We Will Rock You - The Musical

So long everybody, it's time to go...

So today we bid a sad farewell to We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre in London.  12 years is not a bad innings for a show that was expected to only last 12 months!

I have been lucky enough to see the show twice, and would have liked to have seen it again.  Yes the story was a bit ridiculous, or so we thought at the time, but it seems to have been a bit prophetic *cough Simon Cowell Louis Walsh *cough.

For anyone who doesn't know the story, it is set 300 years in the future.  Earth has been renamed as Planet Mall, or iPlanet in more recent productions as a nod to the iPhone, and is controlled by the Globalsoft Corporation. Mainstream commercial conformity reigns, 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.

Photo courtesy of Last.fm

Galileo and Scaramouche refuse to conform and meet up with The Bohemians, an underground group who believe that a Dreamer will come and bring back real music.

Photo courtesy of BrianMay.com

Cue lots of contrived situations to enable many, many Queen songs to be performed (no-one goes for the story, it has to be said).  

The prophecy says that the Dreamer will come and a shining star will show him the way to the Place of Living Rock, where instruments are hidden.

Cue more Queen songs.

The shining star has been identified as the Freddie Mercury Statue in Montreaux and it is pointing towards Wembley Stadium, the Place of Living Rock.

The group of believers arrive at Wembley to find that it is in ruins with no instruments to be found. 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. Another member 'Pop' hacks into Globalsoft's network so their music can be heard by everyone on Planet Mall and Killer Queen (head of Globalsoft) is defeated. 

After the curtain call, 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.

It was great night out, and I wish I could have been there tonight.

This is one time when the show WON'T go on.