It is probably a fruitless exercise to search for a deeper cultural meaning in the recurring practice of turning the works of pop musicians into stage musicals. Mamma Mia featuring the music of Abba. Movin' Out featuring the music of Billy Joel. And We Will Rock You featuring the music of Queen. The first two make sense in a way; we're not talking about anthemic '70s FM rock and roll. Billy Joel and Abba were always well over to the lighter, pop side of things despite occasional attempts at edginess. In appeal, one suspects their music attracted the same sort of listener as Broadway standards and Tin Pan Alley tunes did in their day. It makes sense that they would translate to the stage.
No so with Queen. Queen is a staple of classic rock FM everywhere. You wouldn’t mistake them for The Who, but they are closer to The Who than they are to, say, Andrew Lloyd Weber. They were rock and roll, not pop. Look at it this way, you could never picture Wayne and Garth car-jamming to Waterloo or Uptown Girl.
Perhaps because of this, We Will Rock You, currently playing at Paris Las Vegas on The Strip just seems out of sorts to begin with. The story is straight out of adolescent rock and roll fantasies. In a dystopian future (Planet Mall), music is controlled by a single corporation, run by the Killer Queen, which force-feeds prefab content (Radio Ga-Ga) as a form of mind control. Only an intrepid band of outcasts (Bohemians) is left to search for the holy axe which can restore rock and roll and free the world. Gag me.
Worse, the dialog is so utterly banal and delivered with such a workmanlike manner that it could not even hold my attention. I found myself drifting and daydreaming from scene to scene. The one exception being Rich Hebert as Khashoggi, who gives what I suspect is a remarkably charismatic performance, although given the situation I cannot say if it would stand out so much outside of comparison with his cast mates.
We Will Rock You is approximately 99.7% self-referential. It is loaded down with references to pop music history, some clever and witty--such as the confused male Bohemian who took the name of the baddest and funkiest rock and roller ever, Britney Spears--some pathetically maudlin--such as the extended tribute to those who "died too young" (including, of course, Freddie Mercury). And let's face it, mixing classic rock and roll music with a story about the importance of freedom and expression in music, then presenting it as a stage musical in Las Vegas will peg every irony meter in a 400 mile radius.
Article comments
1 - RiciBaby2
Where can I find the history of We Will Rock You by Queen? What year did it first come to USA?
2 - Akrios
This band sucks balls never go to one of there things it sucks BALLS!