We Will Rock You Comes to Dallas March 4-16!
Posted on February 24th, 2014
BOHEMIANS, REJOICE!
QUEEN AND BEN ELTON’S WE WILL ROCK YOU
RECEIVED AN UPGRADE FOR NORTH AMERICAN TOUR WITH MORE LAUGHS, MORE TECHNOLOGY, AND MORE QUEEN SONGS TO LOVE…
COMING TO DALLAS SUMMER MUSICALS
MARCH 4-16 AT THE MUSIC HALL AT FAIR PARK
DALLAS, TEXAS…The worldwide smash hit ‘rock theatrical,’ Queen and Ben Elton’s We Will Rock You, built around 24 of Queen’s biggest hits, opens at the Music Hall at Fair Park Tuesday, March 4, 2014. We Will Rock You is produced by Queen Theatrical Productions, Tribeca Theatrical Productions, Phil McIntyre Entertainment and NETworks Presentations.
Single tickets for We Will Rock You are priced from $15-$85, on sale now at The Box Office, 5959 Royal Lane, #542 in Preston Royal Shopping Center, all Ticketmaster outlets, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For complete performance schedule or to purchase tickets online, please visit www.dallassummermusicals.org.
Mini Packs for any four or more DSM season shows, starting as low as $61, are also on sale at The Box Office, 5959 Royal Lane #542 at Preston Royal Shopping Center. Mini packs are also available at www.ticketmaster.com.
Groups of 10 or more get a 15% discount and priority seating; please call 214-426-GROUP
214-426-GROUP (4768) or email groups@dallassummermusicals.org.
This hilarious, multi-award-winning and record-breaking phenomenon is created by celebrated British comedian and writer Ben Elton (TV’s “Mr. Bean” and “The Young Ones”), and boasts a fantastic score of Queen’s biggest songs including “Another One Bites The Dust”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, “We Are The Champions,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and, of course, “We Will Rock You.”
For the US production, writer and director Ben Elton has redrafted his original script to resonate with US audiences as well as reflect the cultural changes since he first penned the storyline.
“Apart from addressing the broader social and technological changes, I also get the chance to update moments of topical humor,” says Elton. New additions to the show include the most current pop culture references (yes, there is a Miley Cyrus twerking joke!) and the addition of a new song, “You’re My Best Friend.”
“There is a scene where our two leads run away and discuss their loneliness and isolation,” Elton says. “In 2013, it seemed ridiculous for two kids to discuss friendship without reference to Facebook. Young people now live in a world where it’s possible to have many virtual ‘friends’ and ‘likes’ and yet still be entirely isolated and alone. The new dialogue with this changed emphasis brought the song ‘You’re My Best Friend’ into the show.”
Tribeca producer Jane Rosenthal says, “With Ben’s updates, it’s almost a new show. However, in some ways, it was already ahead of its time when it opened in 2002. The overarching theme is a demand for individualism and intimacy in a world where everything is downloadable.”
Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor are musical supervisors to the show, taking an active role in
casting the singer/actors and musicians for every production worldwide. The cast features Brian Justin Crum as Galileo, Ruby Lewis as Scaramouche, Jacqueline Arnold as Killer Queen, P.J. Griffith as Khashoggi, Ryan Knowles as Buddy, Erica Peck as Oz and Jared Zirilli as Britney.
Rounding out the ensemble are Danny Balkwill, Samantha Berman, Bentley Black, Jessica Crouch, Saccha Dennis, Sam Digiuseppe, Suzanna Dupree, Daniel Greenberg, Stephen Hernandez, Nathan Keen, William Joseph Lewis, Brooke Morrison, Jennifer Mote, Katie Murphy, Jennifer Noble, Fred Odgaard, Patrick Ortiz, Jason Sermonia, Stephanie Sy and Kasey Walker.
The We Will Rock You band includes Rick Hip-Flores (Musical Director/Conductor), Brandon Ethridge (Assistant Conductor/Keyboards), Emily Marshall (Keyboards), Tristan Avakian (Guitar), Bob Wegner (Guitar), Mike Cohen (Bass), David Stevens (Percussion) and Danny Young (Drums).
The show is in its 12th year at The Dominion in London’s West End, one of London Theatreland’s biggest theatres, making it the venue’s longest-running production ever. We Will Rock You is now officially the 9th longest running show in the West End and was crowned the UK’s favorite show at the 2011 Olivier Awards, the UK equivalent of the Tony Awards, in a category voted entirely by members of the public. Outside of the UK, the show has now been seen in local productions in 17 countries, playing to an audience of over 15 million people.
We Will Rock You takes place in a future age on a planet once called Earth that is now controlled by a mighty corporation. Globalization is complete. Individuality is taboo. Everyone watches the same movies, wears the same clothes and thinks the same thoughts. Music is generated by the corporation’s computers, rock music is unheard and all musical instruments are banned. The hope of breaking free rests with an unlikely resistance – an alliance of rebel Bohemians, waiting for a hero to lead the battle to bring the power of rock back to the people.
“This show is all about legend,” says Ben Elton. “We take the legend of Queen and create our own fantastical story of young kids battling the mighty corporation who wants to suppress their individuality and their love of music. They need a hero who can help them in their struggle, and we have two – the dreamer Galileo, and the sassy rock chick Scaramouche. Guess who ends up winning?”
“Creating the show with Ben was very much a three-way thing,” says Roger Taylor. “It was great because he was a pleasure to work with and because he has such a fertile mind. He never stops churning out ideas.”
Brian May adds, “The amazing bonus is that Ben’s script subtly works as a metaphor too. People definitely come out of the theatre feeling that in a strange way they now know us, Queen, and our struggle, our journey.”
The original production of We Will Rock You is a Phil McIntyre Entertainment, Tribeca Theatrical Productions and Queen Theatrical Productions presentation. Book and direction by Ben Elton. Music and Music Supervision by Queen/Roger Taylor and Brian May. Musical staging and choreography by Arlene Phillips. Production Design by Mark Fisher and Lighting Design by Willie Williams. Sound by Bobby Aitken. Costumes by Tim Goodchild. Tracey Flye is the Associate Director and Associate Choreographer of the North American tour.
Queen Theatrical Productions is a production entity created especially by the band’s parent company Queen Productions Ltd to handle the development and production of We Will Rock You.
Headquartered in New York, Tribeca Theatrical Productions was founded in 2001 by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, the acclaimed producers of the Meet the Parents franchise, Analyze This and Wag the Dog. Through Tribeca Theatrical Productions, De Niro and Rosenthal co-produced, along with Queen Theatrical Productions and Phil McIntyre Entertainment, the theatrical musical We Will Rock You, based on the music of Queen.
DSM season shows continue March 18-30 with THE WIZARD OF OZ; April 15-27 with EVITA; June 3-15 with MAMMA MIA!, and September 2-14 with NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT. For more information about Dallas Summer Musicals, please visit www.dallassummermusicals.org.
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For media information, including photos, interviews, or reviewer passes, please contact Jo Ann Holt
at joannholt@gmail.com or 469-363-7371469-363-7371.
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