As I said on fb & twitter: THEY TOLD US THEY WOULD ROCK US - AND THEY DID. I’m so thoroughly impressed by this show, I have no words. The combination of somewhat remade songs (IN ENGLISH!!!) interwoven with a great storyline (in Norwegian - which is understandable enough), excellent actors/singers and dancers, a completely amazing band (with the lead guitarist playing on an exact replica of Brian May’s Red Special!!!) and that mindblowingly eargasm-inducing Queen sound made the whole show truly immaculate. This show started on a high and kept it going until the very end.
The set was also wonderful, with its mixture of a TV screen in the back showing 3D images and “webcam” footage juxtaposed the “real-life” happenings on stage, producing a tantalizing and thought-provoking effect, especially alongside the performance of the so-called “Gaga girls” (not really intended as a reference to Lady Gaga, but is an excellent one nonetheless!). Makes you really want to make sure that Rock’n’Roll will live forever. Which it totally should. The increase and progress of synthetic music is well and good, but we should never ever forget the roots of this - the genuine music, made with genuine instruments and not a computer. Music made with real live instruments is what is true music.
The humor of the show and the references to popular culture was nothing short of adorable, especially when the Bohemians unwittingly chose names that were originally for the opposite sex; e.g. Britney Spears was portrayed by a male. Furthermore, Jan Erik Karlsen (Norwegian Pop Idol and X Factor judge) was also represented by a long-haired blond male actor, which was rather amusing, to say the least.
Another positive feature of the show is that it touches on so many emotions, not only amusement. It touches upon irritation, frustration and hope for the future of what one might call “raw” music; again touching upon the dichotomy of using synthetic instruments versus the real ones. The poignant moments when the actors/singers pay tribute to the musicians who died too young and flew “too close to the sun” was tearjerkingly beautiful, especially as the screen showed images of Buddy Holly, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix. The song ended of course with an extra large image of Freddie Mercury gracing the screen which made the song even more touching. As me and E agreed on, it showed a lot better how it is to miss someone you never knew in real life. A strange feeling, yet also somewhat good. I can’t explain why, really. Freddie’s and Queen’s music will, however, live on in our hearts forever. There is little doubt that Freddie would have been proud of what Brian May, Roger Taylor and Ben Elton have done with Queen’s music. I am certain Freddie watches over every show, smiling.
No superlatives can adequately describe how IMMACULATE a show this was. If you haven’t watched it yet, make sure you do! Chill factor from start to finish!
Signing off (ecstatically),
Elise
