‘We Will Rock You’ is a unique collaboration between the legends of rock & one of the UK’s most successful writers, Ben Elton. Since opening, it’s been London’s No.1 show, packing them in on a nightly basis. Recorded live at the Dominion Theatre, this album perfectly captures the electric atmosphere of this spectacular theatrical event. This is the story of the Bohemian Rebellion of 2302, the year of the Rhapsody. The year that the ancient promise We Will Rock You was fu [Read More...]
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Reviewing a soundtrack to a show that is currently running only in England is a unique experience indeed. Almost as unique as the show itself, although the idea behind it seems like the next big innovation in musical theater: taking a band’s pre-existing repertoire of songs, often already well-known and well-liked, and using those as book numbers in musicals, often with a creative plot. It worked for Abba in “Mamma Mia,” and it worked for Billy Joel in “Movin’ Out.” I have no doubt in my mind that Queen’s “We Will Rock You” will cross the Atlantic very shortly, so before it does, let me say this:
I have seen the future of musical theater.
And I have been rocked.
It helps if you’re already a fan of Queen, as I was, to really appreciate and GET this show, but even someone who doesn’t know Freddy Mercury from Mick Jagger can still enjoy this phenomenal new musical. Seeing it live (twice) also helped me to enjoy the album, but seeing as how it was recorded from a live performance, you still get the feeling of being in the theater.
I’m not going to tell you the plot — if you’re reading this, then you have access to the internet and can find the plot on any search engine. What’s more, you can almost deduce it from the structure of the songs - a phenomenal credit to Ben Elton, who wrote the book, seeing as how the songs predate the play by two decades. I will, however, say that you will be hard-pressed to hear voices as rocking as these on any other musical soundtrack, with the possible exception of “RENT.” But compared to Queen, even the rock sensiblities of Jonathan Larsen fall short.
The one downfall to those who get the soundtrack is that they don’t get the opportunity to actually SEE the actors, who, believe me, are every bit as sexy and irrestistable as their voices imply. The breakout stars are Tony Vincent, as the loner dork-cum-sexy guitar hero Galileo Figaro, and Kerry Ellis as Meat. (But you can call her Ms. Loaf.) These two actors steal every scene they’re in, and quite frankly, rock like no one has rocked before. Those who caught the 2001 production of Jesus Christ Superstar will remember Tony Vincent as Judas, or Simon Zealot (whom he plays on the video.)
The play did not remind me of anything, because I have never seen anything quite like it before. While Tony Vincent was unabashedly American, most everyone else had a British, Irish, or Scottish accent, a charming effect that, sadly, I’m sure will not be present when it comes to New York. I encourage anyone who either wants to hear a fresh, new, exciting musical score, or have a nostalgic return to some of your favorite Queen songs performed by a fresh crew of amazing young vocalists, to check this album out.
Believe me, it will rock you.
Then it will make you a champion.
And then it will rock you just a little bit more.
Taking its cue from the success of “Mamma Mia!”, “We Will Rock You” takes another mega-famous 70’s group, Queen, and forces its hit songs into a convoluted story to create a musical with nostalgic appeal. The plot has something to do with a futuristic world where music is banned, thus forcing the “bohemians” to rebel against their oppressors to bring rock music to all, or… something like that. The story definitely gets muddled on this album. It really doesn’t matter, though- the plot is just an excuse to showcase some familiar hit songs. To that extent, I think a lot of Queen fans and musical fans (not that the two are mutually exclusive) will get a kick out of this enjoyable live recording.
Many of Queen’s biggest hits are here (”Killer Queen,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We are the Champions,” etc.), and they’re sung with great flair by a talented cast. Tony Vincent, from the Broadway revival of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” stars, and he’s an impressive vocalist. He and the rest of the performers bring conviction and a ton of energy to the songs, and the result is undeniably exciting.
Even though the artistic merits of so-called “jukebox” musicals can be questionable, the recording of “We Will Rock You” is kind of refreshing. There’s really nothing pretentious about it. It just wants to, well, ROCK you. It succeeds.