Thursday, September 16, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

MIKE WEATHERFORD: Reaction to 'We Will Rock You' review a mixed bag

Talk about a mixed reaction to a mixed review.

The day my review of the Queen musical "We Will Rock You" ran on Sept. 3, Queen guitarist and musical co-producer Brian May ran his reaction on the "Brain's Soapbox" section of his Web site, Brianmay.com.

"Looks like `Mike Weatherford' is actually about to be one of OUR worst enemies," he wrote. "Maybe someone around Vegas will tell him -- the only thing that will bite the dust is his reputation. I'm not sure who the Review Journal are ... but maybe they need to find a more informed writer."

May also e-mailed the Review-Journal on Sept. 5, forwarding the comments of a fan, prefacing the fan's letter with, "We all saw your review of our new production in Vegas a couple of days ago. We all think you made a giant mistake."

The folks who handle advertising for Caesars Entertainment may not have agreed.

May's comments hadn't yet come to my attention last week when I got a call from Michael Coldwell, the company's executive director of corporate communications. He was giving me a courtesy call to let me know that one of the more generous quotes from the review would probably be used in a forthcoming ad for the show.

I said that as far as I know, I can't stop such things if they don't change words, add exclamation points, etc. When I called Coldwell back Monday and mentioned May's comments, he hadn't seen them either and wasn't sure if the quote would still be used.

For those who missed the (B-) review, I basically liked the music and overall look of the show, but was disappointed by the one-joke premise and the cartoonish, over-the-top acting.

I also thought the show overindulged in breaking the "fourth wall" of theater: "One character talking past the other, straight to the audience (so often) that the actors basically admit they're having us on; that the whole story is so silly it's really not worth following."

May responded, "Young man, I have to tell you that the `fourth wall' bollocks was the first thing to be knocked down, after we got rid of our first London director. It's the whole point of our show -- letting the audience in, to be part of the final discovery. ... You want a fourth wall ? Go back to `My Fair Lady.' Cos you just don't get it !!! Do ya ?!!"

I guess not. I grew up on "Bullwinkle" and Mad magazine. But by the time the characters start talking to the audience about the Freddie Mercury statue in the lobby, they seem to have given up in a way that Henry Higgins never did.

At any rate, May's soapbox will be busy after two out-of-town reviews with similarly mixed feelings. The San Francisco Chronicle called the show a "slight and screwy pile of bones upon which the music of Queen is draped.

"The plot is anorexic... But who cares? The audience loves the show."

The Los Angeles Times pointed out that the Sept. 8 audience was all invited and "reacted giddily to most of the show." But reviewer Richard Cromelin found the production "grows increasingly complicated and incoherent as it crawls to the finish line."

He called it "a cheer-the-hero, hiss-the-villain affair whose only real appeal is in isolated production numbers." ...

"M... Mariachi Passion & Tradition" closes on Sunday at the Aladdin's Desert Passage mall; for the time being its weekly show on Sundays at the Fiesta Rancho will continue.

David Saxe, who operates the Desert Passage theater and produces "V -- The Ultimate Variety Show" there, says he has a couple of strong candidates for the 5 and 10:30 p.m. time slot, but is still open to other pitches. ...

Two shows from producer Nanette Barbera turned out to be nonstarters at the Westin Casuarina. Barbera never reopened "Divas" and "Exposed" after Labor Day weekend; both ended up being performed only twice, once with a mostly free audience to get the show on videotape.

Barbera's contract was limited to 10 weeks because the room is promised to the comedic revue "Forbidden Vegas" on Nov. 19. The producer says the compressed schedule didn't allow her to wait out such problems as the hotel being slow to change its marquee and in-house hold recordings still advertising the David Brenner show before her.

Paul Reder, who leases the room from the hotel, says it was Barbera's choice to close the show and her contract with him called for a minimum two-week run. "I wish I had known in the beginning that she was unable to go the 10 weeks," he says.

Magician Collin Foster moves his "Quicker Than the Eye" from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. until "Forbidden Vegas" opens. ...

Siegfried & Roy are back in the public eye on so many fronts that it's easy to forget what became of their protege, singing magician Darren Romeo, star of an afternoon show at The Mirage in 2002. Now it looks as though you will be able to find him in Branson, Mo., next year.

Romeo spent the summer performing at the Welk Resort Theatre in Branson. A press release now announces a "multi-million dollar four-year contract" to bring him back. He reopens next March. ...

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays.