
Overview
Synopsis
Based on the music of Queen, We Will Rock You is set 300 years in the future in a futuristic and globally corporate world. Planet Earth has been renamed the Planet Mall and is controlled by the Globalsoft Corporation. The head of Globalsoft is the sinister Killer Queen, who has banned all non-computer generated music. She has heard of a prophecy that instruments have been hidden somewhere on the planet and that ‘The Dreamer’ will emerge from the people to show the way to them. She orders her Chief of Police, Khashoggi, to get to the bottom of the matter and crush any rebellion. Meanwhile, Galileo, a young student and an outsider, is desperate to “break free” from this corporate world. He hears lyrics in his dreams and is heralded as the star of the prophecy by the Bohemians who have been searching for the lost instruments. To fulfill the prophecy. Galileo must evade the clutches of the Killer Queen and finally bring back the music. With the help of Pop, an aging hippie librarian, Galileo and Scaramouche find Rock's Holy Grail--Brian May's guitar--buried in the remains of Wembley Stadium.
Show Information
- Book
- Ben Elton
- Music
- Queen (Band)
- Lyrics
- Queen (Band)
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2002
- Genres
- Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Jukebox/Revue
- Settings
- Fantasy/Imaginary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- Planet Mall, 300 Years in the Future
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Rock Combo
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Licensor
- Theatrical Rights Worldwide
- Ideal For
- College/University, High School, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Male, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Mature Adult, Adult, Young Adult, Late Teen Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
---|---|---|---|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
Songs
Act One
- "Innuendo" – Freddie Mercury and ensemble
- "Radio Ga Ga" – Ga Ga Kids
- "I Want to Break Free" – Galileo
- "I Want to Break Free" (reprise) – Scaramouche
- "Somebody to Love" – Scaramouche and Teen Queens
- "Killer Queen" – Killer Queen and Yuppies
- "Play the Game" – Killer Queen and Yuppies
- "Death on Two Legs" (instrumental)
- "Under Pressure" – Galileo and Scaramouche
- "A Kind of Magic" – Killer Queen, Khashoggi and Yuppies
- "I Want It All" – Brit and Meat
- "Headlong" – Brit, Meat, Galileo and Scaramouche
- "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)" – Meat and Bohemians
- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"* – Brit, Meat, Galileo, Scaramouche and Bohemians
- "Ogre Battle" (instrumental)
Act Two
- "One Vision" / "Radio Ga Ga" (reprise) – Ga Ga Kids
- "Who Wants to Live Forever" – Galileo and Scaramouche
- "Flash" – Bohemians
- "Seven Seas of Rhye" – Khashoggi and Bohemians
- "Fat Bottomed Girls" – Queen, Killer Queen and Sex Yuppies
- "Don't Stop Me Now" – Killer Queen
- "Another One Bites the Dust" – Killer Queen
- "Hammer to Fall" – Galileo and Scaramouche
- "These Are the Days of Our Lives" – Pop and Bohemians
- "Bicycle Race"* – Bohemians
- "Headlong" (reprise)* – Galileo, Scaramouche and Pop
- "Love of My Life" – Bohemians
- "Brighton Rock" solo (instrumental)
- "Tie Your Mother Down" (instrumental)
- "We Will Rock You" – Galileo and Bohemians
- "We Are the Champions" – Galileo and ensemble
Editor’s Note: This song list is based on the original London production; some of the subsequent international productions included replacement numbers.
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Socially unconventional, often using artistic expression.
A musical that features hit songs of a popular music group or genre.
Existing or occurring after a catastrophically destructive disaster or apocalypse.
A musical theatre work using rock music.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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