Kevin Kennedy Leads West End We Will Rock You

Former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy will return to the West End to join the cast of Queen musical We Will Rock You, which will lead it into its tenth year at the Dominion Theatre in 2011.

From 6 September 2010, Kennedy takes over as Pop, a part he’s previously played in the tour of We Will Rock You. He’s best known for his playing Curly Watts in Coronation Street for 20 years between 1983 and 2003, appearing in 334 episodes. Since then, his other musical credits have included Chicago in the West End and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on tour.

Meanwhile, former X Factor contestant Brenda Edwards, who appeared with Kennedy on tour, will return to the role of the Killer Queen after a two-week break to rehearse and star in The Human Comedy, running at the Young Vic from 13 to 19 September. During Edwards’ absence, Killer Queen will be shared by Lucy Tapp and Tricia Adele-Turner.

Joining Edwards and Kennedy in the 2010-11 cast of We Will Rock You will be: Ricardo Alfonso (returning to the role of Galileo), tour star Sarah French (as Scaramouche), Rachel John (Meat), Alex Bourne (Kashoggi) and Ian Carlyle (Britney).

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.

We Will Rock You had its world premiere on 14 May 2002 (previews from 26 April) at the Dominion Theatre, where it’s currently booking through to 16 April 2011. The musical 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.