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Queen Musical Cancels Closure, Rocks on to 2007

As previously tipped (See The Goss, 28 Apr 2006), Queen’s We Will Rock You will carry on at the West End’s Dominion Theatre, where it has now extended its booking through to April 26 2007. The musical, which celebrates its fourth birthday next Thursday (11 May 2006), had previously announced posted final closing notices for 7 October ahead of a regional tour (See News, 24 Jan 2006).

Explaining the change of plan, producer Phil McIntyre said in a statement: "The fact is, the show has proved such a continuing draw with both the home market and visitors to London, that it became obvious that a move this year would be premature. Besides which, the theatre owners very much wanted us to stay. In the end, they, and the public, made the decision for us.”

Set in the future, We Will Rock You tells the story of a world in which globalisation has meant the death of real music in favour of computer-produced cyber stars, a status quo which the rebel Bohemians, harking back to the Golden Age of rock (embodied by Queen), are trying to overthrow so that they can write and perform their own music. An unintentional hero ends up saving the kids of Planet Mall from the tyrannical Killer Queen and discovers the place of living rock.

The musical premiered to largely damning reviews in April 2002 but defied the critics to become a sell-out success, going on to win five of that year’s Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards including Best Musical. In August 2005, it became the longest-running show in the history of the Dominion Theatre (See The Goss, 15 Aug 2005).

We Will Rock You has a book by Ben Elton and features 32 of Queen’s greatest hits including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Under Pressure", "Radio Gaga" and, of course, "We Will Rock You". It’s directed by Elton, choreographed by Arlene Phillips and designed by Mark Fisher and Willie Williams.

Prior to We Will Rock You’s extension, the £13 million musical stage adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s trilogy The Lord of the Rings was expected to open at the Dominion in early 2007, having had its world premiere in Toronto this past March (See The Goss, 28 Apr 2006).

- by Caroline Ansdell & Terri Paddock

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