‘We Will Rock You’ is a musical written by author Ben Elton, which creatively uses the music and lyrics of rock legends Queen to tell a story based in the future where fashion, music and even thoughts are controlled by an oppressive government, and rock music in particular is forbidden. It sounds daft, but it works well.The songs themselves have been altered to fit the narrative of the story, with some lyrics being changed to suit the futuristic settings, or some differing arrangements to maintain the flow of the songs. But as a whole these work pretty well, and definitely do justice to the originals. Queen’s music has always had grandiose elements to it, and ‘We Will Rock You’ really takes the bombast and tweaks it perfectly. With a full orchestra and rock band, and a number of various singers, each with big and powerful voices, this works really well in a theatrical setting. However, the only major complaint of the whole thing is that, while ‘We Will Rock You’ is truly a fun and energetic spectacle, it just can’t compare to the originals. Freddie Mercury’s untouchable charisma and Brian May’s unmistakeable guitar playing are part of the charm of Queen’s music, and while the cast in this recording have more than done a brilliant job, the bottom line is that I’d rather just listen to Queen themselves. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Are the Champions’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘I Want to Break Free’, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘I Want It All’ and an incredible version of ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’... all the hits are here, and if you’re a fan of Queen then you might just enjoy these different renditions, and if you enjoy musicals, then this is equally worth a listen.