We Will Rock You - May 2014

Another night at the theatre and yet another show to close this month. That show being We Will Rock You, which will close after 12 years on the West End. I have been meaning to go and see this show for ages, but I have never seemed to have got round to booking tickets (which are not cheap). So obviously with the announcement, and luckily with more advance notice, I booked a ticket for myself to go and see it before it did close. I managed to find a top price seat near the front of the stalls for a decent price, which had a fab view and in the end, a couple of rows empty around me.

Just before the start of the show, it was announced that Oliver Tompsett, who I had been so excited to see, was in fact not performing at the show and that Matt McKenna would be replacing him. Turns out that Oliver had turned up at the theatre to discover he was booked in for a holiday and he got sent home! How anyone can forget they were meant to be holiday is beyond me! I was a little disappointed not to be able to see him, but most of the time, you don't get a warning if a lead is not due to be on.

The show itself was amazing! The selection of songs chosen for Queen's back catalogue was cleverly chosen and worked well within the setting of the story. Ben Elton has put together a fantastic and funny story. The cast as a whole was amazing and the sets and the costumes were elaborate but perfect for the story. The story itself, is set in the future where Earth is now called iPlanet and is under control of Globalsoft and music is banned except for the computerised music provided. The story follows the rebels who no longer wish to conform and want to hear the lost music which set the earth free!

The story uses current references to pop culture, which changes from country to country to suit audience to whom they are playing. In the 12 years it has been playing, references have been updated to suit the current charts, with references to Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, both of whom were not a part of the music scene when the musical first opened. This is perhaps part of its staying power, that it can update and reference to current music scene, which suits the younger audience members. Even the Rebel Leader was named Gary Barlow!

To the cast themselves, who were amazing! Matt McKenna absolutely rocked it in the role of Galileo and I have to thank him for making giggle like a school girl when he started to singing me and my mate during one of the final numbers! Rachael Wooding and Amanda Coutts were outstanding in their roles and their voices are fantastic! Kevin Kennedy was brilliantly funny as Pop. However it is Brenda Edwards who amazed me! Despite knowing what a voice she had after seeing her on the X Factor many years ago, I did not know how talented an actress she was and absolutely killed the role of Killer Queen. Also have to say I loved her glitter lipstick!

After the show, it was off to the stage door in the pouring rain! It was chucking it down so much that we had to give up trying getting our programmes signed as the sharpie was not taking to the soaking pages. I plan to go back before the shows closes to rectify this! However, we did manage to get photos with most of the main cast members, most of whom seem to walk straight into the nearby bar for a post show drink! Bless Brenda, who was concerned about how soaking wet we were and still posed for photos with us!

 The show closes on the 31st of May, with tickets for the final ever performance already selling out, if Twitter is anything to go by. But if you get the chance, go see this amazing show before it closes!