Review: We Will Rock You, Capital FM Arena

That was the appearance of the legendary Brian May, who graced the stage to perform the most famous of Queen’s hits, Bohemian Rhapsody, at the end of the show.

It had not been advertised that he would be appearing because he does not do so on every night, but it was a fantastic surprise, and one that the audience will never forget.

Seeing him perform a guitar solo on the stage meant that everyone left on an even bigger high, having already thoroughly enjoyed the evening’s entertainment.

Brian aside, there were many things that impressed about We Will Rock You.

This is the first time that the show has been performed in an arena, and while some musicals do not translate well, this was certainly not the case here.

The futuristic plot meant that good use could be made of video screens and lighting, while the actors’ voices filled the auditorium, belting out Queen’s most recognisable songs with gusto.

In particular the Killer Queen, played by Brenda Edwards, blew us away with her powerful vocals, but there was not a weak link in any of the performances.

The two leads - Galileo and Scaramouche - were excellent, while the Bohemians, who are waiting for the second coming of rock music, added some humorous moments, not least with the revealing of their names which they took - or mistook - from band posters.

The big name in the line up was former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy as Pop, who hid the sacred rock video tape up his bottom to stop it from being destroyed.

Kevin brought the stage to life, got the audience going and was generally fantastic.

He revelled in the Ben Elton-written script, making the most of the innuendo and comic lines.

We Will Rock You is on at the Capital FM Arena until Saturday 30th March.