O2, Dublin:Ben Elton has always had his finger on the pulse of popular culture, satirising contemporary cultural trends in novels like Popcorn (the film industry), Dead Famous (Big Brother)and Chart Throb (The X-Factorphenomenon). It was perhaps inevitable that he would try his hand at the commercial musical, first collaborating with Andrew Lloyd Webber on a football musical and then with Queen on We Will Rock You.
Premiering in 2003, We Will Rock You was as prescient as it was prophetic. Set in a distant post-X Factor future where musical instruments have been banned, it charts the uprising of a rebel group of bohemians seeking the rhapsody that will resurrect the spirit of rock’n’roll. Queen’s fantastic repertoire represents the apex of rock’n’roll achievement and provides the soundtrack in what is really a glorified tribute show.
Ben Elton's updated script includes references to Michael Jackson and nods to its Dublin audience. Puns on well-known lyrics provide familiar laughs, but the script is full of strange contradictions: how Bob the Builder, Britney Spears and Mr Blobby fit into the history of rock'n'roll is not quite clear. Neither is it clear how turning some of the greatest rock songs in musical history into commercial synthesised pop is going to save rock'n'roll, although as the pop charts continuously testify it has certainly contributed nicely to the pensions of former rock heroes. Yes, there are live musicians hidden behind the backcloth, revealed in all their shaggy-permed glory as the production reaches its climax, and yes, the principals (including Brenda Edwards, a recent X Factorsemi-finalist) can really sing, but the effect is as distinctly saccharine and manufactured as anything you'd hear on a reality TV talent show. (Indeed Queen themselves appeared on The X-Factorin November, endorsing the very industry the musical sets out to scorn.) Stage design was for the most part digital; effective in some parts, merely cursory in others.
On opening night there were also several of the ubiquitous O2 “technical difficulties”. The show took a 15-minute recess within the first five minutes and a more unfortunate recess 20 minutes before the end, ruining the momentum of the finale. The performers took it in good grace; lead performers Kevin Kennedy, Michael Falzon and Sarah French-Ellis handling the misfortune with particular professionalism. However, at this stage the audience had been seated for nearly three-and-a-half hours, and the reception was somewhat more muted than the passionate performances deserved. Rock’n’roll has not yet been saved. Until Jan 31.
