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De Niro helps produce musical featuring Queen songs
By MATT WOLF
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) -- Robert De Niro, a man of few words, met the media to sing the praises of a new West End musical scored to the music of the rock group Queen.
The idea for the show "seemed like a great idea to me," De Niro said of "We Will Rock You," the London show opening May 14 at the Dominion Theater after three weeks of previews.
"It was that simple," said the actor, living up to his reputation of brevity.
De Niro and business partner Jane Rosenthal's Tribeca Productions is one of three producing entities behind the spectacle, which has a company of 37.
At $10.3 million, "We Will Rock You" is among the costliest West End musicals to date. Tribeca Productions has a 25 percent share in the show, which will play one of London's largest venues -- the 2,016-seat Dominion Theater.
Much of the budget is going toward lavish laser effects, said the musical's book writer, Ben Elton. Eight huge plasma screens have been rented for the production at a cost of more than $1.5 million.
With its futuristic scenario, "We Will Rock You" has been nearly six years in the making, dating back to a meeting at the 1996 Venice Film Festival between De Niro and Queen band members Brian May and Roger Taylor.
De Niro, who was planning to be in London for only 24 hours, said the material had gone through several stages to get it right for a musical, including moving away from anything specifically autobiographical toward Elton's quasi-fantastical narrative.
Elton, best known as a stand-up comic, was the lyricist on the last Andrew Lloyd Webber show, "The Beautiful Game," which received generally good reviews but ended up a commercial flop.
The story of Queen includes the death of lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, who died from AIDS in 1991 at the age of 45. The show could have become "very heavy," said May, the group's guitarist.
Instead, "We Will Rock You" taps into the same nostalgic vein that has made an international smash out of the ABBA-scored "Mamma Mia!"
The current show, which draws upon 31 hits from the Queen songbook, can turn to a Queen back catalog that includes such songs as "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are the Champions" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."
And it is possible the show might have potential beyond the stage. Asked about a movie, De Niro said, "Very possibly, absolutely. It's something new and exciting for us."
De Niro helps produce musical featuring Queen songs
By MATT WOLF
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) -- Robert De Niro, a man of few words, met the media to sing the praises of a new West End musical scored to the music of the rock group Queen.
The idea for the show "seemed like a great idea to me," De Niro said of "We Will Rock You," the London show opening May 14 at the Dominion Theater after three weeks of previews.
"It was that simple," said the actor, living up to his reputation of brevity.
De Niro and business partner Jane Rosenthal's Tribeca Productions is one of three producing entities behind the spectacle, which has a company of 37.
At $10.3 million, "We Will Rock You" is among the costliest West End musicals to date. Tribeca Productions has a 25 percent share in the show, which will play one of London's largest venues -- the 2,016-seat Dominion Theater.
Much of the budget is going toward lavish laser effects, said the musical's book writer, Ben Elton. Eight huge plasma screens have been rented for the production at a cost of more than $1.5 million.
With its futuristic scenario, "We Will Rock You" has been nearly six years in the making, dating back to a meeting at the 1996 Venice Film Festival between De Niro and Queen band members Brian May and Roger Taylor.
De Niro, who was planning to be in London for only 24 hours, said the material had gone through several stages to get it right for a musical, including moving away from anything specifically autobiographical toward Elton's quasi-fantastical narrative.
Elton, best known as a stand-up comic, was the lyricist on the last Andrew Lloyd Webber show, "The Beautiful Game," which received generally good reviews but ended up a commercial flop.
The story of Queen includes the death of lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, who died from AIDS in 1991 at the age of 45. The show could have become "very heavy," said May, the group's guitarist.
Instead, "We Will Rock You" taps into the same nostalgic vein that has made an international smash out of the ABBA-scored "Mamma Mia!"
The current show, which draws upon 31 hits from the Queen songbook, can turn to a Queen back catalog that includes such songs as "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are the Champions" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."
And it is possible the show might have potential beyond the stage. Asked about a movie, De Niro said, "Very possibly, absolutely. It's something new and exciting for us."
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