We Will Rock You

          I've resisted seeing this for such a long time as I'm a Queen fan, but my god had I been missing something special.

          The Dominion Theatre has played host to We Will Rock You since its debut in 2002. The theatre hasn't really had many notable productions before this one, other than the musical adaptation on Beauty And The Beast from 1997 to 1999. I've resisted going to see it as I'm a fan on queen and I was worried about the show possibly ruining their songs for me. I know that Brian May and Roger Taylor collaborated on the show but I was still anxious. Also, the show was written by Ben Elton, the English comedian, author, playwright, actor and director, who wrote for such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder and also wrote the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera Love Never Dies (and produced, for some reason, by Robert De Niro) I trust Ben Elton, but I've never been the biggest fan of his work (though I love Blackadder).

          The theatre is lovely and large, with a capacity of 2,069. Although the foyer areas feel vast, the actual theatre feels relatively contained. Sat there in an audience full of all different nationalities and all ages it one of the few times I got even more excited about the show because of the audience I was sat in. As soon as it started I was excited. The whole theatre shook, like your body does when a car drives past with the bass in its stereo system turned up loud. this went on for longer than I had been expecting and really built my expectations.

          I have to say though I left a little disappointed. The plot was poor and, quite frankly, stupid. The acting was good, though I saw better in the production of Fiddler On The Roof by Potters Bar Theatre Company in 2011. I mean don't get me wrong it was enjoyable, but it wasn't great. Why then did I put at the beginning that I had been 'missing something special'? Well it wasn't the plot or the acting. It was the music. Blimey can the cast sing. Well most of them. The best singer, in my opinion, by far was Amanda Coutts as Meat. She was brilliant. Its a shame that such a talent is in theatres and not selling records around the world. She was engaging and stayed true to her character throughout, and on a number of occasions sent shivers down my spine. The two main performers Oliver Tompsett and Rachael Wooding, playing Galileo and Scaramouch respectively, were also fantastic. There voices were sublime and like Amanda Coutts their talents seem wasted in the theatre.

          Another singer/performer was Brenda Edwards as Killer Queen. She is being treated like a star by the producers by having the longest cast bio in the programme and also her debut solo single for sale with merchandise in the foyer. I mean I had no idea who she was (or even is). Apparently she reached the semi-finals of The X Factor in 2005 and got the Screen Nation Award for Favourite Reality TV Star in 2007. In 2006 she played Mama Morton in Chicago: The Musical in the West End. Know who she is yet? Me neither. I searched for her X Factor clips on YouTube and I think I remember her but not really. Either way it feels as though she is getting star treatment, which she definitely doesn't seem worthy of. The audience was paying more attention to her breasts practically falling out of her costume then her singing. Her singing is good, yes, but there are people in the show far better than her.

          Something I was excited about was finding out that Arlene Phillips, known mainly now as a judge on TV shows such as Over The Rainbow and Strictly Come Dancing, was the choreographer. She's worked as a choreographer on a number of theatrical productions in the West End, including Starlight Express, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease and The Wizard Of Oz. She has also worked on many films and television programmes. As I, like many people, know her only as a TV judge I was interested to see her in her actual profession (I did see Starlight Express and Grease, but I was young and wasn't really concentrating on the choreography). I have to say that she has done some brilliant work with the show. She has waved her magic wand and has really lifted the show, and trust me it needs every lift it can get.

          The show is unfortunately closing on 31 May 2014. Why is it a shame? Some of the cast are fantastic singers and I think its a shame that there will no longer be a show bringing Queen music to the masses. I know I haven't exactly given a stellar review but I think that everyone needs to see it before it goes. I'm only giving it the star rating that I am because of the music. If that hadn't been there ....................... I don't think I've ever given a 1/2 star before. Info and tickets