Watch Brian May perform 'Bohemian Rhapsody' as We Will Rock You returns to the West End

7 June 2023, 10:34

Gold Meets... Brian May

We Will Rock You is back on the London stage and so is Queen guitarist Brian May.

Queen musical We Will Rock You is one of the most successful stage productions of all time.

As well as 12 successful years at the Dominion Theatre after its 2002 premiere, the play has toured the UK and the rest of the world over the past two decades.

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Over the years and around the globe, Queen guitarist Brian May has often popped up to give the crowd a bonus with a musical appearance.

So as We Will Rock You returns to the West End stage, taking up a new 12-week residency at the London Coliseum, it's perhaps no surprise that Brian dropped in for a special performance.

As is traditional, May played that stunning guitar solo during 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at the end of the show.

Queen drummer Roger Taylor is said to have snaffled the Freddie Mercury statue that stood outside the Dominion and popped it in his garden.

A new statue has been built and will be placed outside the Coliseum for We Will Rock You's three month run, and it was teased earlier this week by Brian May via Instagram.

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A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal)

"How exciting is this? Brand new FREDDIE Statue arriving to be installed in London’s Coliseum Theatre - ready for the grand new opening next week !!!" Brian said.

"We Will Rock You - It’s a promise!"

He added in a video post: "We had 12 years in the Dominion and I wonder how things will go in the Coliseum. It looks great, see you there!"

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A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal)

The Coliseum is an important venue in Queen history, with Freddie Mercury 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' for a Royal Ballet gala performance there back in 1979.

On announcing the show's West End comeback last year, We Will Rock You's writer and returning director Ben Elton said: "I'm thrilled we finally have this opportunity to put We Will Rock You back on stage in London, where it was born.

"The show’s original message of the fight to re-establish individuality in a dystopian corporate world is even more relevant now than when we began."

He added: "It will be a completely new production that will burst on to the prestigious London Coliseum stage – but the story, the humour, and of course the Queen music, will hit you harder than ever. We WILL Rock You – again!!

Rather than a trad jukebox musical telling the story of Queen, We Will Rock You is instead a fantastical tale set in a distant future where rock music is banned, with characters named Galileo, Scaramouche and Killer Queen.

Tickets for the new run of We Will Rock You are on sale now via wewillrockyoulondon.co.uk.