We Will Rock You?

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 4:08am

it appears We Will Rock You has postponed (or cancelled?) their Bwy stint and instead will be doing Vegas and a tour. Aren't alot of Vegas shows non-eq?

Could it be a major West End hit is coming over here and going straight to a non-eq tour?

Can this kinda be like a movie going straight to video when they don't think they can hack a cinematic release?

just conjecture. anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Posted: 12/30/03 at 11:03am

According to many people it's awful. I don't think they mean the music, but I guess some of the lines are amazingly stupid. Sounds like an awesome show :P

It does kind of seem like that though...movie going straight to video...but at least it's still out there. Better than just opening and closing and then never to be heard from again.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 11:21am

I haven't seen it, but my friends in London said the score is the draw. The songs are fun and the arrangements quite good, but the book is supposedly rather ridiculous. Similar reaction to the Rod Stewart musical, Tonight's the Night.

London has quite a different audience for musical theatre than the US. Fame and Blood Brothers have been running for years, while the former has never opened in a Broadway house and the latter was somewhat overlooked on Broadway. Tribute shows such as Buddy, The Blues Brothers, and The Rat Pack are quite popular as well as the current trend of the Euro "popsicals" (Notre Dame de Paris, Romeo and Juliet) featuring dazzling lighting, hip costumes, radio-pop score, and virtually no book. And in the case of Notre Dame de Paris, a chorus of lip-synching acrobats.

Vegas might be a suitable home for something like We Will Rock You. The body of Queen's work isn't as well known in the US as it is in the UK, but the dazzle of the show and the song Bohemian Rhapsody could pull in the Vegas audiences. From what I hear, Tonight's the Night will be a much harder sell.

Let's not forget Our House, the Best Musical winner from Madness. I think the title song is the only widely known song from this popular British group in the US. I don't think the show will open here, but it's release on DVD in the UK could possible trickle over to the specialty shops here for the hard-core musical theatre fans.

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 11:30am

Its official folks - I've just received emails from Actor's Equity verifying that WE WILL ROCK YOU is coming in under the radar as a non-union production.

This is an unprecedented move for a West End hit to jump straight to the US non-equity touring status, excepting the revival of Oliver! tour.

BTW how did that happen? and has anyone seen it?

[Deena Jones2]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 11:30am

We Will Rock You was a mess but the music was indeed the draw for me to see it. The Vocals by all of the leads (except the Killer Queen- revolting!) were amazing as well as the chorus. The choreography if you can call it that was hideous and embarassing. The costumes were beyond garish and the set was ridiculous. But, I still had fun- oh, trhat glorious Queen music- the band rocked and the arrangements were amazing. Will it fly in the US- no!!!

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 11:32am

Was Killer Queen an understudy?

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 11:36am

I saw the Killer Queen u/s and she truly could not sing. But she works alot in the west end. huh? and she was a skinny young white girl when the Killer Queen is a middle aged big, black diva.


not enough large middle aged women singers in London to find an approprate u/s? weird indeed.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 11:44am

Originally, they considered a skinny white blonde girl for the main performer of Killer Queen, but went in the complete opposite direction, they then decided to keep her understudy. Go figure.

[Deena Jones2]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 12:53pm

The Killer Queen was not the understudy. She was a large Black woman (maybe named Sharon something...???)who sang flat the entire time she was onstage- just awful. She "killed" her version of Killer Queen with strange notes and granted she does sound better on the Cast recording- she is just not up to snuff for the role.

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 12:58pm

really? Sharon D Clarke has quite a fan following and I really wanted to see her but she was on vacation the whole time I was in London. surprised to hear about pitch problem, but that coulda been pitchfixed on the CD.

we might be inviting some major flaming w/ this thread. WWRY fans are quite passionate. for some reason.

[Becky]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 1:30pm

I don't know if the Vegas production will end up being non-equity, but I remember Tony Vincent was offered the Vegas run but he turned it down.

[ShineOn]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 4:20pm

Yeah, Big League Theatricals is putting out the tour next season. They're also doing Aida, Miss Siagon (well, continuing) and 42nd St.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 4:34pm

A friend of mine is the understudy for The Engineer in the Miss Saigon tour. It's quite a good production.

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 4:44pm

but hasn't Big League also done some equity tours? are you saying that Saigon, Aida, and 42nd St will all be non-eq next yr?

I think the 42nd St that came thru here was eq.

Updated On: 12/30/03 at 04:44 PM

[ShineOn]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 5:00pm

No, they're all non-equity. The problem with Big League is that they don't always advertise as non-eq., leading people to believe they're equity and causing confusion. Equity had a big problem with that (which I can understand).

I was asked to audition for them next season... they put on good productions, but they're def. non-eq. I heard there was another tour of 42nd st. going out next year too, though? I could be mistaken. Maybe that's the equity tour.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 5:30pm

Is Big League non-Equity?

[JakeB]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 6:45pm

We Will Rock You is the worst musical in the world. It would not last a second on Broadway because the critics would kill it and it does not deserve to leap out of its grave like in England - where it gained massive publicity as they performed at the Queen's Jubilee concert. It's like giving Dance of the Vampires the Pulitzer Prize. A disgrace to the name of musical theatre.

[Broadwaylilhead]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 7:14pm

I was in Madrid this past September and this show was just about to premiere there. I asked a local and they said it had been postponed several times already but was set to open. Previews were not being kind so they were making some drastic changes.

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 12/30/03 at 8:17pm

I'm positive the 42nd St that came thru Nashville last summer was equity. Was that not Big League? Was there another tour out?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/31/03 at 12:40am

the 42nd Street tour is an equity tour that is out on a special contract that allows for lower minum salaries due to the very lasrge cast size.

[alterego]

Posted: 12/31/03 at 9:18am

I'm with JakeB on this. It is currently at the end of a 7 month stint here in Melbourne. They are currently advertising 'last 7 weeks' and are selling out a 2,250 seat theatre 8 times a week. Everyone I know that has any idea of what is good has rubbished this show here, yet it still does business... so go figure.

[lovinlife]

Posted: 12/31/03 at 7:05pm

This all confuses me. I thought "Killer Queen" was the most notable vocal talent on the CD. Why would they opt for a live version if she was such a out of tune performer???? I think that it's a disgrace when people name the entire cast of Mama Mia and Rent as diva's etc, because I grew up with some real amazing shows out there (Miss saigon, Les Mis, Cats, Phantom, Side Show, The Life etc etc etc.). BUT, I am only twenty and do like the "pop musicals" just as much as the "regular" musicals (i.e Aida, Rocky Horror, etc etc etc). In WWRY, I thought the chorus was amazing and that there could be some real good things happening for the show. But, hey, I seem to be the only one that thinks Cats was amazing.

[Lorelai]

Posted: 1/1/04 at 1:01am

I lived in London last summer for a few months and got to see WWRY twice at Dominion. The show itself is awful, but I thought the cast was very talented. I missed seeing Tony Vincent, but I was really impressed with Hannah Jane Fox and Kerry Ellis.
One thing I difference i noticed between the West End and Broadway is that their audiences don't seem to appreciate their performers the way Broadway audiences do. When I was in London, I never really saw people waiting by stage doors and such to talk to performers. In fact, I knew someone who worked at Dominion (the theater WWRY called home) and he told me that after the show, cast members pretty much just leave, no one really goes for autographs the way they do on Broadway.
In my humble opinion, I think Kerry Ellis and Hannah Jane Fox would find a a strong fan base if they ever got the chance to perform on Broadway. Ms. Ellis' rendition of "No one But You (Only The Good Die Young)" had me near tears and as for Ms. Fox, I don't think I can choose just one song I really loved over another.
From what I've heard on the CD from Tony Vincent, I think he's very talented but there are a lot of performers I can think of that already perform on Broadway who have the same type of voice he has. So, definately talented, but doesn't have anything that really sets him apart. Again, just my opinion.

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 1/1/04 at 2:29am

my whole point is that whether this show is good or bad, its making money overseas and its a disgrace to bring it over here non-equity. I think they are doing it to avoid the critics. The financial backers have more ching than most Bwy producers.

It's just another frightening example of how the power of the union is being eaten away.

[JakeB]

Posted: 1/1/04 at 1:16pm

One thing I difference i noticed between the West End and Broadway is that their audiences don't seem to appreciate their performers the way Broadway audiences do.

One hundred percent correct. When I went to the stage door to meet Judi Dench and Maggie Smith there were 16 people waiting. On Broadway there'd have been about 100. Josephina Gabrielle and Joanna Riding - two of our biggest musical stars - had nobody.

In a way it's good, they can live normal lives, etc.. but when they have equal amounts of talents to film stars it's unfair they get such little recognition.

I think WWRY has changed, nowadays they get stage door people because its fan base has grown tremendously in the past 6 months.