David and Hannah Mirvish and Gestev/We Will Rock You, music and lyrics by Queen, story and script by Ben Elton, adaptation by Steve Bolton, CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, closes Jan. 18. Tickets here.
The production of We Will Rock You currently playing in Toronto is a bit of a surprise.
This show, which premiered in London in 2002 and uses the music of Queen with a script by British comic writer Ben Elton, worked on in collaboration with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, arrives here as a Québec creation.
The French version has toured throughout Québec, but it is surprising that such an elaborate English version has been built for a single stop in Toronto, merging the French and English speaking casts.
The Story
The premise is a dystopian future run by the Globalsoft Corporation, where artificial intelligence rules, and people do not even have names, only numbers.
The Killer Queen (Maggie Lacasse) and her henchman Khashoggi (Patrick Olafson) control everything, and real music is banned.
In the Badlands, however, there is a group called the Bohemians among whom are Axl (Laurence Champagne), Ozzy (Peter Deiwick) and Brit (Caleb Ajao) who believe that rock and roll once lived, and they wait for the Dreamer who will unlock the Long Lost Sacred Instrument and restore real music.
One numbered youth (Callum Lurie) hears stray lyrics in his head. These lyrics are from the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and many others. Their randomness is hilarious to the audience, but he does not understand them.
He names himself Galileo Figaro and, with a young woman he calls Scaramouche (Paige Foskett), he escapes to the Badlands, where the Bohemians believe he is the prophesied Dreamer.
The Queen songs themselves fit into the plot, always tied to how characters feel. Whether it is Killer Queen raging at their escape or the young rebels discovering individuality, the songs are placed to underline the moment.
The Production
I saw We Will Rock You years ago, and I do not recall it being as dazzling as this.
Technically, this production is extraordinary. The scenic and visual elements are futuristic, with astonishing lighting, modernist costumes, and video technology that plunge the audience into a techno world.
The reprogramming scenes are especially striking, and the Badlands look believably decayed through the graphics. It is gorgeously produced.
The man behind this concept is Steve Bolton, primarily a choreographer, so there is movement everywhere. The Globalsoft scenes are rigid and synchronized, while the Badlands scenes are more open and rounded. There is always something to watch.
This production of We Will Rock You is the perfect example where one man has directed, choreographed and envisioned the look of the piece to make it a continuous whole, and the symmetry is obvious.
Once Again, the Curse of Diction
I am not familiar with Queen, so diction is essential for me, but only Callum Lurie as Galileo Figaro had clear diction.
The only lines I truly understood were “We will rock you” and “We are the champions.” The rest was muddied, which is a constant irritant for me except when British musicals tour, because their diction is always excellent.
The Ending
In the original British production, the Sacred Instrument was hidden at Wembley Stadium. Here, appropriately for a Québec created version, it is at Graceland where Elvis, the King of Rock lived, and the graphic of the ruined mansion behind its gates is quite striking.
When the Dreamer remembers the Instrument, the electric guitar emerges from the stone gates and Axl riffs convincingly on it.
The audience waits for “We Will Rock You” and when it comes, glow sticks wave, and everyone joins in. It segues into, of course, a rousing chorus of “We Are the Champions”.
A Special Curtain Call
During the curtain call, Axl announces that among all the ancient rock songs, one was loved best, and the entire company, including Killer Queen and Khashoggi, performs a trimmed down Bohemian Rhapsody. Even I recognized it and the audience adored it.
Final Thoughts
The part I loved most was whenever the Dreamer was overtaken by the random lyrics running through his head. Those I recognized, and those stream of conscious old rock lyrics were very funny indeed.
The show is mildly amusing, definitely entertaining, and well performed. It holds up well and is certainly dazzling to watch.
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.