‘WE WILL ROCK YOU’ TOUR COMES TO DUBLIN
The sensational worldwide smash hit musical by Queen and Ben Elton, ‘We Will Rock You’, is set to rock into Dublin’s O2 in January 2010.
‘We Will Rock You’ will run at the O2 from 20th to 31st January, following a mammoth UK tour of five cities; Manchester, Sunderland, Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh. Dublin tickets are on sale now.
On announcing the Dublin shows, Queen’s Brian May said: “We are excited to be able, finally, to send a brand new top class WWRY company to Ireland. We are completely hands on, and will be visiting! The Mother Ship, in the Dominion Theatre, London, will be rockin’ on all the while, keeping the home fires burning, until further notice!â€
The original production at London’s Dominion Theatre is currently playing its eighth year and has been seen by more than 4.6 million people and played over 2800 performances. The Dominion production is presently booking until March 2010.
The cast of the touring production includes actor and musician, Jonathan Wilkes playing the role of ‘Khashoggi’; the Chief of the Secret Police who answers to Killer Queen’s every command. Former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy plays ‘Pop’, a librarian who is stuck in his ‘hippie’ past and is searching to find answers to the end of rock music. X Factor star Brenda Edwards plays the domineering role of ‘Killer Queen’, Head of Globalsoft, the corporation responsible for the banning of all instruments and musical originality. TV actress Georgina Hagen plays ‘Meat’, the main female of the Bohemians and ‘I’d Do Anything’ contestant Ashley Russell, plays the ‘Teacher’, who befriends students whilst actually working as a spy for Globalsoft’s Secret Police.
The production is directed by Ben Elton, musical staging and choreography is by Arlene Phillips. With Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor as music supervisors, and behind the cast “a band without parallel in the theatre, reflecting the true power of the mighty Queenâ€, you’d be right to expect “We Will Rock You†to rock as fiercely as the best of Queen’s concerts.
Writer Ben Elton has fashioned a hilarious futurist comedy around more than 24 of Queen’s biggest hit songs delivered in a show that boasts the scale and spectacle that marked Queen’s live performances.
Says Brian May: “The amazing bonus is that Ben’s script subtly works as a metaphor too. People definitely come out of the theatre feeling that in a strange way they now know us, Queen, and our struggle, our journey.â€
And Roger Taylor: “Creating the show with Ben was very much a three-way thing. Which was great, because Ben has such a great fertile mind that never ever stops churning out ideas. He’s written a fantastic idea for the sequel. I counted 23 more hits he can put in it. Let’s see if people like this one first!â€
The touring production reaches Dublin carrying with it an impressive legacy: when it first became news that one of Britain’s most phenomenally successful comedy writers Ben Elton, was teaming up with legends of rock, Queen, for a musical there was much speculation on what such a unique collaboration would turn out. Especially when screen icon Robert de Niro became so impressed after attending the original workshop that his company Tribeca came on board as American partner.
We Will Rock You – Dublin 02