We Will Rock You – The Musical By Queen And Ben Elton At Birmingham Hippodrome Review

Reviewed by Julie Hayward

Well, what a show! I expected the music to be good, as all the music and lyrics were from the legendary band Queen, but the performances were outstanding.

The voice over introduction was boomed out in Ben Elton’s unique style, he wrote the book and is the show’s original director. Ben urged us, the audience, not to sing along, but instead, to let the actors do their job and to enjoy the songs performed live by world class singers. He was not wrong; they were all extraordinarily good.

The stage was a simple structure, of a scaffold frame, with two staircases leading to an upper level, here the band remained on stage for the entire show. The band was made up of two guitarists, keyboards, bass guitar and drums. Their live accompaniment was what brought the music to another level, I feel as though I have been blessed with experiencing a Queen concert and a musical all rolled into one. At one point one of the guitarists came onto the main stage in a mist of white smoke and it would have been easy to imagine how Brian May, Co-founder of Queen, would have performed a guitar solo, just brilliant.

What cleverly transformed the stage throughout the show, was the video screen. It would not have been out of place at any major music festival. I believe the graphics have been re imagined, to reflect todays multimedia, since the original production in 2002, but by the same team from Stufish Entertainments Architects, who are world renowned video producers.

Although the storyline is based in the future and was written over twenty years ago it feels very relevant to today’s use of social media and technology, Ben Elton has eerily predicted our future. The story is easy to follow with endearing leading characters, Ian Mcintosh and Elena Skye are brilliant throughout. Even the baddies are likeable Jenny O’Leary really gives the character of Killer Queen personality. Not surprisingly, given who the writer is, that humour plays a large role, with some of the funniest lines delivered by Michael McKell who plays Cliff.

The dancers and their routines were magnificent and completely fitted into the flow of the show, as did the songs and their lyrics, which perfectly aligned with the story. It helped that the songs are all very well known and almost iconic, we were even treated to some original footage of Queen. There were over 24 hits, it was banger after banger, which just goes to show what and a formidable group Queen is, with so many crowd pleasers. And the crowd, (or the audience) was very happy, arms were swaying above heads with some traditional hand clapping. Yes, the audience was up on their feet and by the end of the evening, we couldn’t resist singing along to some of the most familiar tunes and of course there was a standing ovation. This is a must see show in an excellent venue, Birmingham Hippodrome is a pleasure to visit.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £31

We Will Rock You is at Birmingham Hippodrome from Mon 4th July to Sat 30th July
for more information or to book visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com or call 08443385000

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre, Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB