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TOKYO — Born Farrokh Bulsara to Indian parents on the spice island of Zanzibar, Freddie Mercury died of AIDS at 45 in 1991. His statue at the newly refurbished Koma Gekijo theater now stands guard over Kabukicho, Tokyo's sex industry Mecca, offering a warning to those who would partake. Its placement may be a conscious companion to Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara's efforts to clean up the area, or an unintended irony. But the issue is academic. "We Will Rock You" is not about sexual behavior; it's about paying tribute to a great band, offering a few hours' escapism and, for co-promoters Amuse, Conversation and Koma Gekijo, putting on a good show and launching a new era for one of postwar Tokyo's historic theaters. The story goes back a few years to just before the Australian production — the version visiting Japan — opened following the 2002 smash London debut of Ben Elton's Queen-inspired musical. "Conversation was the first to contact us," says producer Louise Withers. "They indicated interest even before we opened in 2003. The task here was to find a theater that was available at the time our production was available, and also a theater that was available for the length of time the production needed to make sense financially." Amuse CEO Yokichi Osato came on board with a plan to invest in and renovate Koma Gekijo, with "We Will Rock You" to anchor its reopening. Known as the leading venue for performances of enka, Japan's emotionally saturated roots music, Koma had fallen on hard times with the enka audience dwindling. With a three-month run locked down, work began in earnest on adapting the show for Japan and the theater itself. "Because this is a traditional theater, there were things that made it difficult," explains Withers. "For us to even have an actor go into a dressing room with their shoes on was a problem. We had to make sure they put new flooring down for us, so our actors can quickly rush off stage and change costumes." The story of "We Will Rock You" follows a band of "Bohemians" who rebel against a future in which rock is banned and the only music allowed is anodyne pop, programmed by the all-powerful Global Soft corporation. Elton's original script also contained a number of local references to engage the audience. "It may happen 10-12 times, but it's enough to make the audience say I belong to this. We've done the same with Japan... it's got the right amount of local references to make it familiar to local audiences, but still in line with the worldwide smash." Without giving away the show, suffice it to say the local references, while sometimes a stretch, were clever enough to get a rise out of the near-sellout crowd in attendance a few days after its opening. And with "We Will Rock You" currently the talk of Japan's TV "wide shows," the production looks set to ease initial fears that tickets weren't selling well. "We Will Rock You" is the second in the recent wave of so called "jukebox musicals" to hit Japan following the Abba-inspired "Mama Mia." Jukebox musicals were an attempt to find new audiences in response to aging and declining audiences for traditional shows like "West Side Story." It was thought that the key to finding a new audience was giving them music that they loved already. But as it turns out, with recent attempts like the Beach Boys musical "Good Vibrations" bombing, "We Will Rock You" may be the last to tour Japan. "In New York in particular, there is a move away from the jukebox musical," says Withers. "'Mama Mia' opened in New York in 2001. That was the first of its kind. When it first opened, people thought it was very light, but in the four to five years since, people have realized it's not that easy because you have to get the story right. It's not enough just to have the songs. So the shows that haven't had a full package: good story, lights, sound, have slipped by the wayside." The exception in Beatles-mad Japan could just be the new John Lennon musical, "Lennon," which opens on Broadway in July. "We Will Rock You" is on until Aug 24. June 16, 2005 For fan review, click on link below: http://www.brianmay.com/queen/queennews/queennewsjun05a.html#03 For original details of cast etc., click on link below: http://www.brianmay.com/queen/queennews/queennewsmay05.html#37 WWRY South Africa (from May 06) A review of the Johannesburg show:
But here's clarification regarding the song content from brianmay.com: SONG LIST - WWRY SOUTH AFRICA
(And 'Now I'm Here' included! Hmmm...I've always wanted to go to South Africa....!)
On November 2 2006, just over a month before the show is due to stage its premiere in Zurich, Brian, Roger and Ben Elton visited the theatre and featured on a Swiss news programme. Apart from talking a little about the musical and the Queen 'legend', they took time to greet fans, mentioning that Switzerland had almost been a second home. This was also true for Freddie, who, Brian said, retreated to Switzerland at times during the last months of his life. Roger commented that people wouldn't bother him like they do in England, so Switzerland holds a special place in their hearts! Thanks to www.roger-taylor.net for downloading the relevant news item. Another news item on www.20min.ch mentioned that eighteen truck-loads of equipment had arrived at the theatre, and it was the most expensive musical ever staged in Switzerland!
Press (translated by me):
3
November 2006 TAGESANZEIGER
AARGAUER
ZEITUNG
On December 3 2006 the premiere took place - I was there, and what a wonderful evening! Here's a picture of me - on the right - with fellow fan, Sandy, from Switzerland - thanks, Sandy! See the pictures I took at the end of the show here and select 'WWRY premiere in Zurich - donated by Alison!)
i
I have translated some of this interview, which he did when he was playing Galileo in Cologne. He is now playing the role in Zurich.
Serkan
Kaya is a Turk who grew up in Germany and studied acting and
musicianship at the Folkwang High School in Essen, attaining a
diploma. His artistic talent is many-facetted. With Estonia Fantasies,
his rockband at that time, he performed at the Leverkusen ‘Jazz
Days’, and together they produced a CD. What
personal associations do you have with Queen’s music? This
music has been with me all my life. They’re the songs which were the
first I was conscious of hearing, occasionally mixed with other
artists like George Michael. For example, I remember, for example,
when George Michael sang ‘Somebody to Love’ at the concert Queen
did after Freddie Mercury died, and everybody thought he would be the
new front man. So my favourites of that time came together and a Queen
song fits for every occasion because their repertoire is so varied.
Do
you have a favourite scene in the musical? I
love ‘wasteland’ – that is the situation when Scaramouche and
Galileo bunk out of the hospital and come back on stage. Galileo is
haranguing her the whole time and Scaramouche hits him with gag after
gag. Finally JB and Ozzy come into it and this scene with Vera Bolton
(Scaramouche), DMJ (JB) and Michaela Kavarikova (Ozzy) is particularly
great fun.
Do
you identify with the character of Galileo? I
think it is the task of an actor to find a point where both live,
where they cannot be distinguished from each other but in fact overlap
each other. With me it was, as with many roles that I have played,
that as the child of a migrant worker, I knew what it was like to be
an outsider because I looked different. For example, I didn’t know
about Easter and Christmas as a child, people giving each other
presents on those days was strange – I knew nothing about it.
I confronted this alienation with self-assuredness so that I
would not really be an outsider. Galileo is also like that.
He feels and thinks differently from others and is therefore
not a rebel as a means of comfort, but as a result of his being
different. His
feelings and thoughts are unlike those of others in the musical. He
hears words and music which are strange to him. Like a person who has
other perceptions because of a mental illness, hears voices, as it
were, which whisper impossible things to him. He
even says “It’s tormenting me”. Certainly we can all relate to
that feeling that something in society is not right. In searching for
whatever it is that is wrong with him and for someone like him he
finds Scaramouche who becomes the most important person in his life.
He gives her this extraordinary name and calls himself Galileo Figaro.
In this way he recognises himself as an individual. That is a very
interesting moment in our production. You
have mentioned that it was not easy growing up as a foreigner.
Is acting
a sort of escapism from that? There
are many actors who use their profession as a means of escape in order
to be somebody else, not themselves, therefore not to be ‘I’.
Others go on stage to let themselves be seen to handle these
problems that they have to overcome. I don’t think much of that,
because it’s a big piece of good or even bad fortune to grow up as
the child of a migrant worker. Through this double culture I could
discover aspects within me which perhaps would have stayed hidden
without the (acting) profession. Because being an actor also means
having lots of examinations of oneself and of anything which one has
experienced. Did
you come to Germany from Turkey as a child? I
was born and brought up here. That’s why I was the first in our
family to speak perfect German. My brothers are four and six years
older, married and both with children, and in that way I differ from
them as well, which at the same time amounts to being a sort of
outsider in one’s own family…So
there are actors who either hide behind a role or show themselves I’m
of the type who shows himself in hiding. In certain situations I
determine totally how I am or I show Galileo and am thus telling the
story of a friend. Copyright
by http://www.konzert-welt.de
I've written a little more about the Zurich premiere (scroll down):
http://www.aussiequeens.com/WWRYNZ/other.htm
(Picture: www.cbc.ca) www.cbc.ca)
This opened in April 07 with an all Canadian cast. Here's a review: Rock concerts with their high tech glitz, booming sound and larger than life personalities are a phenomenon of our times. It's no wonder that so many stage musicals compete with rock concerts in their presentations to appeal to today's live audiences. P.T. Barnum said it all with Follow the Band. If you've never seen a star quality rock concert and want to see what you've missed, then We Will Rock You will - well, rock you, and then some. Ben Elton's musical which has been playing in London for over 6 years, has a legitimate claim in incorporating all the qualities of a rock concert. It uses the music of Queen, one of the great rock bands of the 20th century whose popularity has never waned because of its hit songs and its flamboyant star, iconic lead singer and Queen pianist, Freddy [sic] Mercury, who passed away in 1991. Not only does We Will Rock You have its own larger than life hero called Galileo - many of the characters names have been lifted from Queen's songs - but if you listen closely, which isn't difficult due to the pumped up volume, you'll hear some actual recorded segments from the real Queen and master Mercury. While We Will Rock You has all the trappings of a mega rock concert, it's more than that with its fantastical story, a giant sci fi comic book come to life with a plot that's straight out of Marvel. There is a young hero called Galileo with a voice that raises the rafters (Yvan Pednault), who is so naive he hasn't a clue why he hears scraps of rock songs in his head that seem to come from nowhere. But in this futuristic country where rock music is forbidden and all music has been homogenized to complement the vapid atmosphere created by a giant corporation called GlobalSoft, there has to be someone who hears the 'real music', a dreamer who will awaken the rebel Bohemians and take back the music. The opening number Radio Ga Ga danced and sung by a robotic chorus line which sets the pace and prepares us for the entrance of GlobalSoft's formidable leader, Killer Queen, played by Alana Bridgewater, who reminded me of Matron Mama Morton in the film Chicago. In charge of all thought appropriation, Killer Queen can pulverize anyone's brain who crosses her, (i.e. Another Ones Bites the Dust),.and with the help of her chief henchman, the Armani-suited silken voiced Kashoggi (Evan Biuling), she does. Dressed in Tim Goodchild's eye-popping costumes, this queen is really much larger than life especially with giant videos of her face occupying the entire upper part of the stage. A lot of credit for the sleekly designed stage with its outstanding background graphics goes to Mark Fisher and Willie Williams. One knock-out scene features a line of computer generated heads that sing in tandem with the performers. Nothing surpasses that in the show and this is a show with a lot of impressive high end graphics. When Galileo finally meets his Scaramouche (Erica Peck),a cheeky punk feminist who has been jailed because of her insubordination, the two escape and find the outlaw Bohemians who recognize Galileo as the dreamer who will bring the music back. The Bohemians are an underground lot, so enamored of the famous rock bands that they have appropriated their names after reading them on left over old posters and yellowed magazines. Their two leaders, Oz and Burton (Suzie McNeil and Sterling Jarvis), along with the the rest of their colorful crew have more flash and dash than Galileo or Scaramouche but dressed like early Madonna and Kiss and sounding like Soho in the '60's puts you in a distinctive class compared to everyone else in this Ga Ga planet. The real spokesman for the Bohemians, however, is an old hippy named Pop who bears a striking resemblance to Don Francks but is really veteran actor Jack Langedijk. Lengedijk more often than not steals the show with Pop's hidden archives, his 1960's treasure trove of videos and tapes, and his malapropisms. The show's ending is victorious with the Bohemians recapturing their music and instruments which had been buried at Wembley Stadium, the venue of Queen's greatest concerts. No surprise there. But then the real star of We Will Rock You isn't the plot, but the music. It's delivered with power and close harmony by a fine ensemble chorus who know very well that the audience has come to hear the Bohemian Rhapsody (it's done as an encore), We Are the Champions, and We Will Rock You, all sung like an anthem to its creators. The two young stars of the show Yvan Pednault and Erica Peck are simply delightful, if that term can be used in this much hyped rock musical aimed at the baby boomers. Pednault's Galileo is vulnerable and sweet natured but it doesn't stop him from delivering the knock out We are the Champions like a true champion, while Erica Peck, at the ripe age of 20, has all the makings of a major Canadian talent with Saramouche's rendering of Somebody to Love. There are 32 Queen songs in the 2 1/2 hour show, with music supervised by Queen lead guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Both were along on the splashy opening night to take their bows alongside creator director Ben Elton. It was a night to remember for all Queen fans, and for everyone else who likes unbeatable entertainment, like Mercury said, it was Made in Heaven.
Reviewed by Jeniva Berger
NB: The picture with this article is of Australian Galileo Michael Falzon. Here are some pictures of the Canadian leads taken from other sites:
We Will Rock You Vienna
Me with Serkan Kaya (Galileo) and Brigitte Oelke (Killer Queen) With thanks to Isis of www.aussiequeens.com for watermarking this pic!
The premiere took place on January 24 2008. Brian even played - here is an interview with him I translated, so not verbatim:
In an exclusive ÖSTERREICH interview the Queen legend reveals sensational plans: a sequel to the musical and a Vienna concert in the autumn. ÖSTERREICH
exklusive Thursday,
22.47: In an exclusive ÖSTERREICH interview, the legend explains the background to this and reveals sensational plans for the future. Donnerstag, 22.47 Uhr: Das Wiener We Will Rock You war ohnedies schon ein Triumph – und dann kam er: Brian May! Erstmals spielte der Queen-Gitarrist bei einer Musical-Premiere live mit. Im exklusiven ÖSTERREICH-Interview erklärt die Legende die Hintergründe dazu und verrät sensationelle Zukunftspläne: ÖSTERREICH:
How was your 'We Will Rock You' in Vienna? ÖSTERREICH:
Ihr Wiener „We Will Rock You“-Resümee ? ÖSTERREICH: In Vienna you even played live for the first time. May: Normally I don't do that at a premiere because I don't want to steal the show from the cast. But, just in Vienna, I wanted to do something special. I was very nervous beforehand. Most of all because I could not play with my beloved 'Red Special' guitar. It is slightly broken and so I had to change to a replacement guitar barely 30 seconds before my solo. Sheer stress! ÖSTERREICH:
In Wien spielten Sie sogar erstmals live mit ... ÖSTERREICH:
Your impressions of the Vienna show? ÖSTERREICH:
Ihr Eindruck von der Wiener Show? ÖSTERREICH:
In the musical there are references to many Austrian pop stars. Do you
know about any of them at all? ÖSTERREICH:
Im Musical kommen viele Austropopper vor. Kennen Sie die überhaupt? ÖSTERREICH:
What are your plans? ÖSTERREICH:
Ihre Pläne? ÖSTERREICH:
When are Queen coming back to the Vienna Stadthalle? ÖSTERREICH:
Wann kommen Queen wieder in die Wiener Stadthalle?
As you can see in the picture at the top of this section, I even got to meet and chat with two of the cast at the press premiere the night before! Brigitte is the antithesis of the character she plays, being totally wonderful, and Serkan is a kindred spirit!
Updated Apr 08 - Here's a picture from the coverage by the paper 'Oesterreich ' on 25 January:
Queen really did land in Austria, along with a load of fans! For me it all started on the evening of the press premiere, 23 January! I had managed to make contact with Brigitte Oelke, who plays the Killer Queen, to arrange an interview with her for the Fan Club magazine. I had read that she had been a long time Queen fan, so I was really pleased when she said yes, and arranged for us to meet after the show! She fully understood that I was doing all this as a hobby, out of my passion, as it were, and was very kind and patient as I posed my questions - and then suggested I could talk with Serkan (Galileo)! I could not use all of the conversations for the magazine but I had an interesting chat with both of them about Queen's music and Roger's solo material amongst other things. I told Serkan I was a great fan of his, and he kissed me on the cheek!
It was so convenient to be staying just opposite the theatre, especially on the premiere night itself, when I did not even bother to queue for the toilet in the interval, due to the theatre's inadequate facilities in this regard when an influx of people wanted to use the small room all at the same time!
Much more importantly, it was hard to see how the premiere night was going to equal the press premiere but they managed it admirably!
At the aftershow , the cast made a triumphant entrance and were joined by Roger, Brian and Ben, as well as some other dignitaries on stage. After Ben said a few words, they all retreated to a back room and I spent time chatting with fellow fans and managed to speak with with Serkan again a couple of times - he was thrilled to to have just shared the stage with Brian at the end of the show. All in all, in Vienna the German language production has come of age, and truly developed an independence both within the cast and the band! A heady couple of days, that's for sure!
************** 'We Will Rock You' - The Sequel
Here is my translation of part of an Austrian artlce by Thomas Zeidler from April 2008 about the sequel:
http://www.queencuttings.com/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=405 The New Queen Musical “We’re planning a sequel of our successful musical” - already in January Brian May announced in an internationally cited ‘ÖSTERREICH’ interview. Now it’s fixed – ‘The Show Must Go On’, the logical title, is to have its world premiere in Toronto in 2009. 24 Top Hits. In the Raimund theatre, Vienna, ‘We Will Rock You’ is still wowing the local fans until 13 July, but its writer, Ben Elton, already has the next script ready: ‘We all know what happens with rock stars. They fulfil their dreams then come a cropper. Just as Elvis did. And that’s exactly the idea of the sequel’. Since the success of the Queen musical rests on the intrinsic recognisability factor of the countless international hits, there is incredible potential here for Elton which can still be exploited. “Queen had a further 24 top ten hits which did not appear at all in Part One”. There are, after all, such classics as ‘Save Me’, ‘You’re My Best Friend’ and ‘It’s A Hard Life’. Note that the sequel is also mentioned in an interview with Brian and Roger that you can view here.
Premiere on 4 December 09 - Here's some youtube footage of chaos in the city during a preview:!
THE GLOBALSOFT SAGA
Note:
Reading the following without first having seen the musical is not
recommended. Therefore, if you haven’t seen the musical, please
read my review (see above) instead. The rest is all from me. ©
2004 NOW-IM-HERE.COM. This
is a totally unofficial and unapproved version of what follows
‘curtain down’ after the greatest show on earth… The Return of the Killer Queen 'Meet
the new boss, Same
as the old boss..’ The
Who, (Won’t Get Fooled Again) Since the first singing of the Rhapsody on the Planet Mall, the power of the Killer Queen has been greatly compromised and she has been forced to make an important concession in the day-to-day running of Globalsoft; from now on, some specially appointed ‘Bohemians’ are able to research the annals to compile a history of the great era of Rock n’ Roll. The work will then be collated and form part of Globalsoft’s ‘communications strategy’. Nearby, but in different departments, Ga Ga girls, notably Ga Ga Dee and Ga Ga Di, and Ga Ga boys such as Ga Ga Doo work on various marketing tasks. The Killer Queen herself has been away recuperating briefly after undergoing liposuction on her thighs. Although Khashoggi is still second-in-charge, he has become a much less authoritative figure, and has been allowing an easy-going atmosphere to prevail. On the day I’m just about to describe, Pop is supervising the work of Scaramouche, Galileo (Gazza), Macca and Cliff, who are all enjoying a normal day at the office in her absence. Macca is working away on a computer, reading aloud what he is typing: ‘..and then the Rhapsody was sung, so the Bohemians finally triumphed…’ ‘Keep blogging, Macca!’ encouraged Scaramouche. Just then, Ga Ga Di passed by on her way to the Fried Chicken dispenser. ‘You’re not supposed to do that in office time – I’m going to tell on you’ she warned. ‘’Ere, you keep your nose out of it, you meddling goody-goody!’ retorted Scaramouche. ‘It’s not office time, it’s my lunch break’ protested Macca. ‘There aren’t going to be any more lunch breaks!’ a familiar voice bellowed. The Bohemians gasped. As they turned round, their worst terror was confirmed. There, approaching them, though with a rather strange gait, was none other than the Killer Queen. ‘Not expecting me back so soon, huh?’ she mocked. ‘Why are you walking so funny?’ ventured Cliff. ‘Ooh, it’s my compression garment – I have to keep it on for a few days after the liposuction’. ‘Oh, I was beginning to think you’d caught shingles in a rather nasty place..’ said Macca. ‘Yeah, like you were walking over sand dunes!’ observed Galileo. ‘Silence!’ roared the Killer Queen. ‘You may think things have changed around here, but I’m still the boss, and I will not put up with such insolence!’ ‘You’ll not so easily scare us now, old gal - and I recommend some more work on your face next – ‘Dynamite with a laser beam’1 – the only thing for it!’ observed Macca scornfully. The Bohemians all laughed. Furious, the Killer Queen’s eyes narrowed. ‘I’m warning all of you – you’re not going to have everything the way you want. There’ll be rationalisation, re-organisation, centralisation, de-centralisation, regionalisation and, ultimately, degradation!’ ‘A lot to look forward to, then!’ commented Pop sarcastically. ‘…All because of this!’ From a large tigerskin-patterned bag, the Killer Queen triumphantly produced a bulky, round metallic object; Galileo and Scaramouche looked on, unable to identify it, but Pop, Macca and Cliff were wide-eyed and dropped to their knees. ‘Er, can I ask you why you’re all kneeling in front of a lump of metal?’ questioned Scaramouche. ‘It’s the – the great and sacred tap!’ stuttered Pop, looking up at her from his position of genuflection. ‘The…don’t you mean ‘tipe’?’’ asked Galileo. ‘No – the tap!’ replied Pop, anxiously observing the object, which was by this time cradled in the Killer Queen’s arms. ‘And, what then, is the great and sacred tap, tipe or whatever?’ asked Scaramouche, still puzzled. ‘It’s the original master tap of the Rhapsody!’* Pop informed her. ‘Oh do be careful with it, Killer Queen, it’s so delicate!’ he implored. ‘We’ve treasured it in a specially acclimatised cavern since it was discovered…’ The Killer Queen retorted unsympathetically: ‘Yeees, well I got my lackeys to unearth it – buried where you thought no-one could find it! Now I know how you managed to perform all those harmonies! And ultimate proof of your intention to re-introduce instruments - or, as I call them, weapons of mass destruction to the Planet Mall!’ she yelled. Macca stood up decisively. ‘All right, I think you’ve made your point - if you could give it back to us now – it needs to be kept safely…’ ‘Very well’ acquiesced the Killer Queen, handing the ‘tap’ over. ‘But mark my words, you haven’t heard the last of this yet!’ And with a defiant flourish of the train of her dress, the Killer Queen limped out of the office with as much dignity as she could muster. The Re-Engineering ‘Up
the hill backwards, It’ll
be all right…’ David
Bowie, (Up the Hill Backwards) Scaramouche stormed in the office, lips pouted, and landed herself on the swivel chair with such force that it bounced and started to rotate of its own accord. She had travelled in with Gazza, but had stopped off to read the latest video memoranda from the Killer Queen downstairs, meaning that Gazza was already at his desk with the others when she arrived. ‘Hey, Scaramouche, what’s up with you?’ asked Galileo in a concerned tone. ‘I’ve been watching you-know-who’s latest memorandum’ sulked Scaramouche ‘and you know what, that squirt Ga Ga Di’s been promoted, and so has Ga Ga Doo, and they’re both going to be in charge of the Killer Queen’s new re-engineering project’. ‘Groovy’ observed Pop. ‘Promoted!’ exclaimed Gazza, ‘but how did that happen?’ ‘Last night, down at the ‘Plastic Pot’ over a pint, I shouldn’t wonder’ contributed Macca. ‘So now we have to go down the ‘Plastic Pot’ if we want promotion? The whole system stinks – everyone should have been invited to apply for that job!’ said Galileo, outraged by the injustice. ‘So you’d have wanted that job, would you?’ asked Cliff, ‘Running around with a clipboard asking senseless questions when you could be researching the glorious history of Queen and other Rock legends?’ ‘Well, okay, I suppose not’, conceded Galileo. ‘But it just makes me sick the way things are done round here, that’s all’. ‘Ever thought of changing your drinking hole then?’ proposed Cliff. ‘You are joking’ interjected Scaramouche. ‘Since they did up the Rhye Bar, it’s the place to be – nowhere else rocks like it…’
‘Scaramouche is right’ said Macca. The ‘Plastic Pot’ has got nothing on the ‘Rhye Bar’. I went down the ‘Plastic Pot’ a fortnight ago and I said ‘never again’. Do you know about the latest concert they were advertising? Seventy-five Mall bucks to hear the Killer Queen do lip synch! Hardly ‘live’ is it?’ ‘Well, I think we’ll just have to brace ourselves’ said Pop philosophically. ‘It’s a Hard Life!’2 Scaramouche got up. ‘Look, you might be into sitting back and allowing all this to happen, but it’s just your middle-aged resignation to everything – typical! I’m so tired of it!’ ‘Scaramouche, that’s not fair’ scolded Gazza. ‘Remember that we wouldn’t have been where we are now but for Pop’. ‘Oh no? And where are we?’ asked Scaramouche. ‘Back at Globalsoft – stuck in a rat race with a load of re-engineers about to buzz around our ears. I can’t live with you3 sometimes…’ ‘Oh but Scaramouche, I can’t live without you!’4 exclaimed Gazza passionately. They moved towards each other, about to embrace. ‘Steady on now’, said Macca, ‘No snogging in the office!’ ‘Who said?’ asked Scaramouche, and continued to move closer to Gazza, and would have got as far as snatching a kiss had it not been for the fact that, just at that moment, Ga Ga Di breezed in with her clipboard. ‘Morning, everyone!’ she greeted, just catching sight of Scaramouche and Galileo parting company in startled dismay. ‘Oh, Scaramouche, not logged in yet? I was hoping to ask you something’.
‘What’s it to you?’ asked Scaramouche defiantly. Macca sought to defuse the situation. ‘Well, ‘morning, Ga Ga Di! Had a good evening at the ‘Plastic Pot’ last night? ‘Yes, thank you’ answered Ga Ga Di hesitantly, partly wrong-footed by his friendly manner and partly failing to understand the significance of the question. However, the momentary distraction had achieved its aim – Scaramouche had now sat down and logged on. ‘Well then, Scaramouche’ started Ga Ga Di in a business-like fashion, ‘the aim is to find out how long it takes to do certain pieces of research, so that we can get a picture of our needs and raise efficiency’. She sat down. Scaramouche looked at her with eyes like daggers, but said nothing. ‘Well, I’ve one question here’ continued Ga Ga Di unperturbed. ‘Spit it out, then’ said Scaramouche. Ga Ga Di read from her sheet: ‘Was the Queen song ‘I Want to Break Free’ written as a noisy rallying cry to liberationists around the world at the time?’ ‘Of course not’ replied Scaramouche. ‘It was composed by John the Deacon. Quiet as a church mouse. So there - I know the answer to that without having to look it up’ she mocked. ‘Oh, right’ said Ga Ga Di, and noted something down on her clipboard pad. ‘’Ere, I hope you’re not writing down that that took no time at all to answer, because it’s stuff I’ve done already’. ‘Yeah, it’s one she made earlier’5 interfered Gazza. Ga Ga Di stood up. ‘I don’t have any more questions right now’ she declared. ‘Good, you can buzz off while we get on with some real work’ said Scaramouche. Ga Ga Di was indignant. ‘Either Ga Ga Doo or myself shall be around later’ she stated. ‘And I wish to inform you regarding this morning’s memorandum, that as per the addendum for management, the Killer Queen has made it quite clear that if people don’t comply with her project, she will put a stop to any more renovations to the Rhye Bar until further notice’. ‘Even groovier’ mumbled Pop. Ga Ga Di left, and the Bohemians carried on with their work. However, it wasn’t too long until Ga Ga Doo appeared, once again to tackle Scaramouche. ‘Oh, Scaramouche’ he began, flicking the clip of his clipboard rather nervously. Scaramouche looked up. ‘I wouldn’t do that’ she advised. ‘You’ll lose all your precious papers’, then she continued, leaning forward, ‘and we can’t have that, can we?’ ‘No no! Surely not! That won’t do at all!’ Ga Ga Doo let off a sudden laugh and twitched almost at the same time. He seated himself and then appeared more at ease. ‘Right then, just a question or two…’ ‘Yeah, cut the intros, I know what this is all about. We’re going to be downsized until we’re all dwarfs’ said Scaramouche sourly. As Ga Ga Doo was preoccupied with his sheets, the comment passed completely over his head. Okay, first question; was the Queen song ‘I Want to Break Free’ written as a noisy rallying cry to liberationists around the world at the time?’ ‘Your snooty colleague’s already asked me that’ stated Scaramouche. Not very efficient, is it? Two people asking the same question? Who’s monitoring how long you take to do your job?’ asked Scaramouche resentfully. ‘Yes, well, ha, ha, just some teething problems’ was the excuse that Ga Ga Doo gave. ‘We’ll soon be sorted out. I have a second one…’, and he read from his sheet, ‘By dressing as female characters from the soap ‘Coronation Street’ in the video of ‘I Want to Break Free’ was Queen looking to portray the oppression of the northern working classes under the government of the time, - known, I believe, as the ‘Thatcherite junta’6? ‘Oh for goodness sake’, answered Scaramouche dismissively. But, not wanting to be the one to threaten the future of the Rhye Bar, she went through the motions of keying the question into the computer. Suddenly, though she was interrupted by an announcement. The Killer Queen appeared on the large screen.
‘Everyone to a meeting right now!’ she ordered. ‘I wish to talk to you about the new re-engineering programme, and how it is part of my ongoing strategy!’ And with that, everyone had to leave their desks and assemble as the Killer Queen had commanded.
Khashoggi’s Secret ‘I
have no name for each and every day Genesis,
(Alone Tonight) Over the weeks that followed, the re-engineering project continued, with all sorts of questions being asked, sometimes painfully holding up the work-flow. Ga Ga Doo and Ga Ga Di made full use of Globalsoft funds to be transported to Head Office meetings and back in Mall’s luxury executive taxis, complete with air-conditioning. So all in all, a lot of time and money was spent. Before everyone knew it, Christmas was arriving, and, in the spirit of the season, most people put aside their differences, which even resulted in some joint parties in ‘The Plastic Pot’ and ‘The Rhye Bar’, which were generally good-natured, if one disregards the occasional fracas. As everything was not totally harmonious every time, some neutral territory - a special suite within the conference centre of Globalsoft’s office itself - was used for the Christmas meal, over which the Killer Queen presided with much jollification. It was not very convincing, however, that she won on every cracker she pulled, and therefore collected a whole host of illustrious prizes paid for out of Globalsoft funds. The Bohemians, at least, were absolutely sure that she was up to one of her games. Notably absent from every event, however, was Khashoggi. He usually managed to sneak away early from the office; if anyone caught him to invite him to an after-work drink, he would make some excuse about having to fix his ship.7 He pointed out that, as the festive season was already underway, the ship was in dire need of quick repairs so that he could accommodate all the guests who were going to flock to it for the wildest parties on Mall. ‘Can’t have anyone going down with my wine8– glug glug!’ he would joke. Strangely enough, however, no mention was ever made that those guests might include any of his colleagues at Globalsoft. Nobody managed to establish whether Khashoggi actually sorted out the problems on his ship, as he started to isolate himself during the day, shutting himself in a room called the ‘fish-bowl’ (this was because the occupant(s) could be clearly seen from the outside), but impossible to disturb as he appeared to be permanently on the conference ‘phone. Outside of this apparently constant communication, he hardly spoke to a soul, and on the rare occasions when he took a break, was seen to be looking quite drawn. Of course, this gave rise to speculation that the partying on his ship had, indeed, been carrying on, and proving a little bit too much for a man of his age. Nobody, however, could draw him on any details on such a past event – he just kept on boasting about those that were about to happen. Once the holidays were over, the everyone returned to Globalsoft in the New Year. Work finished on the first day back, Scaramouche caught sight of Khashoggi on his way out of the office. ‘’Ere, we’re going down the Rhye Bar, wanna come too, Khash?’ she asked. ‘Yeah, we wanna drown our sorrows now we’re back to the grindstone…’ added Gazza. ‘Not had enough of the high life over the hols, then?’ asked Khashoggi cheerfully. ‘Well, as a matter of fact, neither have I, and I’ve got a residue of guests to entertain who didn’t make it on to the ship yet. Sorry about that! No-one stops my party!’9 ‘’Ere, Khash, any chance of inviting us to one of these do’s one day?’ inquired Scaramouche. ‘Oh…maybe, it’s just that I’ve so many friends and I owe them first, if you know what I mean!’ and with that he left hurriedly. ‘What d’ya make of all that, then?’ puzzled Cliff. ‘I dunno’ answered Macca. ‘Let’s not worry about it now. The Rhye Bar awaits us!’ With that, they all went off to join Pop, who was already down there. Everybody had a fun time that evening, and thought no more about Khashoggi. The next day, they all arrived in the office as usual, but there was no sign of Pop. He had left the Bar rather suddenly the night before, not indicating if he would return, and, as it turned out, he didn’t.
Just as the four were wondering about this, Pop arrived, looking both white and drawn, as if he hadn’t slept. The Bohemians started asking him concerned questions, but he didn’t answer, just handing a piece of paper to Cliff and indicating that he should read it aloud. ‘I, Khashoggi, name my next of kin as Pop…’ read Cliff from the paper. ‘Next of kin?’ puzzled Galileo. ‘He’s seriously ill in the Mall Infirmary’, explained Pop. ‘He’d named me as his next of kin, but he never told me! So I was called away last night, as the hospital wanted me to sort some things out…’ ‘What’s wrong then?’ asked Cliff. ‘It appears that he collapsed…’ Pop started, but was then interrupted by Scaramouche. ‘Just a minute..you’re named as his next of kin? What about all these friends who came to all of these parties on his ship?’ ‘There is no ship’ answered Pop. ‘Just a houseboat on the Mall canal…’ ‘Hah!’ Macca uttered a noise of stifled irony, but it broke with disbelief at the reality which was being presented to all of them. ‘He had no friends’ Pop went on, ‘it was all a front. He’d written some things down to explain it all. Cliff…’ Pop, exhausted, indicated that he would like Cliff to continue reading from the piece of paper that he was still holding. Cliff complied, starting off with an explanation: ‘It’s a sort of diary - this is how it starts’, and then he read: ‘Sometimes
I feel I'm gonna break down and cry, so lonely The Bohemians listened in stunned silence at this quotation of Mercury’s ancient words, scarcely able to look at each other as the truth was revealed to them. Cliff continued, ‘He goes on, ‘I have carried a burden of regret for many weeks now, that I was just carrying out the Killer Queen’s orders without question and that I hurt a lot of people as a result. Since things started to change, I tried to make amends by being more relaxed about rules, but I love everyone at Globalsoft too much, and should really bring myself to apologise for all the grief I’ve caused…’’ Scaramouche
interrupted; ‘Oh Khash, Too Much Love Will Kill You!’11 Then
Galileo finished her words with ‘It’ll make your life a
lie…’12 Cliff went on. ‘He ends by saying: ‘I didn’t feel it was right to come and socialise after work with anyone, as I felt so bad about myself’’. Then he put the paper down. ‘He definitely wanted you to hear it’ said Pop. ‘How is he?’ asked Galileo in a concerned tone. ‘Still bad, he’s slipping in and out of consciousness’ replied Pop. ‘I know he was horrid before’ said Scaramouche, ‘but I really started to like him, and I wanted him to join us after work, that’s why I asked him’. ‘Well, whatever happens, I think we’ve got to show him that we’re his friends now. ‘Friends will be friends, right till the end…’’13 added Cliff. Gazza, Macca, Scaramouche and Pop all agreed with him, and before logging in that morning, they worked out a rota between them to go and visit Khashoggi as he fought to regain his health.
Khashoggi’s Replacement ‘There’s
a starman waiting in the sky
David Bowie, (Starman) The
Killer Queen was not at all sympathetic about Khashoggi, whom she
perceived as having got ‘soft’. So, a few days later, she
ensured that she enlisted a long-term replacement who was able to
play a lot more by her rules – a man named Bing from the planet
New Mork. The
morning that she announced his appointment, she was at her most
confident and overbearing, moving in straight away with further
enforced changes, allegedly brought about as a result of the
research carried out by the re-engineers: ‘Galileo,
you’ll be sitting elsewhere from now on, that is, in the middle,
with Processing on one side, and Sales on the other’ she
declared, indicating the two departments of 'Ga Gas'.
‘I
see, so ‘we got freaks to the left…jerks to the right’14,
he retorted, at the same time resigning himself to the fact that
he had no choice. ‘We
have to eliminate duplication and disconnects!’ continued the
Killer Queen. ‘Is
that why you’re moving a section of Processing to the planet
Mumbo, and Customer Services to the planet Guinness, and leaving
everyone else here?’ ventured Macca. ‘Silence!
You are not to question my decisions!’ the Killer Queen ordered.
‘What’s more, Galileo, I’m assigning Ga Ga Dee to assist you
with your work!’ ‘Oh
no!’ exclaimed Galileo, ‘it just gets worse…’ but the
Killer Queen had already disappeared. Ga
Ga Dee was one of those people who was so scatty that nobody
wanted her working with them; she had already moved departments
once since the New Year. Gazza desperately wanted to moan at
someone, but there was little chance of reaching the new manager.
Very early on, it was made clear that Bing would not be based in
Globalsoft’s offices, but in a space capsule between the planets
New Mork and Mall, where he could be contacted only by means of
e-mail and video-conferencing. At this very early stage, then, it
was clear that Bing had no interest in coming to meet anyone or in
looking at their work. His apparent belief that he had a divine
status above everyone else earned him the nickname ‘The Emperor
Bing’, the Bohemians having researched the annals concerning the
Queen soundtrack of ‘Flash Gordon’ and found out something
about the characters in the film. So
time went on, Gazza finding the lack of support from Ga Ga Dee
quite tortuous. One day, her incompetence started to get the
better of him, however. It was in the course of a research project
into the origins of overall decline in the quality of pop music,
and he found some details about a show called the ‘X-Factum’
– at least that’s what he thought it said, but he wasn’t
sure, as the last two letters were unclear. He
started telling the others about it; ‘The
X-Factum’, wasn’t that a follow-up to the ‘X-Files’? asked
Macca. ‘Yeah,
I saw something about that, with Mulder and Scully and the Smoking
Man…’ said Scaramouche. ‘Mm,
this has Walsh, Ozzy and the Invisible Man’ observed Gazza,
‘but it seems to contain just as much horror – they appear to
have introduced a new, more gruesome character here, designated as
‘Death On Two Legs’15, or ‘S’, ‘whose
ferocity knew no bounds’’...
‘What
about the Invisible Man, though?’ asked Cliff. ‘Wasn’t he
invented by Queen to guard against such abuses?’ ‘According
to what I have here’, stated Pop, ‘It’s uncertain whether
the Invisible Man was involved in ‘The X-Factum’ - rumour
had it that, at the time, he was still fiddling about with
computer animations in some kid’s bedroom’.16 ‘Well,
you wouldn’t know, would you, him being invisible,
like…’ contributed Ga Ga Dee, clearly thinking that she was
providing a breath of inspiration. The
Bohemians all looked at each other, all appearing to feel the same
pain. ‘Well,
there’s no doubt in my mind that he wasn’t
in the show’ reasoned Gazza, ‘or he would have instilled some
sanity into the proceedings, which, according to these records,
appears to have been sadly lacking. And which we could desperately
do with here right now
as well…’, he finished, looking disdainfully at Ga Ga Dee. Later,
when Ga Ga Dee had gone to lunch, Gazza confided to the other
Bohemians: ‘I can’t stand working with her anymore – she’s
got to go! What do you
say if I inform the Emperor? How do I do it?’ ‘Send
an e-mail, it’s the only way’ responded Scaramouche wistfully.
‘Good luck!’ So
Gazza sent the e-mail, but got nowhere – in fact the Emperor
Bing put out a video broadcast to the whole of Globalsoft stating
that he didn’t want to receive any more e-mails ‘such as that
received from ‘Galileo Gazza’’ and that everyone should be
aware that the re-engineering project continued. Besides, he said,
he was already dealing with the matter ‘Galileo Gazza’ had
raised - in fact he had the matter well in hand. (How anyone was
supposed to know this when he hadn’t told them was anyone’s
guess). So
it was ‘Carry on Globalsofting’17 for everybody,
and the only comfort the Bohemians had, which they shared with
Khashoggi when they visited him, was to find solace in continuing
with the words of the great Mercury that Khashoggi himself
had started to use in his diary: ‘Got
to be some good times ahead…’18
*The Master Tape of Bohemian Rhapsody can be seen in all its glory on Greatest Hits DVD I References: 1
‘Killer Queen’ (Sheer Heart Attack) 2
‘It’s a Hard Life’ (The Works) 3
and 4‘I Can’t Live with You’ (Innuendo/Queen Rocks) 5
Blue Peter, BBC TV 6
The Young Ones, (80s TV
comedy) 7,
8 and 9 ‘Khashoggi’s Ship’ (The Miracle) 10
‘Living on My Own’ (Freddie Mercury) (Greatest Hits III) 11
and 12 ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’ (Greatest Hits III) 13
‘Friends Will Be Friends’ (A Kind of Magic) 14
‘Ride the Wild Wind’ (Innuendo) 15
‘Death On Two Legs’ (A Night at the Opera) 16
‘The Invisible Man’ video (Greatest Hits II DVD) 17 The 'Carry On..' comedy films 18 See 10
My writing © Bohemia-Place.net
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Robert
Grubb
Alex Melcher (Galileo)
DMJ
(Britney)
I
admit it sweetie darlings; I'm a die-hard Queen
fan. I saw them live at Sun City on one of the
nights when Freddie Mercury was actually able to
sing. I attend all their tribute shows. I'm a fan
of Joseph Clark and I adored Queen at the Opera.
I love tribute bands almost as much as the
originals, especially if they're good. Having made
this proviso I will tell you that I thoroughly
enjoyed We Will Rock You, on at Joburg’s
Civic Theatre until mid-July.
As
I have mentioned, there seems to be a problem with
the balance between the lead singer particularly,
and the band, and there were some other ongoing
technical audio problems. Not good for a show
dominated by the music of Queen.
