Ben Elton will return as director of the 20th anniversary UK tour of his hit Queen musical We Will Rock You in early 2022.
The comedian and writer who has previously taken charge of various international productions of the show he created with the superstar rock band, including the original Australian production in 2004 and the original Toronto production in 2007, will back in the director’s chair for the new UK tour which launches at the Kings Theatre in Portsmouth on 7 February 2022.
Commenting on the tour, Elton said: “I can hardly believe it’s been 20 years since We Will Rock You premiered in London. Or that much of what we thought was science fiction in the script back then has turned into science fact! I guess Queen were always ahead of the game!
“I’ve directed this show all over the world and I can’t wait to bring it home to the UK with a brand new production and a fabulous cast of young Bohemians, most of whom were rocking in their cradles when this adventure first began.”
The cast for the tour which will visit 27 venues culminating in a residency at Manchester’s Palace Theatre will include returnees Olivier Award nominee Ian Mcintosh (Beautiful – The Carole King Musical) as Galileo, Elena Skye (Les Misérables, Kinky Boots) as Scaramouche, Jenny O’Leary (Heathers The Musical, Rent) as Killer Queen, Michael McKell (Macbeth, Blood Brothers) as Buddy, Adam Strong (Jesus Christ Superstar, Rock of Ages) as Khashoggi, Amy Di Bartolomeo (Bat Out Of Hell, Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as Oz and David-Michael Johnson (We Will Rock You, German premiere) as Brit.
The ensemble will include Laura Bird, Kate Leiper, Joanne Harper, Anna Davey, Edward Leigh, Spin, Karen Walker, David Muscat, Damien Walsh, Laura Ava-Scott, Victoria Collins, Joseph Connor, Louis Clarke-Clare and Jacob Fearey.
Choreographed by , the jukebox rock musical debuted at the Dominion Theatre in 2002. An instant fan favourite, the show which features 24 classic Queen tracks became the longest-running musical at the Dominion in 2012. One of the longest-running musicals in West End history, the London production closed in 2014 after 4,600 performances with a spectacular final performance featuring both Brian May and Roger Taylor.
Angela Thomas
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.