A show crowned is quite a multinational venture.

On tour, a band of South African musicians plays Queen鈥檚 British rock in an Australian company鈥檚 stage production now travelling Canada鈥檚 western provinces, with a stop at .

Originally scheduled for 2020, the Canadian tour was postponed by COVID a couple times before the 36-date run of theatres this spring and summer.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been amazing so far and I鈥檓 loving Canada, my first time here,鈥� Dominic Warren, who sings Freddie Mercury鈥檚 parts, reported in a late-May phone call from Thunder Bay, Ont.

鈥淓very single audience has been full of energy and really appreciative of the show, and it really makes a difference for us on stage when audiences are engaging with us. I鈥檓 really enjoying the energy from crowds so far.鈥�

Showtime Australia鈥檚 musical aims to recreate the look and feel of Queen鈥檚 landmark 1986 Wembley Stadium concert, but not with the exact set of songs.

鈥淲e have all of the outlandish costumes and big light rigs, an LED wall and other things,鈥� Warren boasted. 鈥淚t鈥檚 quite a spectacle in concert form, so there鈥檚 no narrative storytelling. We go out there and play the songs with the same amount of energy that Queen would have done.鈥�

Featured are 鈥淲e Will Rock You,鈥� 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody,鈥� 鈥淯nder Pressure,鈥� 鈥淔at-Bottomed Girls鈥� and other 鈥�70s and 鈥�80s hits.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

Warren rocks the songs with drummer Michael Dickens (as Roger Taylor), bassist Andre Van Der Merwe (John Deacon) and guitarist Rusty Red (Brian May). The singer was first to join the band pre-pandemic, before touring was put on hold.

鈥淭his show has been to Canada before, but not with this cast,鈥� Warren clarified. 鈥淚 signed on in 2018 or 2019, I can鈥檛 recall. Michael and I went to boarding school and played in our first band together. So the moment I got the job I reached out to him, because we get along so well musically.鈥�

Through Cape Town music connections the drummer knew bassist Van Der Merwe, while guitarist Red knew Warren and Dickens from their school days.

鈥淚t just worked out that we enjoy playing together,鈥� Warren said. 鈥淚t makes a difference when you鈥檙e friends playing the music. It can be quite horrible when you鈥檙e not.鈥�

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

The band plays the songs in their original keys 鈥� no easy task for singer Warren. But it sounds like he wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way.

鈥淔unny enough, it鈥檚 what makes the show satisfying and worthwhile for me,鈥� he claimed, 鈥渂ecause there are a lot of (tribute) shows out there doing Queen songs and they鈥檙e dropping the keys by a minor-third or whatever, and I feel that takes the punch away from the music. Freddie used to struggle singing his own songs, and that鈥檚 where the energy comes from, you know 鈥� working extra hard to get to those notes.鈥�

Born a year after Mercury died in 1991, Warren says he鈥檚 a longtime Queen fan who once studied baroque music. He鈥檇 hoped to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, but a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes stalled that pursuit. Instead, he focused more on rock music and later signed on for the starring role in 鈥淨ueen: It鈥檚 a Kinda Magic.鈥�

Today, Warren doesn鈥檛 let his diabetes get in the way of a good performance.

鈥淚t just makes me more conscious of what I鈥檓 doing, and I definitely have to be more aware of my scenarios before I walk on stage, because you can鈥檛 have a sugar crash out there,鈥� Warren explained.

鈥淚t鈥檚 mainly about remaining fit and managing food intake, especially on tour. I run quite a lot and on off days I try to do five or 10K (kilometres), just to keep up my cardio. A fun fact is that just in the first half of this show, I burn about 500 or 600 calories 鈥� that鈥檚 how much energy we burn on stage.鈥�

For 性视界传媒 show tickets, visit or call 604-501-5566. More details about the production are posted on .

tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
Like us on Follow us on and follow Tom on