Stage: We Will Rock You

By Barbara Scherzer

We Will Rock You, a rock musical parody featuring the music of Queen, is the first production of this caliber to bypass Broadway to premiere in Vegas. Filled with special effects, intricate sets and live music, this show about the quest for rock 'n' roll is not yet a roof-raiser.

The story opens in a future when Earth has become Planet Mall. Computers generate the hit tunes and all musical instruments are banned. A rebel named Galileo believes in the Golden Age of music: a time when kids wrote and played their own songs. His mission is to find the lost instruments that are still hidden somewhere on the planet before the Killer Queen catches him.

Tony Vincent is a riveting presence as Galileo, a role that he originated in the West End production. Vincent also possesses a strong singing voice, which is heard with "I Want to Break Free." Aspen Miller also shows her chops as Galileo's love interest, Scaramouche. Patti Russo, former lead singer for Meat Loaf, vamps it up as the Killer Queen who goes all out to keep the kids from their music. Rich Hebert oozes evil as the Killer Queen's henchman in his song, "The Seven Seas of Rhye."

Inventive costume design is by Tim Goodchild, who dresses his rebels in eclectic attire and employs a vibrant and varied color palette. There's terrific choreography by Arlene Phillips, who has the ensemble cast moving well, sometimes in three dimensions at once. Mark Fisher is the production designer, whose work here includes a faithful reproduction of the gates of Graceland.

Where this show falters is with its script. As written by Ben Elton, the Galileo and Scaramouche characters are not given much onstage time to develop their romantic relationship. During the course of the show they share only one kiss. More egregious, the comedy lines mostly miss the mark. The show is laced with pop references such as "Who Let the Dogs Out?" the Partridge Family and the tagline "What happens in Vegas...," none of which is particularly fresh or funny. The denouement of the show is also problematic when the Killer Queen unrealistically capitulates to Galileo, making way for the show's happy ending and mini-Queen concert that follows.

Despite its weaknesses, We Will Rock You is a feel-good show thanks to a killer cast that gamely overcomes its script and gets the joint jumping.