May 13, 2011

Special (Belated) Celebration Performance Tuesday May 31.

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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Tags: Ben Elton, Brenda Edwards, Dominion Theatre, Kevin Kennedy, queen, Ricardo Afonso, Sarah French, We Will Rock You

Casting: Corrie’s Curly hits WWRY

August 16, 2010

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.