There was once a band, and the band wrote some of the most famous and best loved songs ever to grace the airwaves of British radio. The band was Queen, the songs included We Will Rock You and Radio Ga Ga, and they ruled the charts for more than a decade.
Then there was a man, who made a name for himself as a left wing comedian in the 80s, before going on to write some of the UK’s most cherished comedy TV shows, including Blackadder. His name was Ben Elton. In 2000, at the turn of the century in which Queen has redefined the way rock music could be, he was asked to write a musical based on the band’s songs.
The rest, as they say, is history. To a large extent it’s a history made possible by the brilliance of the music, which shines through in the stage show just as it did when it first blasted out of our speakers. Here was something that rivaled the too-earnest rock landscape of the American music scene – something with just as much guts, just as much heart, but with the intelligence to self deprecate at the same time.
Ben Elton decided to write a musical that would showcase the music by capturing the spirit of the lyrics. Anyone familiar with Queen songs will know that this is a tall order indeed. Elton managed to create a sort of dystopian future world in which creativity is banned and all hits are predetermined by The Corporation – a theme that plugs into the modern obsession with terrible pop reality shows and at the same time clearly outlines the manifesto of Radio Ga Ga.
In Elton’s world, the Corporation controls all art – and hits are booked in years in advance. Rock is dead and everyone downloads the same music, state approved and state run. Until one man, Galileo Figaro, begins to hear the words to strange songs in his head – and becomes the chosen one of rock, a disciple who will lead the world back to the promised land where the power of music (through Queen’s songs of course!) can once again be unleashed on the welcoming ears of the public.
We Will Rock You tickets are still hot because Queen songs still rock. That’s the basic equation. Everyone who loves Queen’s music loves the show, which is effectively a jukebox of the band’s greatest hits performed live to dancing. On special occasions, for example on Freddie Mercury’s birthday, Brian May is known to play guest guitar – an added draw for the legions of fans the band enjoys all over the world.
Indeed, the show itself has traveled widely, receiving the same reception in Australia; Japan; America; South Africa; Russia; Germany; Canada; Italy; Sweden; Belgium; and Norway. It seems wherever it goes it strikes a chord with audiences bored of mass produced pop and hungry for something a little more individual. You don’t get much more individual than a Queen song.
Toni Richard went to see We Will Rock You and found hundreds of reasons why We Will Rock You tickets are still hot and the show works so well.