Heaven Okah as Oz and Gavin Whichello as Brit in We Will Rock You (BMOS)
We Will Rock You. The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham.
We Will Rock You is of course a jukebox musical. I’m not usually a fan of these but this is Queen – one of the biggest rock bands ever – so let’s put this to one side.
Written by Ben Elton the story is set in a dystopian future where instruments are banned and rock music is unknown. Earth has been renamed iPlanet and is run by the Globalsoft Corporation. They run academies for “Gaga kids” so that they can be taught to have the same thoughts and listen to the same computer generated music. One of the students called Galileo is struggling with conformity and is hearing random song lyrics in his head (a hilarious running joke of famous lyrics). He joins an underground renegade group called The Bohemians who are trying to fight back. There is much fun with pop culture references throughout in a world where the music we know has been long forgotten.
This is an amateur production but BMOS is one of the best musical theatre companies out there.
There are some standout performances from Gavin Whichello (Brit) and Heaven Okah (Oz). The moment they arrive on stage the energy just lifts. Okah’s voice is just divine. Other standouts are Dan Smith (Galileo) and Charlotte Jervis (Scaramouche). Their voices are also fantastic. Robbie Love is also great as campy villain Khashoggi. These are professional standard performances.
This is a very visual show and it looks incredible. Costumes are great, a lot of neon effects, plus a huge screen which not only provides computer generated backdrops but also video footage. There’s so much to feast your eyes on.
A couple of scenes and performances could do with tightening but overall this is a fantastic show.
As I said before, I’m not usually a fan of jukebox musicals but the music of Queen is just incredible and the audience lap up every hit. The songs sound sensational live (these songs were made to be heard live) and as well as the excellent vocals kudos should also be given to the live band who are fantastic. They make these songs sound SO good. These are stadium songs and at times that’s where you feel like you are. It has the whole audience on its feet.
There is a very touching tribute to Freddie Mercury during the show where we’re reminded what a legend he was and how much he’s missed. I think he’d be proud at how his music and legacy lives on.
4 stars. You’re gonna get rocked!
