.[8]

Notable cast replacements include Mig Ayesa, who played Galileo, taking over from Tony Vincent. Mazz Murray took over the role of Killer Queen after Sharon D. Clarke'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 I'd Do Anything semi-finalist, Rachel Tucker, 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 Mamma Mia!, Guys and Dolls and Mary Poppins.[9] 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 featured a nine piece live band under the musical direction of Stuart Morley.[10] 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.[11]

A national UK tour was launched in 2009 at the Palace Theatre, Manchester.[12][13] 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 were Galileo and Scaramouche.[14]

A second UK tour launched in December 2010 at the Palace Theatre, Manchester.[15]

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.[16]

Australia and Japan

The first international production premiered at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne, Australia on 7 August 2003.[17] 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 2004), and Star City Lyric Theatre, Sydney (9 October 2004 to 13 March 2005).[17][18] 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.[19][20]

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.[21] 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.[22] The tour group then performed in Osaka from 5 January 2007 at the Umeda Arts Theater.[23]

A new tour of Australia was announced on 17 August 2015. This tour is scheduled to commence in Sydney, NSW on 30 April 2016.[24]

Spain

A Spanish production ran from 3 November 2003 to 30 May 2004 at Teatro Calderón, Madrid. 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.[25] 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.[26] 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 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.[27] 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.[27] The production finally closed on 6 January 2008.

Las Vegas

A US tour had originally been planned for 2004, with initially announced stops in Connecticut and Washington state.[28] 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.[28][29] 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.[30] The Las Vegas production "trimmed" down the book into a single act show.[28] This production closed on 27 November 2005.[31] Vincent and Miller would wind up getting married in 2008.

North American tour

On 15 October 2013, a North American tour began at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland.[32] The original cast includes Brian Justin Crum (Broadway's Next to Normal) as Galileo, PJ Griffith (Broadway's American Idiot and Mamma Mia!) as Kashoggi, Jacqueline Arnold (Broadway's Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as Killer Queen, Jared Zirilli (Broadway's Lysistrata Jones) as Britney, Ruby Lewis (Grease, Desperate Housewives) as Scaramouche, Ryan Knowles (Newsical, Radio City Music Hall) as Buddy and Erica Peck (We Will Rock You Toronto Cast) as Oz.[33] The North American leg on the We Will Rock You tour covered nearly the whole of the US, corners of Canada and a sold out run in Mexico City at the Auditiorio Nacional. 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.

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 Vremeni.[34] 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.[34]

Germany

A German production opened in the Musical Dome, Cologne 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.[35] The production closed at this venue on 30 September 2008 to be transferred to Stuttgart.[36] The Stuttgart transfer opened at the Apollo Theatre on 13 November 2008 after previews from 7 November 2008.[37][38] 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.

South Africa

A South African production opened at the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg on 9 May 2006.[39] The production starred Francois Schreuder as Galileo, Helen Burger as Scaramouche, Vicky Sampson as Killer Queen, and Helen Goldberg as Oz.[40] 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.[39][41]

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.[42] 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.[43] The transfer opened in Vienna, Austria on 24 January 2008, at the Raimund Theatre where it ran until 13 July 2008.[44]

Canada

A Canadian production began previews on 14 March and officially opened on 10 April 2007 at the Canon Theatre, Toronto.[45][46] 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.[47] 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[48] to be transferred to the Panasonic Theatre, where it opened on 16 July 2008.[49] 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, was scheduled to reprise her role from 29 May to the closing date.[50] This production closed on 28 June 2009.[51]

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 Ayesa (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.[52] Talia Kodesh, who had played Oz in the South African production, played the role of Scaramouche in the New Zealand tour stop.[53] 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 to 24 February 2008),[54][55] in Singapore at the Esplanade Theatre (28 March to 27 April 2008),[56] in Hong Kong at The Lyric Theatre of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (16 May to 22 June 2008)[57] and in Bangkok, Thailand at the Muangthai Ratchadalai Theatre (12 to 27 July 2008).[58]

Italy

An Italian production opened on 4 December 2009 at the Allianz Teatro in Milan, 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.[59] 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.[60]

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.[61] 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

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.

Royal Caribbean Ship - Anthem of the Seas

A production of the show opened on 23 April 2015 on board the new Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas. All passengers on the ship have the option of attending, provided they book a particular performance in advance.

Brazil

Open on March 2016 in São Paulo, Brazil.

Cast

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 Lourenção (Ensemble) Leo Rommano (Ensemble) Anelita Gallo (Swing e Dance Captain) Clara Camargo (Swing) Gabriel Conrad (Swing e Dance Captain Assistente) Danilo Barbieri (Swing)

[62] [63] [64]

2016 Australian Tour

A tour of the show in Australia will start in April 2016 in Sydney, before touring to the cities of Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.

[65] [66]

Other productions

From 2006, the show has been licensed for amateur productions in the UK, with proceeds going to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.[67] 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.[68]

An externally licensed production was staged in Varberg, Sweden from February to July 2007. A Dutch production was opened at 4 September[Premiere] 2010.

Casts

Summary: Original London production

Act One

The story is set exactly 300 years in the future in a vaguely Orwellian world. Earth has been renamed as the "iPlanet" (Planet Mall in older productions) and is controlled by the Globalsoft Corporation. ("Innuendo") 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. ("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 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. ("Play the Game")

Galileo and the young woman wake up in a hospital ("Death on Two Legs" (intro)). They realise 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 the iPlanet, 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")

Act Two

The Ga Ga Kids of the iPlanet move on in their regular fashion. ("One Vision")

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. ("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 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 ("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 in Montreaux, 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 (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 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 ruins, 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 the iPlanet, 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.

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".[4] 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 songs by Amy Winehouse and Michael Jackson.

May often performs with the London production on special occasions such as anniversaries[69] and Freddie Mercury's birthday.[70]

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.[71]

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 No. 1 with the song on the singles charts the previous week) emerged onto the stage to sing it instead.[72] 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.[73]

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!" 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 "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 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.

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.

Shows with Queen

Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor often perform at premieres and special events. Bassist John Deacon left Queen 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 Dominion Theatre. 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 Dominion Theatre. 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.

2002

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2002
18 May London BBC Television Centre Brian & Roger (1) "Somebody to Love" (2) "Hammer to Fall"
(3) "We Will Rock You" (4) "We Are the Champions"		 Parkinson
3 June Buckingham Palace (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
12 November Dominion Theatre Brian
16 November BBC Television Centre Brian & Roger Children in Need

2003

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2003
20 September London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Matinee and Evening performances
27 September Evening performance
20 October
27 October
29 October Evening performance
30 October

2004

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2004
2 January Madrid Teatro Calderon de la Barca Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
27 January (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "Tie Your Mother Down"		 Madrid's 100th We Will Rock You performance.
31 January London rowspan="2"Dominion Theatre (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "We Are the Champions" (Evening only)		 Matinee and Evening performances.
5 April (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "We Are the Champions"
3 May Madrid Teatro Calderon de la Barca (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Press launch for the cast album.
11 May London Dominion Theatre (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "We Are the Champions"		 BBC Sport Relief Charity special.
30 May Madrid Teatro Calderon de la Barca (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Final We Will Rock You performance.
11 December Nuremberg Television Studio Brian & Roger (1) "We Will Rock You"
(2) "We Are the Champions"		 Wetten, dass..? Q+PR tour announcement.
18 December Paris Hotel Las Vegas Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2) "Brighton Rock"
(3) "The Show Must Go On"		 Matinee and Evening performances

2005

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2005
12 January London Dominion Theatre Brian & Roger (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" 1,000th West End performance.
17 August 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).[74] 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.[75]

2006

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2006
28 January London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Hannah Jane Fox's last show.
11 May London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"		 4th anniversary.
5 September London 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".
7 October London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Matinee and Evening performances. Originally West End's final show. Brian announced an extension.

2007

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2007
10 March London The London Studios Brian & Roger (1) "Tie Your Mother Down" Al Murray's Happy Hour
14 May London Dominion Theatre Brian & Roger (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"		 5th anniversary.
1 August Toronto 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 London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Matinee and Evening performances.
29 December London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Matinee and Evening performances.

2008

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2008
24 January Vienna Raimund
Theater		 Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" We Will Rock You Austria
21 May London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Don't Stop Me Now" (2) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (3) "The Show Must Go On" Technical faults stopped Brian performing onstage during "Bohemian Rhapsody".

2009

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2009
10 January London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Matinee and Evening performances.
25 March Manchester Palace
Theatre		 Brian & Roger (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" We Will Rock You UK Tour
18 May London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"		 7th anniversary.
11 June Sunderland Empire
Theatre		 Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
2 July Birmingham The
Hippodrome		 Brian & Roger (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Brian fell into Roger's drum kit but recovered and finished the song.
12 September London Dominion Theatre Brian May (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On" (Evening only)		 Matinee and Evening performances.
17 September Bristol The
Hippodrome		 Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Rufus Taylor played drums on "Bohemian Rhapsody".
9 November Edinburgh The
Playhouse		 Brian & Roger (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Edinburgh premiere.
12 November Stuttgart Apollo Theater Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"		 We Will Rock You Stuttgart 1st anniversary.
4 December Milan Allianz
Teatro		 Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"

2010

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2010
15 January Dublin RTÉ Studios Brian & Roger (1) "We Will Rock You"
(2) "We Are the Champions"		 The Late Late Show
31 January Dublin The O2 Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Matinee and Evening performances. Roger attended but did not perform.
10 May London Dominion Theatre Brian & Roger (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" 8th anniversary.
3 September Utrecht Beatrix
Theatre		 Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
4 September London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Matinee and Evening performances
12 September Stockholm Cirkus Arena Restaurang Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
21 October Berlin Theater des Westens Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"

2011

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2011
20 January Glasgow King's Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Roger attended the performance but did
not play.
27 January Oslo Folketeatret Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Roger attended the performance but did
not play.
23 February Copenhagen Forum København Roger (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Brian attended the performance but could not play due to a hand injury.
22 March Cardiff Millennium Centre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Roger attended the performance but did not play.
31 May London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
(2) "The Show Must Go On"		 9th anniversary
8 June Aberdeen His Majesty's Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
7 July Birmingham The
Hippodrome		 Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
20 August London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Mazz Murray's final performance.
13 September London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "We Will Rock You"
(2) "We Are the Champions"		 Children In Need: Pop Goes The Musical.
With Mel C.
13 October Bristol The
Hippodrome		 Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody"
1 December Edinburgh The
Playhouse		 Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Gala performance in aid of the
Mercury Phoenix Trust.

2012

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2012
15 April London Royal Opera House Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Olivier Awards
14 May London 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".

2013

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2013
27 March Nottingham Capital FM
Arena		 Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Roger attended but did not perform.
5 October London Dominion Theatre Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Cast change with Rachel John and Wayne Robinson leaving
16 October Baltimore France-Merrick P.A.C. Brian (1) "Bohemian Rhapsody" Roger attended but did not perform.

2014

Date City Venue Member Performance Notes
2014
31 May London 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

Characters

Galileo Figaro – 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 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 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, 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 Popstars, Pop Idol, The X Factor, or the relevant regional variant). Probably named for Iggy Pop 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 Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Robbie Williams, Beyoncé, Madonna, Amy Winehouse, Bob the Builder, 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, Whitney Houston, Gary Barlow, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Frankie Valli.

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
  1. "Innuendo" – Freddie Mercury and ensemble
  2. "Radio Ga Ga" – Ga Ga Kids
  3. "I Want to Break Free" – Galileo
  4. "I Want to Break Free" (reprise) – Scaramouche
  5. "Somebody to Love" – Scaramouche and Teen Queens
  6. "Killer Queen" – Killer Queen and Yuppies
  7. "Play the Game" – Killer Queen and Yuppies
  8. "Death on Two Legs"* (instrumental)
  9. "Under Pressure" – Galileo and Scaramouche
  10. "A Kind of Magic" – Killer Queen, Khashoggi and Yuppies
  11. "I Want It All" – Brit and Meat
  12. "Headlong" – Brit, Meat, Galileo and Scaramouche
  13. "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)" – Meat and Bohemians
  14. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"* – Brit, Meat, Galileo, Scaramouche and Bohemians
  15. "Ogre Battle" (instrumental)
Act II
  1. "One Vision" / "Radio Ga Ga" (reprise) – Ga Ga Kids
  2. "Who Wants to Live Forever" – Galileo and Scaramouche
  3. "Flash" – Bohemians
  4. "Seven Seas of Rhye" – Khashoggi and Bohemians
  5. "Fat Bottomed Girls"* – Queen, Killer Queen and Sex Yuppies
  6. "Don't Stop Me Now" – Killer Queen
  7. "Another One Bites the Dust" – Killer Queen
  8. "Hammer to Fall" – Galileo and Scaramouche
  9. "These Are the Days of Our Lives" – Pop and Bohemians
  10. "Bicycle Race"* – Bohemians
  11. "Headlong" (reprise)* – Galileo, Scaramouche and Pop
  12. "Brighton Rock" solo* (instrumental)
  13. "Tie Your Mother Down"* (instrumental)
  14. "We Will Rock You" – Galileo and Bohemians
  15. "We Are the Champions" – Galileo and ensemble
Encore
  1. "We Will Rock You" (fast version) – Ensemble
  2. "Bohemian Rhapsody" – 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". In the 2013-2014 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 "Now I'm Here".

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, "The Show Must Go On" is added to the encore.[69][73]

Other media

Recordings

The cover of the original London cast album, featuring Tony Vincent.[4]

A cast recording of the original London production was released in November 2002.[76] 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.[77][78]

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.

Discography

Year Release Format Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)		 Album
UK
 AUS
 AUT
 FRA
 GER
 IRE
 NL
 US
2002 "We Will Rock You"
(The Original London Cast)		 Album — — — — — — — —
2003 We Will Rock You: Australasian Edition
(The Original London Cast, Queen & Annie Crummer)		 — — — — — — — —
2003 "Another One Bites The Dust"
(Queen + Annie Crummer)		 Single — — — – — — — — We Will Rock You: Australasian Edition
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 — — — — — — — —
2011 We Will Rock You: Italian Cast
(The Italian Cast)		 — — — — — — — — only sold during the first Italian performances in 2011 and published by Barley Arts. recorded during the 2009 tour in milan
2012 "We Will Rock You" 10th Anniversary
(The Original London Cast)		 — — — — — — — —

Proposed film adaptation

At the time of launching the musical, Robert De Niro referred to the possibility of a film version.[79]

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.[80][81][82]

Awards and nominations

Original London production

Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result
2003 Laurence Olivier Award Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical Sharon D. Clarke Nominated
Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award[83] Best New Musical Won
Best Actor in a Musical Tony Vincent Won
Best Actress in a Musical Hannah Jane Fox Won
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical Sharon D. Clarke Won
Best Director Christopher Renshaw Won
2010 Laurence Olivier Award[84][85] Audience Award for Most Popular Show Nominated
2011 Won

Original Australian production

Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result
2004 Helpmann Award[86] Best Musical Nominated
Best Male Actor in a Musical Michael Falzon Nominated
Best Female Actor in a Musical Kate Hoolihan Won
Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical Robert Grubb Won
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical Amanda Harrison Won
Best Direction of a Musical Ben Elton Nominated
Best Choreography in a Musical Arlene Phillips Nominated
Best Music Direction Mike Dixon, Brian May and Roger Taylor Won
Best Sound Design Bobby Aitken Won

Original South African production

Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result
2006 Naledi Theatre Award[87][88] Best Male Performance in a Musical Neels Calsen Nominated
Best Female Performance in a Musical Helen Burger Nominated
Best Comedy Performance (Male) – Play, Musical or Revue Malcolm Terrey Nominated
Best Musical Director / Score / Arrangement Bryan Schimmel Nominated
Best Theatre Sound Design Mark Malherbe Won

Original Toronto production

Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result
2007 Dora Mavor Moore Award[89] Outstanding Production of a Musical Won
Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role – Musical Yvan Pedneault Nominated
Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role – Musical Erica Peck Nominated
Outstanding Direction of a Musical Ben Elton Nominated
Outstanding Choreography in a Play or Musical Arlene Phillips Nominated
Outstanding Musical Direction Rick Fox Nominated
Outstanding Costume Design Tim Goodchild Nominated
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition Bobby Aitken Nominated

Original Dutch production

Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result
2011 Musical Awards Gala
Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role – Musical Marjolein Teepen Nominated
Best Lyrics Queen Nominated
Best Music Queen Nominated
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition Bobby Aitken Nominated

Original Belgium production

Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result
2012 Flemish Musical Awards
Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role – Musical Marjolein Teepen Won
Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role - Musical Tim Driesen Nominated
Best Ensemble We Will Rock You Nominated

References

  1. ↑ For the first time ever...Queen: Ten great hits from the sensational rock band The Mail On Sunday Retrieved 23 January 2011
  2. ↑ Photos: Robert De Niro rocks up to WWRY's tenth birthday Whatsonstage Retrieved 15 May 2012
  3. ↑ 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. WE WILL ROCK YOU to Close at the Dominion, 31 May broadwayworld, Retrieved 11 March 2014
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 We Will Rock You The Musical by Queen and Ben Elton: The Official Book. pp. 10–27
  5. ↑ Logan, Brian (15 May 2002). ""We Will Rock You" Guardian Unlimited Arts". The Guardian (London).
  6. 1 2 BBC News. Reviews. "Raspberries for Queen's Rhapsody"
  7. ↑ "We Will Rock You becomes longest running show at the Dominion.".
  8. ↑ Olivier Winners 2011
  9. ↑ "IDA's Rachel Tucker Joins Queen We Will Rock You". Whatsonstage.com. 10 July 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  10. ↑ "We Will Rock You London » The Unofficial Home of We Will Rock You on the West End!". Wwry-london.co.uk. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  11. ↑ http://www.wewillrockyou.co.uk/tickets/
  12. ↑ Shenton, Mark (22 August 2008). "We Will Rock You to Kick Off U.K. National Tour in 2009". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
  13. ↑ – We Will Rock You tour, Official website
  14. ↑ Cast: We Will Rock You UK tour, 9 February 2009 – WhatonStage.com
  15. ↑ We Will Rock You UK Tour | Venues – Where to see We Will Rock You, 13 March 2011 – WWRY Tour Page
  16. ↑ We Will Rock You to close after an astonishing 12 years – bestoftheatre.co.uk
  17. 1 2 We Will Rock You Australia – Queen Press Release
  18. ↑ Stage Credits, including We Will Rock You Australia tour – Robert Grubb website
  19. ↑ We Will Rock You, by Dave Grunebaum – Metropolis.co.jp
  20. ↑ We Will Rock You Tokyo – Arts Australia Japan
  21. ↑ We Will Rock You returns to Japan – Arts Australia Japan
  22. ↑ November 2006 archive – Official Queen news website
  23. ↑ WWRY JAPAN MOVES TO OSAKA IN JANUARY, entry 2 December 2006 – Official Queen news website
  24. ↑ Catherine Lambert. "Queen musical We Will Rock You returns to Australia in 2016". Herald Sun. News Corp. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  25. ↑ MADRID REVISITED ..., entry 18 February 2007 – Brian May's blog
  26. ↑ Original Madrid Cast Recording – Original Madrid Cast Recording
  27. 1 2 We Will Rock You Madrid – Official website
  28. 1 2 3 We Will Rock You Las Vegas press releases – Official Queen website
  29. ↑ Smash-Hit Musical 'We Will Rock You' Premieres at Paris Las Vegas on 8 September with Star-Studded Gala and Special Rock Walk Induction – Business Wire
  30. ↑ We Will Rock You Las Vegas cast – Official Queen website
  31. ↑ We Will Rock You to Close on 27 November in Las Vegas – Broadway.com
  32. ↑ Queen Musical We Will Rock You, Starring Brian Justin Crum, P.J. Griffith, Launches U.S. Tour 15 Oct. playbill, retrieved 11 March 2014
  33. ↑ Brian Justin Crum, P.J. Griffith, Jacqueline Arnold to Lead We Will Rock You U.S. Tour playbill, retrieved 11 March 2014
  34. 1 2 Unhappy Ending, by Anna Malpas 4 March 2005 – The Moscow Times
  35. ↑ FIRST ANNIVERSARY WWRY COLOGNE!, entry 11 December 2005 – Brian May's blog
  36. ↑ WWRY DECEMBER IN STUTTGART, entry 8 March 2008 – Official Queen news website
  37. ↑ WWRY STUTTGART OPENING, entry 30 July 2008 – Official Queen news website
  38. ↑ We Will Rock You, Stuttgart tickets – Official ticket vendor website. Retrieved 1 August 2008
  39. 1 2 We Will Rock You (announcement) – ArtSmart
  40. ↑ We Will Rock You South Africa Cast – Queen website
  41. ↑ WE WILL ROCK YOU review by Caroline Smart, 4 October 2006 – ArtSmart
  42. ↑ WWRY ZURICH PRESS LAUNCH PRESS – Official Queen news website
  43. ↑ ZURICH PRODUCTION MOVING TO ViENNA, entry 23 November 2007 – Official Queen news website
  44. ↑ "We Will Rock You coming to Vienna".
  45. ↑ Queen-Size Musical We Will Rock You Begins Toronto Run, by Kenneth Jones, 14 March 2007 – Playbill.com
  46. ↑ Coverage of WWRY Toronto's Opening Night, 10 April 2007 – Digitalhit.com
  47. ↑ Mig had led on We Will Rock You role, by Jane Stevenson, 10 April 2007 – Edmonton Sun; reproduced by Queen News April 2007 – Official Queen website
  48. ↑ Toronto Hit We Will Rock You Will Close 11 May; Canadian Tour Planned, by Kenneth Jones, 12 March 2008 – Playbill.com
  49. ↑ Rocking On! Toronto Hit We Will Rock You Re-Opens at Panasonic Theatre, by Kenneth Jones, dated 16 July 2008 – Playbill.com
  50. ↑ Mirvish Extends Toronto We Will Rock You Thru 5/3, 3 May 2009 – BroadwayWorld.com
  51. ↑ We Will Rock You Canada – Official website
  52. ↑ Ayesa will rock you, by Faridal Anwar Farinordin, dated 2 March 2008 – New Straits Times
  53. ↑ KILLER QUEEN CRUMMER HEADS STELLAR CAST, entry dated 29 October 2007 – Archived by Official Queen News website
  54. ↑ Concerts to Watch for in 2008, 31 December 2007 – The Korea Times
  55. ↑ We Will Rock You to Hit Stage in Korean, by Chung Ah-young, 13 January 2008 – The Korea Times
  56. ↑ We Will Rock You tour – Lunchbox Productions
  57. ↑ WWRY WITH ANNIE CRUMMER/MiG AYESA – AUCKLAND/SINGAPORE/HONG KONG, entry 18 April 2007 – Official Queen News website
  58. ↑ We Will Rock You tickets – ThaiTicketMajor official website (Thailand)
  59. ↑ We Will Rock You Italy – Official website
  60. ↑ We Will Rock You Sweden – Official website
  61. ↑ – Official website
  62. ↑ http://www.cenamusical.com.br/noticias/musical-we-will-rock-you-chega-ao-brasil-em-marco/
  63. ↑ http://opiniaodepeso.com/2016/01/15/4364/
  64. ↑ http://www.backstagemusical.com.br/#!Desvendando-We-Will-Rock-You/ccyv/569e9e4a0cf20b5fa8eb6b3d
  65. ↑ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/arts/queen-musical-we-will-rock-you-set-to-rock-sydney-stages/news-story/29ab7e2e099e76d9032688ec7c34c878
  66. 1 2 http://wewillrockyou.com.au/cast
  67. ↑ The Mercury Phoenix Trust – Initiatives
  68. ↑ We Will Rock You Gets Chicagoland Run 20 April – 5 May, by Kenneth Jones, 28 February 2007 – Playbill.com
  69. 1 2 WWRY ANNIVERSARY, entry 13 May 2006 – Brian May's blog
  70. ↑ September 2006 – Brian May's blog
  71. ↑ HANNAH JANE FOX'S LAST NIGHT, entry 29 January 2006 – Brian May's blog
  72. ↑ 'We Will Rock You’ Charity Performance
  73. 1 2 Queen's May & Taylor Rock Fifth Birthday, by Terri Paddock, 15 May 2007 – WhatsOnStage.com
  74. ↑ http://www.brianmay.com/queen/queennews/queennewsaug05b.html
  75. ↑ http://www.brianmay.com/queen/queennews/queennewsjul05.html
  76. ↑ London's We Will Rock You Releases Cast Recording, 12 November 2002 – Playbill.com
  77. ↑ Kerry Ellis performs No-One But You
  78. ↑ Kerry Ellis' "Wicked in Rock" single – Dress Circle website, exclusive distributor
  79. ↑ Producer De Niro Flies In to Launch We Will Rock You, What's On Stage, 26 March 2002
  80. ↑ May talks about We Will Rock You, BBC Bristol, 17 September 2009
  81. ↑ "Queen’s "We Will Rock You" Musical Being Made into Movie". The Rock Dose. 20 September 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  82. ↑ ""We Will Rock You" movie in the works....". Queen Zone. 20 September 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  83. ↑ "WE WILL ROCK YOU TORONTO!".
  84. ↑ 2010 Nominations – Olivier Awards
  85. ↑ 2011 BBC Radio 2 Olivier Audience Award – Olivier Awards
  86. ↑ "Helpmann Awards 2004 Nominees". Live Performance Australia. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  87. ↑ "Finalists 2006 Naledi Theatre Awards".
  88. ↑ Naledi Theatre Awards 2006 winners – Naledi Theatre Awards
  89. ↑ Scorched, We Will Rock You, Four Horsemen Are Among 2007 Dora Winners in Toronto, by Kenneth Jones, June 25, 2007 – Playbill.com

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