#AlexReviews: We Will Rock You World Tour in Manila

Finally! After almost three years, I had the privilege to step inside a theater again – this time at the Samsung Performing Arts in Circuit, Makati for the Manila Leg of the “We Will Rock You” World Tour.

Special thanks to BPI and my pretty friend Joey Silvestre for this treat! You can buy your tickets with your BPI cards at ticketworld.com.ph. Special ticket prices are offered on Tuesday Performances!

The Fight of the Bohemians
Going back, We Will Rock You is a Ben Elton & Queen musical production directed and choreographed by Olivier Award nominee Nick Winston. It is set on a multi-year international tour and audiences across the world share the revolutionary story of saving rock’n’roll music in a post-apocalyptic world. It Starring Stuart Brown as Galileo, a misfit who keeps hearing strange voices and songs in his head, and Nicolette Fernandes as Scaramouche, another misfit who also gets into trouble with the Secret Police.

The production features Londiwe Dhlomo as Killer Queen, Craig Urbanni as Khashoggi, Tiaan Rautenbach as Buddy, Richard Gau as Brit, Danelle Cronje as Oz, and the amazing Ensemble who Plays Various Roles including the Bohemians.

We Will Rock You tells the story of a group of Bohemians who struggle to restore the free exchange of thought and fashion, and live music in a distant future where everyone dresses, thinks, and acts the same. Musical instruments and composers are forbidden, and rock music is all but unknown.

Long live, Music! Long live, Rock’n’Roll!

The moment I stepped inside the theater, I immediately knew that I’m in for a great treat! The stage looks so amazing with different aspects that made me feel like I’m watching a 3-D movie. I love how they maximized the stage despite its limited size. The lighting was very captivating, while the music is truly magnificent! Though I must say that I’m quite disappointed with their rendition of “We Are the Champions!”, the rest of the music was performed beautifully by Brown and Fernandes, as well as by Dhlomo and Khashoggi.

I honestly thought that the plot would be the typical Broadway-ish type that I’m used to seeing, but We Will Rock You proved me differently keeping me in awe every act. The Bohemians aka Secret Police gave me the life and love that I need during the show. Everyone was so great in providing support to the main cast, without losing their talent in the background. I think that they empowered the whole show, which made it so remarkable. I honestly sing out loud (with my mask on) every familiar Queen that they sing and I even clap my hands in the air in excitement. One character that I enjoyed was Buddy that gave us so many reasons to laugh so hard.

Meanwhile, one act of the production that made me love the show, even more, was the inclusion of a tribute number to all the great musicians and performers that Hollywood has known. That was a very touching moment and I must say, I didn’t expect that – mainly because I just saw Elvis and Marilyn Monroe’s biopic movies on HBO a few weeks ago.

So, if you are a Ben Elton and Queen fan or if you just want to enjoy a night of great music and amazing acting and stage design, you can still catch the show until November 20, 2022. Performance times are at 8:00 pm on Tuesdays until Friday's performance, and 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm for Saturday and Sunday performances.

Congratulations and thank you, We Will Rock You!