Ben Elton is one of the major comedy writers for British films and television, his works having intellectual value as well as great humour. Over 3 years he composed the script for a musical in honour of the legendary group Queen, using 20 of the biggest hits that the group unforgettably performed with Freddy Mercury. Together with other members of the group, Brian May and Roger Taylor, they decided to call the theatre musical "We Will Rock You."

Those who have lived in South Africa and who listen to the first notes of this unforgettable hit immediately associate it with the video of Queen filmed in Sun City and used to publicise the hotel & casino resort. Far more than that, the rock-hymn electrifies you from the top of your head to the tips of your fingers and toes because of the group’s magnificent acappella chorus, echoed by a multitude of other voices.

Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Productions Company has taken the show that had rave reviews in London to the Paris Resort & Casino on the Strip in Las Vegas. Meatloaf, Ben Elton, Garth Brooks, as well as other celebrities along with Brian May and Roger Taylor were present at the premiere of the musical where they re-lived the rock classics "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are The Champions," "Another One Bites The Dust," amongst others.

During the after-show party, Brian May and Roger Taylor were initiated as legends of the prestigious Hollywood Rock Walk, placing their hand prints in a fresh cement block to be taken to Hollywood and placed in the Boulevard of Rock, next to a special 'In Memory' plaque for Freddy Mercury.

In this Boulevard other legends are immortalised - Jimmy Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana, The Ramones. Freddy takes his place beside these stars of yesterday and today.

"We Will Rock You" is the first show of this type that has been presented in Las Vegas, and the Paris has announced that "they will open but don’t know when they will close" because it should be a prolonged event. In due course the show is expected to go to other cities such as New York.

The musical is an adaptation of the legend of King Arthur and the sword in the stone. However, this version is set in the distant future where music has been forbidden, and follows the fortunes of two young musicians searching for the last guitar on earth which happens to be buried in a wall at Elvis Presley’s mansion, Graceland. The heroes are Scaramouche and Galileo, the villains of the piece are Killer Queen and Kashoggi.

Those of us going to G2E in October will doubtless be rocking with Queen and the Freddy double!

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