On Friday 24th January I was at my first live show and first trip to the theatre of 2020. I went to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton to see the musical We Will Rock You.
We Will Rock You plot summary
We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical, based on the songs of the legendary rock band Queen, and created by Ben Elton. The production was first performed in May 2002 at the Dominion Theatre in London.
The musical tells the story of two people, Galileo Figaro and Scaramouche, who discover they are different to the rest of society and don’t want to look or act like everybody else. They meet a group called Bohemians who are also outsiders due to their different beliefs and ideas. Rather than the current society hooked on the internet, social media and digital music created on computers, the Bohemians want to see the return of products, fashions and genres such as televisions, magazines and live rock music.
Galileo and Scaramouche embark on a mission to find the lost guitar, which is said to be the key to unlocking rock music.
My review of We Will Rock You
Without giving away too many spoilers, the show was incredible. It was energetic, emotional, powerful and hilarious.
The vocal chords of the cast were outstanding, the humour was comically timed brilliantly and was exceptionally funny and the stage lighting looked magical.
Unfortunately, there was no audio description for the performance so I cannot review the characters costumes, dancing and stage presence accurately.
I loved how they changed some of the lyrics in Radio GaGa to modern themes including the internet, streaming services and social media.
I even discovered a Queen song I’d never heard before. No One But You (Only The Good Die Young), which I later learnt was written and performed by the three remaining members of Queen following Freddie Mercury’s death in 1991.
I was very happy when Galiloe invited the audience to take part in Freddie’s famous “AAAOOO” chant during the show. It was slightly amusing because at first we weren’t sure if we were allowed to join in as it was a theatre show rather than a concert. Eventually everybody joined in and by the end of the show, it felt like we were at Wembley Stadium at Live Aid rather than the theatre.
It was an amazing night out and definitely worth seeing it. If you’ve already seen it maybe a decade or so ago, you should definitely see it again, as Ben Elton has done a great job of updating it to modern cultures.
The We Will Rock You production is on a UK tour from now until July 2020. They will be performing in Manchester, Oxford, Bristol, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent and Wimbledon. To find out more and purchase tickets, visit ATG Tickets.
Accessibility at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
I would also like to mention how impressed I was with the accessibility at Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. Despite living in Hampshire all my life, I’ve never actually been to this venue until now.
Almost all the doors were electric, the corridors were fairly spaceous, there was a lift, which can fit approx. two wheelchairs and even a Changing Places toilet.
The staff were all extremely helpful and friendly. You can even ask them to go and get you refreshments and they’ll bring them to you.
If my colleagues at AccessAble are reading this, definitely worth a Detailed Access Guide.
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