Kings Theatre, Portsmouth – until Saturday 24th October 2026
Reviewed by Sally Lumley
4****
With Music and Lyrics by Queen, and story and script by Ben Elton, We Will Rock You is the latest production by Portsmouth Theatres at the Kings Theatre.
Set in a dystopian future where music and individuality have been eradicated in favour of social media conformity, We Will Rock You is set in a world ruled by the GlobalSoft Corporation and its fabulously evil leader, Killer Queen (Emma Hall). Outcast dreamer, Galileo Figaro (Charlie Frame), and the rebellious Scaramouche (Megan Parkes), join forces with underground revolutionary group the Bohemians to fulfil an ancient prophecy and bring rock and roll back to the world.
If you think the plot sounds a little out there, you’d be absolutely right. It’s not the strongest element of the show and the script feels a little dated in places. However, We Will Rock You never takes itself too seriously, and while the story is a little outlandish, the sheer number of fantastic Queen anthems that are shoehorned into the plot more than makes up for it. There are so many great Queen songs, the hits just keep coming. The audience was itching to join in and, in the parts of the show where this was encouraged by the actors, they did so enthusiastically.
Portsmouth Theatres in-house productions bring professional production standards and experience to locally produced theatre, and that professionalism really shines through in We Will Rock You. We’re so lucky to have a theatre on our doorstep showcasing local talent.
Charlie Frame as Galileo and Megan Parkes as Scaramouche have a sparky dynamic on stage and their partnership is one of the real strengths of this production. Both have time to shine vocally and complement each other beautifully. Frame really comes into his own in the finale when he gets to belt out Bohemian Rhapsody in the encore; he takes the opportunity to channel a little more Freddie Mercury, and it’s a real treat. Emma Hall absolutely made the most of her limited time on stage as Killer Queen, delivering a fabulously vampish performance. Meanwhile, Ben Irish as Brit and Georgie-Rose Rust as Oz bring great chemistry and energy to the Bohemians. For us, the highlight of the night came when the band was revealed, getting its moment in the spotlight to rock out alongside the cast during the encore. It was a fantastic way to round off an evening packed with such legendary songs.
We Will Rock You is an entertaining night out, delivering one classic Queen anthem after another. With superbly performed iconic music and a rhapsodic finale, this crowd-pleaser had us singing all the way home.