THIS juke box musical, based on the music of Queen, has one great fundamental problem to overcome – the fact that Freddy Mercury sang the vast majority of the numbers recorded or sung live on stage by the band. With his four-octave range, Mercury created a distinctive sound that is almost impossible to copy.
Ben Elton, who wrote the script for this show, after lengthy consultations with band members Brian May and Roger Taylor, decided the only way around this problem was to create a story that spread the songs among several individuals and a full chorus. The result is a not-particularly-original storyline set 300 years in the future where new music, and musical instruments, has been banned by the authorities, led by the evil Killer Queen, head of the all-powerful Globalsoft Corporation, with the sort of lip-smacking-villainy-with-songs-thrown-in that all actors long for. Emma Griffiths relished the challenge, as did her more-than-just-toadying head of police Khashoggi, safe in the hands of Nic Gibney.
Ben Elton was great one for poking fun at personalities and the establishment of the period, which begs the question do those satirical comments of nearly a quarter of a century ago have any relevance for the younger members of the audience, or is it only those who were youthful in the early 2000s who remember what and who Elton was targeting. But when push comes to shove, this show is not so much about Elton’s script but the music of Queen.
And with a splendid seven-piece band under the guidance of MD Kat Stevens, hidden away at the rear of the stage, an ensemble, backed by off-stage singers, and soloists determined to make us appreciate that music is indeed the main focus of this production.
It was a good job that Jaryd Evans, as the dreamer who can hear all those past rock’n’roll numbers in his head, and will finally, by opening up those past sounds to the Bohemian rebels, bring about the downfall of the Globalsoft Corporation, and Zoe Garrod full of sarcasm as his cynical girlfriend Scaramouche, were in such good vocal and dramatic form, because they were continually challenged not just by fellow principals and ensemble but also an all-but-overpowering set of images on three large video screens. Those vivid video images the delivery of Richard Gourlay’s striking lighting plot, and sound design, were the main outside influences in this BLOC production.
Under director Lara Kawman. Ryan Webster’s set and costume designs, produced some wonderfully contrasting images from the formal group surrounding the Killer Queen to the Bohemians rag tag and bobtail costumes. Choreographer Lizzy Westney invented a set of movements that fitted each group of characters ideally, adding to the quality of the visual pictures.
Bradley Lomond’s John the Baptist-like self-sacrificing Brit, sure in spite of all others’ doubts, that a leader would appear to show them the way back to a full life with music, and Em Lawrence, strong willed, but without Brit’s beliefs, took every chance to challenge Galileo and Scaramouche vocally and dramatically. Without turning Buddy into a figure of fun, Alex Milner, produced a finely judged portrait of an elderly man, on the verge of senility, fighting desperately to remember past times.
The ensemble work, whether in smaller groups or full chorus, matched anything that the principals produced, ensuring that once again this only non-professional company to regularly present their productions at the Bristol Hippodrome, can match anything brought to the theatre by a big touring company. With their eyes firmly fixed on the future, BLOC have already announced and opened bookings for their September 2027 production Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
GRP