It’s not a Broadway spectacle, but it’s not your regular tribute show, either. The Music of Queen lies somewhere in between, combining an anthemic rock ‘n roll performance of Queen’s biggest hits with the backing power of the locally-based, 46-person strong NSO Symphonic Pops Orchestra. This Friday, it all comes to the Dubai Media City Ampitheatre.
“The show is called a ‘rock symphonic’ because it blends both worlds,” vocalist Jason Wooten told tabloid!.
Wooten is one of four leading singers in the show, coming from the London West End musical, We Will Rock You. The other three are Julie Stark, Pete Eldridge and Jenna Lee James. Along with the orchestra, the foursome are joined by a full rock band who have all been auditioned by Queen themselves, and altogether, the performers make up more than 70 people.
Upon first glance, Wooten said, the show appears to be a typical symphony concert, with the orchestra and the maestro all in formal attire.
“But then you begin to notice the rock band in their rock ‘n roll clothing. Next, the singing starts and we take over every inch of the stage, bringing the show to the audience and getting everyone involved,” he said.
“It’s such a great feeling to watch the orchestra light up when they get to play something as visceral as rock ‘n roll.”
For Wooten, living and loving rock ‘n roll has been a lifelong reality, with his love for Queen starting in his childhood home.
“I even had an old 45rpm record of Another One Bites the Dust and We Are the Champions. It was a common occurrence in my household after any sort of competitive game for the victor to sing Champions loud and proud,” he said. “Now my favourite song to sing is probably the most difficult, Who Wants To live Forever. It’s such an epic song, especially with Richard Sidwell’s arrangement.”
Sidwell, a 1987 graduate of the London College of Music, conducts the two-hour show from start to finish, leading the performers through all of Queen’s biggest hits, from We Will Rock You, Somebody to Love and A Kind of Magic to Fat-Bottomed Girls, Don’t Stop Me Now and the karaoke-favourite, Bohemian Rhapsody.
“Queen is famous for including incredibly rich harmonies in many of their songs that is often achieved by recording their voices over and over again,” Wooten said, explaining the need for an orchestra. “We are a group of only four singers. Therefore, if one or two of us are singing the lead, it falls upon the others to fill in what can be a full choir’s worth of harmonies.”
Wooten has a wealth of experience when it comes to showmanship, having performed in eight Broadway shows, including Footloose, The Rocky Horror Show and Grease. But to prepare for his role in this particular stage show, he makes it his mission to listen to Queen’s live recordings and studio albums, picking out the changes in frontman Freddy Mercury’s technique.
“Freddy’s voice was amazing, but singing live is on a completely different level due to travel, weather, etcetera,” he said. “He often changed up songs and discovered more interesting phrases to use. It was Brian May who pointed this out to me while I was starring in We Will Rock You in Las Vegas.”
May, Queen’s guitarist-vocalist, as well as Roger Taylor, the band’s drummer-vocalist, both performed with Wooten at the opening night of We Will Rock You in Las Vegas.
“It’s still a blur of joy and adrenaline,” he said. “Brian and Roger are two of the coolest people on the planet. Roger Taylor is the epitome of the title rock star. His coaching for my performance was always geared towards swagger and style, and he still sings like that now. Brian May has to be the nicest man I’ve ever met, and one of the most intelligent. His understanding of music is unparalleled and his gracious and humble demeanour is proof that success does not always spoil the human spirit.”
