“We Will Rock You”
Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

Written by Queen and Ben Elton, the musical tells the story of a globalized future without musical instruments. The year is 2300 and a handful of rock rebels, the Bohemians, fight against the all-powerful Globalsoft company and its boss, the Killer Queen; they fight for freedom, individuality and the rebirth of the age of rock.

Scaramouche and Galileo, two young outsiders, cannot come to terms with the bleak reality. They join the Bohemians and embark on the search to find the unlimited power of freedom, love and Rock! Oh, and the last buried musical instruments, just to make sure that rock music can be reborn.

The idea for the musical came after a meeting between the actor Robert De Niro with musicians Brian May and Roger Taylor, in Venice in 1996. De Niro's daughter was a big fan of the Queen and the actor asked if the legends of rock had never thought of creating a musical based on their songs. The rest, as they say, is history.

The musical includes 24 of Queens finest hits such as ‘Radio GaGa’, ‘Killer Queen’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, "I Want It All", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Flash", "Fat bottomed Girls" and of course, ‘We Will Rock You’.

Ian McIntosh (Galileo) has a great voice for rock and is a very energetic hero who you really warm to.

Elena Skye (Scaramouche) also has a powerful set of lungs on her, but also shows a lovely sensitivity in duets with Ian like "Who Wants To Live Forever".

Jenny O’ Leary (Killer Queen) is just a little bit scary but her voice simply soars. Not too sure about the vocal acrobatics but loved the power.

Adam Strong (Khashoggi) is similar to the archetypal panto villain as he tries to silence Galileo and Scaramouche, but falls foul of the Killer Queen when he fails. When he lets rip with his vocals, he lifts the roof. He has power and control in his voice, and for me a definite highlight.

Michael McKell (Buddy) injects the comedy into this above average jukebox musical as he channels Mick Jagger in his mannerisms.

Amy di Bartolomeo (Oz) really shone with her focused song "Only The Good Die Young". I always thought that song had a big gospel choir feel and in this musical, it got very close to that in sound and feeling. Amy sings with a lot of soul, as this performance shows.

David Michael Johnson (Brit) also adds some of the comedy, and with Oz, is responsible for bringing Galileo and Scaramouche to the Bohemians.

Directed by Cornelius Baltus, this production is full on,and elevates the story above the standard jukebox musical. It uses sections of the original Queen songs which makes the sound less of a karaoke session and more of an affectionate tribute to Freddie and Queen.

The orchestrations and arrangements of the songs is by Brian May, Roger Taylor and Stuart Morley.

Choreographed by Lajos Peter Turi, there is a lot going off on stage, including some of the iconic Queen armography, which really gets the audience going.

The set design is possibly one of the most impressive I have ever seen. The video design is simply amazing.

The Sound – design by Rory Madden – and Lighting Design – by Rob Sinclair and Douglas Green adds an incredible amount to this show. It's loud, on occasions, just a little loud, even for me and I lost some of the vocals, but it had a real concert feel about the presentation.

The lighting was, along with the video projections took this show to a completely different level.

I absolutely love the music of Queen, and I had my doubts about this show, but this cast and technical team really dispelled any doubts and I was completely entranced by the incredible vocals. Not many can even come near to Freddie's power and musical talents. With this cast, they did not try to be like Freddie - an impossibility anyway - they performed his songs with feeling and in their own way, which is what really won me over.

This show is not just a show for Queen fans, this show is for fans of amazing music, and the story is not too bad either. A stark warning to all internet freaks who may just be losing touch with the real world, as well as real music.

“We Will Rock You” is at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall until Saturday 30 November.