We Will Rock You - Sunderland Empire, Teesdale Mercury

We Will Rock You - Sunderland Empire

Jun 23, 2009

PLANET Mall, previously known as Earth, 300 years in the future where Ga Ga kids conform, individuality is prevented by the police, musical instruments are forbidden and rock music is unknown. There is though a small glimmer of hope from a small group of Bohemians, who believe musical instruments still exist and that the arrival of the dreamer will bring back freedom and rock music.

The story is set for one of the greatest tribute musicals of all time – We Will Rock You by Queen and Ben Elton.
The musical features 24 of Queen’s greatest hits including One Vision, Radio Ga Ga, We Are The Champions and of course Bohemian Rhapsody. The hits are skilfully   interwoven into the story as are many great one-liners taken not only from Queen but also from many other well known tracks.

Kevin Kennedy and Jonathan Wilkes headline the cast, both in supporting roles, but both are equally brilliant.
The main characters of Galileo, played by Alex Gaumond and Scaramouche, played by Sarah French-Ellis both put in stunning performances. For me my favourite on the night was Brenda Edwards, playing the evil Killer Queen, not just an impressive voice but also an excellent comedy actress.

This is one of the few shows which boasts a West End experience and truly delivers. It has all the quality, style and energy you would expect in the West End, from the fantastic lighting, which opens the show to the stunning performances every member of the cast puts in making this production sheer quality from start to finish.

Add to that the appearance of Brian May joining in with Bohemian Rhapsody in the finale, which unfortunately doesn’t happen every night. It was an awesome show.

We Will Rock You can be seen at Sunderland Empire until Saturday, June 27. Call the box office on 08448472499 for tickets.
A J Harrison