Watch: Queen's Brian May stuns audience at We Will Rock You musical
He played 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in Portsmouth last night
Queen’s Brian May made a surprise appearance on stage at the We Will Rock You musical in Portsmouth last night (8th February).
Midway through the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ finale of the Queen jukebox musical at the Kings Theatre in Portsmouth, Brian May walked on stage with his fabled Red Special guitar to huge cheers and an instant standing ovation from the 1,400-strong capacity crowd.
The 74-year-old music legend then proceeded to perform the iconic guitar parts from Queen’s enduring 1975 anthem alongside the cast.
Watch Queen’s Brian May perform ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ at We Will Rock You musical:
The performance in Portsmouth last night was only the second date of the spawling We Will Rock You 2022 tour, which continues through to September in Manchester.
We Will Rock You was originally set to tour the UK in 2020 but the dates were axed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Portsmouth Kings Theatre director artistic director Jack Edwards said staff were only made aware of Brian May’s impromptu appearance a few hours before the show.
"To have Brian May here at the Kings Theatre - it was a real coup. It was phenomenal - the audience went absolutely wild," Mr Edwards told the BBC.
Commenting on the theatre recently reopening, he added: "It feels like it's getting back to normal - people just want to be entertained and what better way than to come to the theatre and get the shock of your life?"
Dominic Booth, who is a swing in We Will Rock You, took to Twitter immediately after the performance to share a copy of the vocal score signed by Brian May.
He wrote: “SORRY I JUST PERFORMED BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY WITH BRIAN MAY ABSOLUTELY SHREDDING IT ON THE GUITAR WITH US ON STAGE?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THE TEARS.
“I have the BEST frickin job in the world and no one can tell me otherwise!”
Written by Ben Elton, We Will Rock You originally opened at the Dominion Theatre in London in 2002 and ran for 4,659 performances before closing in 2014.
Over the past two decades, it’s estimated that the production has been seen by more than 16 million people in 28 countries.
Last year, Roger Taylor revealed he still had the 20-foot statue of Freddie Mercury from the original We Will Rock You production in his back garden.
The fibreglass statue of Mercury striking an iconic pose stood for 12 years outside London's Dominion Theatre opposite Tottenham Court Road Station for the duration of Queen musical We Will Rock You's run.
When the West End production closed, Taylor hired a truck and had the statue erected in his back garden at his Grade II listed home, Puttenham Priory in Surrey.
Queen + Adam Lambert’s twice postponed Rhapsody Tour is due to hit UK arenas in May and June 2022.
Our favourite jukebox musicals:
& Juliet
One of the newer entries to the jukebox musical list is & Juliet, which imagines what would have happened if Shakespeare's famous character hadn't died at the end of his play and what would come next. The show is packed with the music of producer and songwriter Max Martin who's behind the hits of some of the biggest pop artists including Britney Spears, Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and the Backstreet Boys.
The musical includes songs such as 'Baby One More Time', 'It's My Life' 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' and a brilliant mash up of 'Teenage Dream' and 'Break Free'.
Bat Out of Hell: The Musical
Based on Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell album trilogy, Bat Out of Hell: The Musical is not a spectacle to be missed! The story is loosely based on the story of Peter Pan but set in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan which is now ruled by tyrannical ruler called Obsidian.
The show's score includes many fan favourites such as 'Bat Out of Hell', 'You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)', 'It's All Coming Back to Me Now', and 'I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)'.
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
This musical is exactly what you'd expect from the title, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical tells the story of the singer and songwriter, Carole King.
The musical is packed with music written by Carole and those she worked with. Some of the songs included are 'Take Good Care of My Baby', 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow', '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman', and 'I Feel the Earth Move'.
Jersey Boys
When you think about jukebox musicals there's no doubt that Jersey Boys would come to mind! Since it opened on Broadway back in 2005 Jersey Boys has become a global sensation! The musical stays close to its source material as the plot revolves around the history of The Four Seasons (AKA Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons).
Using the seasons as a story telling device the musical gives each band member their chance to narrate the story. The musical includes some of The Four Seasons' most famous songs including 'Sherry', 'Big Girls Don't Cry', 'December 1963 (Oh What a Night)', and 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'.
Mamma Mia!
It's fair to argue that Mamma Mia is probably one of if not the most successful jukebox musicals of all time. Featuring the music of the Eurovision-winning band ABBA, Mamma Mia takes us to a Greek Island where 20-year-old Sophie is set to marry her fiancée. Sophie wants to invite her father to the wedding however she doesn't know who he could be. After finding her mother's diary she finds out there are three possible contenders and decides to invite them all to the wedding!
The West End production opened back in 1999 and includes so many of ABBA's greatest hits including 'Take a Chance on Me', 'Dancing Queen', and 'Voulez-Vous' to name a few. A film adaptation was released in 2008 with an A-list cast including Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and Julie Walters. The film was a huge success and got its own sequel – Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again 10 years later which starred Cher!
Moulin Rouge!
Originally made as a musical film, Baz Luhrman's Moulin Rouge! has been adapted as a stage show with new additions to its phenomenal score. Set in Paris' iconic venue Moulin Rouge is a story of love set in a surreal world with high camp mash ups!
After success on Broadway the show has now entertaining UK audiences in London's West End!
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
This musical has become a classic musical beloved by the LGBT+ community, based on the 1994 film of the same name, Priscilla Queen of the Desert takes us on a road trip across Australia as three drag queens travel to a perform in a show.
Despite being a fun and whacky adventure with some queer anthems such as 'Don't Leave Me This Way' , 'Go West' and 'MacArthur Park', Priscilla is unafraid to take on the tough realities of the homophobia and transphobia still suffered by the LGBT+ community.
Return to the Forbidden Planet
Probably one of the lesser-known musicals on this list, Return to the Forbidden Planet is a gem of a silly-but-fun musical. With a plot based on Shakespeare's The Tempest and the 1956 sci-fi film Forbidden Planet this musical plays wonderful homage to classic science fiction. The musical is packed with the rock 'n' roll hits of the 1950s and 60s such as 'Great Balls of Fire', 'Good Vibrations', 'Teenager in Love', and 'Shake, Rattle and Roll'.
Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages takes us back to 1987 where the Bourbon Room, a Hollywood bar is under threat by developers who want to clean up the Sunset Strip's reputation for 'sex, drugs and rock-n-roll'! The show is filled with classic rock anthems such as 'Don't Stop Believin', 'We Built This City', and 'Here I Go Again'.
The musical was adapted into a film in 2012 which included a star-studded cast including Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Mary J. Blige!
TINA: The Tina Turner Musical
Based on the life of the legendary singer, TINA: The Tina Turner musical explores her humble beginnings in town in Tennessee to growing into a global superstar. The show is packed with some iconic hits such as 'River Deep Mountain High' and 'Proud Mary'.
We Will Rock You
Does anyone else miss the statue of Freddie Mercury that used to stand at the front of the Dominion Theatre? The statue was a prominent fixture of the theatre throughout We Will Rock You's 12-year West End run. With the incredible music of Queen, We Will Rock You took us to a dystopian future where all non-computer generated music is banned and all instruments have been locked away!
The show is jam packed with brilliant characters and amazing Queen songs including 'Radio Gaga' (with some updated lyrics), 'Somebody to Love', 'Killer Queen' 'Under Pressure', and 'Seven Seas of Rye'.
Read more:
Watch the cast of Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical pay tribute to Meat Loaf
Watch Encanto star Jessica Darrow perform pop punk version of 'Surface Pressure'