Legendary comedian, writer and director Ben Elton will make his stage acting debut this summer as ‘The Rebel Leader’ in the smash-hit sensation We Will Rock You at the London Coliseum. The rock theatrical, written and directed by Ben and featuring the songs of Queen, returns to London 21 years after it first exploded into the West End for a strictly limited 12-week season from 2 June – 27 August.
Ben Elton’s multi-award-winning career spans more than 40 years, and includes seminal and groundbreaking television shows, West End plays, West End musicals, best-selling novels and feature films.
Ben Elton said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the incredible London Coliseum cast in the role of The Rebel Leader. The character is a massive Queen fan, rock tragic and general old fart who still plays air guitar to his bedroom mirror – so basically I’m perfect for the role! My ambition is to nail all the laughs and not mess up my song.”
Co-starring with Ben at the London Coliseum are Brenda Edwards (Chicago / Hairspray) as Killer Queen, having previously played the role in the UK tour and the record-breaking Dominion Theatre run and Lee Mead (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang / Wicked) who will play Khashoggi.
Following critical acclaim for their performances in the UK tour, Olivier award nominated actor Ian McIntosh and Elena Skye, reprise their roles as Galileo Figaro and Scaramouche respectively. The cast is completed by Christine Allado (Meat), Adrian Hansel (Brit), Jenny O’Leary (alternate Killer Queen) and the ensemble comprises Glenn Adamson, Laura Ava-Scott, Esme Bacalla-Hayes, Liam Buckland, David Burilin, Victoria Collins, Isaac Edwards, Leanne Garretty, Lucy Glover, Ryesha Higgs, Ellis Linford-Pill, Shak Mancel James, David McIntosh, Danny Nattrass, Jarryd Nurden, Sam Robinson, Madison Swan, Karen Walker and Rebecca Wickes.
It has been 21 years since We Will Rock You premiered at London’s Dominion Theatre in 2002, where it was seen by six million people over 4600 performances during an astonishing 12-year run, becoming one of the most successful musicals in West End history and the longest runner at the Dominion by a margin of nine years. It also found unprecedented popularity around the world, playing to a global audience of 20 million across 28 countries. Featuring 24 of Queen’s greatest hits and a hilarious script by Ben Elton, We Will Rock You succeeds in its promise of delivering a rocking good night revisiting one of the greatest songbooks in history.
We Will Rock You tells the story of a globalized future without musical instruments. A handful of rock rebels, the Bohemians, fight against the all-powerful Globalsoft company and its boss, the Killer Queen; they fight for freedom, individuality and the rebirth of the age of rock. Scaramouche and Galileo, two young outsiders, cannot come to terms with the bleak conformist reality. They join the Bohemians and embark on the search to find the unlimited power of freedom, love and rock!
We Will Rock You is produced by Phil McIntyre Live, Queen Theatrical Productions and Tribeca Theatrical Productions.
