Victorious at the recent Olivier Awards, taking the vote for the nation’s most popular musical – the BBC Radio2 Audience award – Queen and Ben Elton’s We Will Rock You this weekend reaches the ninth anniversary of its West End opening.

The show opened at The Dominion on May 14, 2002, and has continued to pack houses since.

Its triumph at the Oliviers saw the show beating a shortlist including Billy Elliot, Jersey Boys and Les Miserables in the only category decided entirely by members of the public.

But celebrations marking the show’s move into its decade year are having to be delayed two weeks – while show co-creator Brian May completes his Anthems tour of the United Kingdom with singer Kerry Ellis. Ellis created a starring role in the original cast of We Will Rock You, nine years ago, and May has worked with her since then, producing and writing her debut Anthems album.

Instead, May will roll into town Monday May 31 to join fellow Queen band member Roger Taylor on stage at the Dominion for a belated ninth anniversary celebration. Already warmed up from his tour, May is promising to tune up for a special guest appearance on stage that night.

May and Taylor and co-creator Ben Elton have further reason to celebrate.

Not only is the re-release of “Keep Yourself Alive” currently sitting at number one in the physical music charts, but the recent Theatreland records listing of the top ten longest running West End shows (published by officiallondontheatre.co.uk ) places We Will Rock You at No.9. In a list which is headed by The Mousetrap (58 years), Les Miserables (25 years) and Phantom of the Opera (24 years), We Will Rock You is the only show from the year in which it opened which continues to run in the West End – and in the same theatre that it was born.

Entering its tenth year this weekend, May 14, We Will Rock You is presently booking through to October 22.

The current Dominion cast of We Will Rock You includes former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy in the role of Pop, X Factor finalist Brenda Edwards as the Killer Queen and Ricardo Afonso and Sarah French in the roles of the rock rebels set to change the world, Galileo and Scaramouche.

In addition to various productions on foreign soil, a further British production of the show is now in its second record-breaking year touring the UK.

WWRY is a Phil McIntyre, Tribeca Theatrical Productions and Queen Theatrical Productions presentation. Book and direction by Ben Elton. Music by Queen. Music Supervision by Brian May and Roger Taylor. Dominion Theatre, Tottenham Court Road, London, W.1. Presently booking until October 22, 2011.

Release issued by: Phil Symes PR

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The Audience Award at this year’s Olivier Awards 2011 has been won by acclaimed rock musical We Will Rock You.

Voted for by members of the theatregoing public, this prestigious award recognises the incredible impact that We Will Rock You has had on the West End since it opened in 2002 at the Dominion Theatre in London.

With standing ovations every night, this spectacular show combines the very best music from legendary band Queen with a brilliant script by Ben Elton. Seen by over 5 million people, the show includes 32 of Queen’s classic hits including Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, and more.

Westendtheatre.com readers can now enjoy a special celebratory £24 off top price tickets to see the show. Also great We Will Rock You theatre and dinner deals are available.

Save £24 on tickets to WE WILL ROCK YOU – this year’s Audience Award winner at the 2011 Olivier Awards

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bill Kenwright with Sophie Evans

Bill and Andy have been commercial partners for a while now, with Bill producing national tours of Andrew’s shows, notably Evita and Joseph – which has made millions for the two men.

Plus Bill is helping Andrew out producing his next biggie, The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium next February, starring Danielle Hope. Their announcement that Sophie Evans will be Dorothy First Reserve for the show at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff in July, was a nice two-hander that demonstrated how close the two rivals have become (see photo).

And now we hear that Bill is assisting the Lord in doing a bit of light tinkering with Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre. Most who’ve seen the show seem to enjoy it, but Andrew has been unhappy since the opening and his creative team – Hairspray’s Jack O’Brien and Jerry Mitchell – have fled back to Broadway to work on Catch Me If You Can (quite apt!)

So ALW has pressed on with some changes of his own – including some revised lyrics by Phantom lyricist Charles Hart, Ben Elton has been involved in adding his thoughts, and Bill is going to have a stab at making the ending more satisfying.

The show will take a four day break from 22 November for the changes to take place.

Will the critics be invited to review the show all over again we ask?

SPECIAL OFFER: Save on tickets to Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre in London

The Queen & Ben Elton rock musical We Will Rock You will see a new cast member join this autumn as TV’s Kevin Kennedy, better known as Curly Watts from ITV soap Coronation Street, will star as Pop from 6 September 2010.

Kennedy has previously toured in the role and his previous stage credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chicago and  The Rocky Horror Show.

Brenda Edwards as Killer Queen

Other new cast in the show include former X-Factor star Brenda Edwards as Killer Queen. Edwards played the role in the recent UK tour and replaces Mazz Murray, who is on maternity leave. Also Ricardo Afonso is returning to the show in the lead role of Galileo, Sarah French plays Scaramouche and Rachel John (Sister Act, The Lion King) will star as Meat from 1 November.

Cast remaining with the show include Alex Bourne as Khashoggi and Ian Carlyle as Britney.

We Will Rock You opened at the Dominion Theatre in May 2002 and has played over 3000 performances, making it the longest-running show at the venue.

SPECIAL OFFER: Save £22.50 on tickets to We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre

WE WILL ROCK YOU CAST NOTES

Galileo – Ricardo Afonso
Ricardo returns to the role of Galileo having spent a year away in which he undertook a series of concert and show dates including A Night of a Thousand voices at the Royal Albert Hall, the Queen concerts with the English National Orchestra and as principal singer in Abba Tribute in Portugal. He has also contributed to many well-loved feature films and animations including singing numbers as Robin Hood in Shrek and main title songs for Beauty and the Beast and Duck Tales.

Scaramouche – Sarah French
Having covered the role of Scaramouche at the Dominion before gaining the role in the touring production, Sarah now fully takes on the role in the London production. Sarah has previously been seen in the Olivier Award winning production Sunday in the Park With George, and in the UK touring production of The Rocky Horror Show.
Other theatre work includes the Sondheim 75th Birthday Gala at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.   She is also recognized for her TV work including the regular role of Alison Peters in EastEnders and Samantha and Julie in Little Britain.

Pop – Kevin Kennedy
One of TV’s best known and best loved character actors steps into the well-worn sandals of Pop, the hippy librarian who knows the secrets of the “texts” and leads Galileo on a journey of discovery to the Place of Living Rock where the Champions once played.  Although most widely recognized for his 20-year long role of Curly Watts, Kevin has all the right credentials to play someone who knows about the history of rock music.  Outside of acting, Kevin has himself enjoyed a successful career as a musician: he was bass player in the band Paris Valentinos which also featured Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke who later played in The Smiths, and later formed his own band, Band of Thieves. Then signed by Simon Cowell under his own name, he had a gold selling album, Present Kennedy and today he is an artist signed to Warner Records. Kevin played Pop throughout We Will Rock You’s 2009 UK tour.  He has also appeared in the West End as Amos in Chicago the Musical and as both Caractacus Potts and the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Killer Queen – Brenda Edwards
Former X Factor finalist Brenda Edwards immediately went from her TV fame into
becoming a much sought after West End actress and TV regular. She was snapped up to play Mama Morton in Chicago the Musical and then created the role of Pearl Pastor in Carmen Jones at the Royal Festival Hall. She wowed audiences around the UK in the touring production of We Will Rock You playing over 300 performances as Killer Queen, a treat she now brings to West End audiences.

Khashoggi – Alex Bourne
Alex is one of We Will Rock You’s longest running cast members having first taken the role of Khashoggi in 2005.  Alex’s earlier roles in music theatre have seen him take on some of rock and pop’s greatest performers: he has played Buddy Holly in
Buddy – the Buddy Holly Story, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Bobby Vee in Only the Lonely and Dean Martin in The Rat Pack.  Other shows include Grease and The Rocky Horror Show.

Meat – Rachel John
One of the show’s most physically challenging roles, the freedom fighter Meat, falls on Rachel John to play. It is a role that Rachel covered for We Will Rock You’s UK tour playing the role for over 65 performances.  Her handling of the role has taken her into the part full-time in the London cast. Previous roles Rachel has covered have included Deloris in Sister Act and Shenzi and Rafiki in The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre.

Britney (‘Brit’) – Ian Carlyle
Continuing in the role of Britney, the hot-headed rebel who gives his all for the love of his ‘baby’, Ian made his West End debut in The Lion King followed by a run in Trevor Nunn’s critically acclaimed production of Porgy and Bess.  His other highly noted work includes the UK tour of Miss Saigon and a run of Carmen Jones at the royal Festival Hall.

OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Comedy Winners

Best New Comedy

2010 The Priory
2009 God of Carnage
2008 Rafta Rafta
2007 John Buchan’s The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon
2006 Heroes by Gerald Sibleyras translated by Tom Stoppard

Best Comedy

2003 The Lieutenant Of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh
2002 The Play What I Wrote by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben
2001 Stones In His Pockets by Marie Jones
2000 The Memory Of Water by Shelagh Stephenson
1999 Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle And Dick by Terry Johnson
1998 Popcorn by Ben Elton
1997 Art by Yasmina Reza
1996 Mojo by Jez Butterworth
1995 My Night With Reg by Kevin Elyot
1994 Hysteria by Terry Johnson
1993 The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright
1992 La Bête by David Hirson
1991 Out Of Order by Ray Cooney
1989/90 Single Spies by Alan Bennett
1988 Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell
1987 Three Men On A Horse by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott
1986 When We Are Married by J.B. Priestley
1985 A Chorus Of Disapproval by Alan Ayckbourn
1984 Up’N’Under by John Godber
1983 Daisy Pulls It Off by Denise Deegan
1982 Noises Off by Michael Frayn
1981 Steaming by Nell Dunn
1980 Educating Rita by Willy Russell
1979 Middle Age Spread by Roger Hall
1978 Filumena by Eduardo de Filippo, adapted by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall
1977 Privates On Parade by Peter Nichols
1976 Donkey’s Years by Michael Frayn

Best Comedy Performance

1995 Niall Buggy for Dead Funny
1994 Griff Rhys Jones for An Absolute Turkey
1993 Simon Cadell for Travels With My Aunt
1992 Desmond Barrit for The Comedy Of Errors
1991 Alan Cumming for Accidental Death Of An Anarchist
1989/90 Michael Gambon for Man Of The Moment
1988 Alex Jennings for Too Clever By Half
1987 John Woodvine for The Henrys
1986 Bill Fraser for When We Are Married
1985 Michael Gambon for A Chorus Of Disapproval
1984 Maureen Lipman for See How They Run
1983 Griff Rhys Jones for Charley’s Aunt
1982 Geoffrey Hutchings for Poppy
1981 Rowan Atkinson for Rowan Atkinson in Revue
1980 Beryl Reid for Born In The Gardens
1979 Barry Humphries for A Night With Dame Edna
1978 Ian McKellen for The Alchemist
1977 Denis Quilley for Privates On Parade
1976 Penelope Keith for Donkey’s Years

Already London’s long-running rock musical, We Will Rock You celebrated its birthday on Monday night with a charity gala performance attended by the show’s co-creators – and Queen band members – Brian May and Roger Taylor, who joined the company on stage for the finale.

The producers recently announced that the show has extended its booking period to April 2010 – setting it on course to reach its 10th year.

Using the music of rock legends Queen, and with a book by best-selling author Ben Elton, the show takes place in a futuristic world, Planet Mall, where rock music is banned. Globalisation is complete; everywhere the kids watch the same movies, wear the same fashions and think the same thoughts. Individuality is unthinkable… unless you are a rebel, a Bohemian, who lives in the underbelly and resists the sterile world above. The Bohemians believe instruments still exist somewhere on Planet Mall, they just need a hero to find them. Is Galileo that man?

The show features many of Queen’s greatest hits including Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio GaGa and the title track.

SPECIAL OFFER: Save £22.50 on tickets to We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre in London

Editors update since this article was first posted: See a round-up of Love Never Dies reveiews from critics following last night’s world premiere at the Adelphi Theatre in London

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s brand new musical Love Never Dies will start previewing tonight at the Adelphi Theatre in London.

Ramin Karimloo

And to say there is some anticipation is an understatement.

The show is directed by legendary Broadway director Jack O’Brien, responsible for big Broadway hits The Full Monty and Hairspray.

The first preview performance was originally scheduled for Saturday 20 February but had to be cancelled to give the cast and crew more time to rehearse.

The multi-million pound new musical, which has already taken more than £8 million at the box-office, follows the story of Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, this time setting the show on Coney Island in New York at the turn of the last century.

The original musical has been seen by over 100 million people worldwide, so the pressure is on to create a new work that lives up to the incredible legacy of the original.

The new show is based on a novel by Frederick Forsyth called The Phantom Of Manhattan, and adapted initially by Ben Elton (We Will Rock You), who was responsible for reintroducing some of the original characters including Christine and Raoul.

A strong launch cast includes Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess as Christine, Liz Robertson as Madame Giry, Summer Strallen as her daughter Meg,  Joseph Millson as Raoul, Niamh Perry as Fleck, Adam Pearce as Squelch and Jami Reid-Quarrell as Gangle.

Joseph Millson

The show’s World Premiere will be on Tuesday 9 March 2010, followed by New York on Thursday 11 November and Australia in 2011.

In the musical, the story continues with the Phantom moving from his lair in the Paris Opera House to haunt the fairgrounds of Coney Island in New York. Set ten years after the mysterious disappearance of the Phantom from Paris, the show works on the themes of obsession and intrigue, promising a number of shocking plot twists and large-scale spectacles.

Summer Strallen

LOVE NEVER DIES – CREATIVE TEAM:

Director – Jack O’Brien (Hairspray, The Full Monty, Catch Me If You Can)

Music – Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita)

Lyricist – Glenn Slater(The Little Mermaid, Sister Act)

Set and costume designer – Bob Crowley (Phèdre, The History Boys, Mary Poppins)

Choreographer-  Jerry Mitchell (Legally Blonde, Hairspray, The Full Monty)

Book tickets to see Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre in London

Hotel and theatre breaks to see Love Never Dies

Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s new sequel to The Phantom of the Opera – “Love Never Dies” – will have its world premiere in London, as reported today by Baz Bamigboye in the Daily Mail.

It was initially believed that the new blockbusting musical would open simultaneously in New York, London and Shanghai, but it now appears that managing the logistics of this has proved too complex. However, the show will still break new ground in opening productions around the world in quick succession – starting with London and then following with Toronto, Shanghai and then Broadway.

In London, the show will play at the Adelphi Theatre, owned by Lloyd-Webber’s Really Useful Group, in late October or early November.

Lloyd-Webber also revealed to Baz that, as predicted by previous rumours, Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess will launch the show in the two main leads.

Variety recently reported that the show would open in Toronto at the Canon Theater, where the original Phantom launched in Canada in 1989, although Lloyd-Webber has now confirmed that it will open after London at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto and then go to Broadway.

The show’s music is written by Lloyd Webber with a book by Ben Elton, who has more than proved his musical credentials with We Will Rock You, which continues to pack them in and celebrates the start of its 8^th year in London from the end of April.

The book is based on an original idea by best selling author Frederick Forsyth, and is set in Coney Island in 1907.

Ramin Karimloo (pictured) is currently appearing as the Phantom in the West End and will continue in the role in the new production. The actor was born in Iran and brought up in Canada.

A notice placed on the Actors’ Equity Association website says of the plot that, “the mysterious “Maestro” who runs the theatre at Coney Island announces a one-off concert by legendary Parisian soprano Christine Daaé. Her arrival in New York with husband Raoul, Victome de Chagny and son Gustave, and their subsequent meeting with the “Maestro,” bring the cataclysmic events of 10 years earlier at the Paris Opera crashing back into all their lives.”

Director Jack O’Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell – the dream team from the Hairspray musical – will stage the show.

O’Brien said to Baz that Lloyd-Webber was enormously passionate about the project: “‘It is like the last flowering of a great era of lyric romanticism – the theatre doesn’t seem to have that any more.”

It is unclear whether Jospeh, currently playing at the Adelphi Theatre starring Gareth Gates, will extend its run until Love Never Dies Opens.

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Original article published 20 March 2009