Now that the Queen musical ‘We Will Rock You’ returned for a 12-week run, Brian May didn’t miss the chance to join the opening night with a surprise guest appearance. Still, he thinks playing there was almost as frightening as performing on the roof of Buckingham Palace, as he admitted in a recent Instagram post.
The guitarist wrote:
“Coming up in a cloud of smoke from a trap door in the stage of the Coliseum Theatre and delivering a live slice of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ when the whole packed auditorium has been dreaming of it happening the whole night, or so it seems, has got to be just about the greatest gift any guitar player could have.”
May continued, expressing the excitement the performance gave him:
“The shot of adrenaline it gives me is massive – literally knocking the breath out of me– partly because it has to be timed to a fraction of a second, and if anything gets stuck or misplaced, I could look very silly – partly because the folks in the audience seem to sense that I’m poised on a treacherous tightrope, making such a huge noise that I’m propelled into a state of huge over-adrenalisation and completely on the edge of combustion!”
However, appearing on stage by a platform that lifted him from below was also terrifying:
“That risky stuff is very similar to jumping off a cliff under a ‘parapente’ wing (I know, because I’ve done it) or going on the biggest roller coaster in the park (We’ve all done it – right?) – but in this case, I’m on my own with no safety net. Not quite so terrifying as playing live on the roof of Buckingham Palace to an audience of half a billion – but not far off.
I guess I must be an adrenaline junkie, after all! Or maybe just a glutton for punishment? Anyway – it was a big thrill to do it at the opening night – the Gala Performance, where basically I’m the icing on a magnificent cake the WWRY company has been cooking the whole night.”
At the end of his message, the Queen musician appreciated the WWRY cast’s effort and also thanked the audience for their support:
“They did a breathtakingly sharp show – there’s nothing like it for a million miles around. Bless you, guys! And thanks to all who have rocked with us so far. Every house is packed – get your tickets quick! For supplying this video of the moment – the best one I’ve seen, thanks to Maria – who just happened to be in the front row! Bri.”
The musical features many Queen hits, including ‘Somebody to Love,’ ‘I Want to Break Free,’ ‘Don’t Stop Me Now,’ and ‘We Are the Champions.’ It will continue through June, July, and August, ending with a final show on August 27.
You can watch how Brian May surprised the show-goers here.
