We Will Rock You Tickets

Based on the Queen song of the same name, this musical was conceived by the band's manager, Jim Beach, who wanted to create something theatrical about the life of Freddie Mercury, using Queen's songs as a backdrop. The idea was developed, with Brian May and Roger Taylor bringing comedian Ben Elton on board to help write the script, and music legend Elton John to help with the overall show. The premise shifted from being a Mercury biography, to an original storyline, inspired in part by John's fixation with The Matrix, and the idea of a state-controlled Dystopian society, as in Nineteen Eighty Four or Brave New World.

Set 300 years in the future, on Planet Mall; a sterile, controlled world where rock music does not exist and young people are brainwashed by the ruling Globalsoft Corporation, a young student, Galileo, is plagued by dreams which contain lyrics and ideas of long-forgotten songs. His teacher tries to make Galileo forget about his dreams, but he cannot, and he refuses to conform to Globalsoft's conditioning, and is arrested by Khashoggi, a Globalsoft commander. Also resistant to the regime, is a young Goth girl, Scaramouche, who is also arrested for subversion. Together, Galileo and Scaramouche flee from a secure hospital, to the safety of the Bohemians, a group of rebels who believe in the 'Prophecy' - that one day musical instruments will return to Planet Mall and rid the planet of Globalsoft, something the ruthless Killer Queen is trying to prevent. The songs of Queen play out through the musical, as Galileo, Scaramouche and the Bohemians try to find a way to defeat the Killer Queen and restore rock music to the world.

The original production opened in 2002 at London's Dominion Theatre, and starred Tony Vincent, Kerry Ellis, Sharon D Clarke and Hannah Jane Fox, but was not well-received by critics, although audiences loved it. The show celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2012, and has enjoyed international versions in places as far flung as Melbourne, Madrid, Toronto, Italy and even Japan. A sequel is said to be in the works, with a 2009 draft already completed, and 2009 also saw a notable UK tour which included stars like Kevin Kennedy, former X Factor contestant Brenda Edwards, and Jonathan Wilkes. The Palace Theatre, Manchester, ran their own production from December 2010 all the way through to February 2012.