Queen came and went, and while few of us caught the magic at Chowdiahs yesterday night, the rest of the city will just have to wait and let luck have pity of them. Encores will be welcomed
Queen came and went, and while few of us caught the magic at Chowdiahs yesterday night, the rest of the city will just have to wait and let luck have pity of them. Encores will be welcomed
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I wasn't really expecting anything at all when I went to see this show, for when it comes to school performances, we all know, it's more about the lights, costumes and 'that's my kid up there' than expectations of fabulous performances. They are kids after all, I thought and here's a musical that's not a fairytale but actually a fantasmic future narrative that celebrates the god's of rock -- yes, I'll take them seriously!
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Was I in for a lesson in presuppositions! 'Rock U' not only bowled me over, it left me singing and humming Queen favourites all night long. As I write this review, I am still picturing sequences from the performance and I am still immensely impressed.
It's not like Bangalore doesn't have good musicals, we probably have the best in the country, with our Leila Alvares' and recent spectaculars like 'Under da sea,' yet for a gay man like me, a musical has to be magic -- there's no escaping 'creating a performance that leaves you gasping for breath' even while it's on.
I saw that magic earlier tonight and now hardly a few hours later, I am reviewing it. Will I wake up tomorrow wondering if I praised it far too much? Will I wonder if I was probably carried away by the moment? Quite frankly (and this is after much speculation, negation and replacing of words) I think not!
Kevin Oliver deserves a round of applause for using not only the 'art of exaggerated narrative' but adding and perfectly blending far more modern mediums to give the much-musical-starved Bangalore audience a musical to remember. I personally loved the clothes and costuming and a special mention goes out to whoever styled young 'Galileo Figaro.' Kudos to whoever chose him (Darien Gomes) and Scaramouche (Malavika Das), my other favourite however, was Killer Queen (Sharon Lobo) -- Girl! You've got quite a voice! Here was a set of young talented kids showing us that they could pull off a musical that emphasized on legends from an era far earlier than theirs. Even I didn't grow up to 'Queen' and most of the legends that tributes were paid to yesterday night! Yet, the kids recreated (in their own unique ways) the energy, glamour and soul that went into most of the compositions sung on stage.
Goosebumps and several chilled spine sections later, I emerged wanting to kiss the director and pat those young ones' backs in appreciation. Job well done indeed.
The show did have a few technical snags and that somehow ironically as it might seem, lightened up the whole situation. The backstage mikes that seemed to come on at their own whim and fancy during the show, were the cause of much humour in the audience.
What I didn't understand however was why the kids weren't allowed to sing Bismillah and Beelzebub during the final rendition (Bohemian Rhapsody), which was otherwise fabulous! This wasn't Dubai no? We're allowed to say those words. This is Bangalore, where it's almost murderous to allow the alteration of words in such a classic. But then again, since they excelled in practically everything else, we'll overlook that. I hope you hear us Kevin, when we say we're looking forward to a few more such splendid musicals?
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