We Will Rock You: The Musical at the London Coliseum

Oh, the greatest hits musical… what a fiendish art form. Square pegs, however perfectly crafted, gilded or diamond encrusted they may be, will seldom fit perfectly into the round holes of a convincing narrative. 

14 years after leaving the West End, Ben Elton and Queen’s We Will Rock You makes its noisy return, showing until 27^th August. There are three aspects to consider here: the songs, the cast and the musical itself. The songs: Queen’s greatest hits – splendid; the cast: top-grade stage talents of the day embracing and honouring the seemingly unbeatable performances of Freddie Mercury – almost unanimously terrific; the musical itself: ah…

The story is at once presentationally overdone and fundamentally unimaginative. Elton is a well-regarded and successful novelist as well as a witty and much-loved screenwriter, but it feels like taking on this gnarly genre doesn’t quite tally with his undeniably vast artistic strengths. Plugging widely adored songs into a coherent tale is a thorny task, no doubt, but a better job of it should have been done than this. It’s painful to make such a declaration regarding such a heart-and-soul-fuelled project, but this facet is a gaping hole that renders the piece barely worthy of the West End. 

To Elton’s credit, the script is ironed out well and he sprinkles his wit effectively and sparingly (though with a curious, uncharacteristic right-wing tilt, possibly pandering to the audience demographic). The staging is huge and baffling, awash with lurid neon. The whole project presents itself as a mash-up of Mad Max, pre-Tennant Who and a retro video game barely rendered on a stretched processor.

The second half beats the first in its touching tribute to the great Mercury. Something the creators nail is the degree to which his and the group’s music is revered and revelled in; it is truly about the masterful songs, the iconic band and a true musical hero lost to the world too young. Coughing up for Brian May and Roger Taylor to actually pop up on press night was cunning, but not something many writers are likely to see through.

So, We Will Rock You is back. It may be the same not altogether convincing deal as before, but back it has come nonetheless. Maybe save the seat for a really die-hard Queen fan. 

Will Snell
Photo: Dave Hogan

We Will Rock You is at the London Coliseum from 8^th June until 27^th August 2023. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.