Goodbye WE WILL ROCK YOU! A look back at the productions history...

Having rocked over 6.5 million people in a record-breaking 12 years at London's Dominion Theatre, the smash hit Queen & Ben Elton musical We Will Rock You is due to close on 31 May 2014. Now the longest running show ever at the Dominion by a margin of nine years, the show takes its rightful place in West End history, sitting proudly in the Top 10 longest running musicals of all time.

The show has now been performed in 28 countries around the globe, and has been seen by a more than 16 million people.

From its opening night at the Dominion on 14 May 2002, We Will Rock You quickly became the overwhelming people’s choice of musical in the UK and overseas. In its second year at the Dominion it won top honours in five categories in the Theatregoers Choice awards presented by whatsonstage.com, including Best New Musical. In 2011, nine years after the curtain first went up, the show won the prestigious Olivier Audience Award, the only category voted for entirely by the public. The show went on to win a number of international awards for productions around the globe.

When the show closes on 31 May 2014, it will have been performed at the Dominion an astonishing 4600 times. Co-creators Brian May, Roger Taylor and Ben Elton had this to say: "We want to thank every one of the many hundreds of incredible musical theatre artists, musicians and crew with whom we've had the privilege of working at the Dominion since 2002. And of course the incredible audiences who have rewarded them with over four and a half thousand standing ovations!”

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To celebrate the West End production of WE WILL ROCK YOU, we take a look at the productions history...

(Click to enlarge pictures)

The opening night of We Will Rock You

Brian May, Anita Dobson, Roger Taylor, Robert De Niro, Debbie Leng & Ben Elton at the opening night of WE WILL ROCK YOU

We Will Rock You perform at Party in the Park

We Will Rock You Original cast

We Will Rock You Orignal Cast: Sharon D Clarke (Killer Queen: 2002-2004, West End) and Alexander Hanson (Khashoggi: 2002-2003 | West End).

We Will Rock You 2nd Anniversary

Mazz Murray (Killer Queen: 2004-2010, 2011 | West End)

We Will Rock You 4th Anniversary

We Will Rock You 5th Anniversary

Alex Bourne (Khashoggi: 2005-2011 | West End), Mazz Murray (Killer Queen: 2004-2010, 2011 | West End)

Colin Charles (Brit: 2005-2007 | West End), Rachael Wooding (Meat: 2006-2007, Scaramouche 2012-2014 | West End)

We Will Rock You 6th Anniversary

Sabrina Aloueche (Scaramouche: 2007-2010, 2011 | West End), Ricardo Afonso (Galileo: 2007-2009, 2010 | West End)

Ian Carlyle (Brit: 2008-2012 | West End), Rachel Tucker (Meat: 2008-2009 | West End)

We Will Rock You 7th Anniversary

Garry Lake (Pop: 2008-2011 | West End)

We Will Rock You London cast, 2009

Peter Murphy (Galileo: 2009-2010, 2010-11 | West End)

Ian Carlyle (Brit: 2008-2012 | West End), Sabrina Aloueche (Scaramouche: 2007-2010, 2011 | West End), Peter Murphy (Galileo: 2009-2010, 2010-11 | West End), Louise Bowden (Meat: 2009-2010 | West End)

Bohemian Rhapsody performed at the 8th Anniversary of We Will Rock You

We Will Rock You 8th Anniversary

Alex Gaumond (Galileo: 2009-2010 | UK Tour, 2011-12 | West End)

Brenda Edwards (Killer Queen: 2009-2010 | UK Tour, 2010-2011, 2011-2014 | West End)

We Will Rock You 9th Anniversary

We Will Rock You perform at the 2012 Olivier Awards

Wayne Robinson (Brit: 2009-2010 | UK Tour, 2012-2013 | West End), Rachel John (Meat: 2010-2013 | West End, Understudy Meat & Ensemble: 2009-2010 | UK Tour)

Sarah French-Ellis (Scaramouche: 2009-2010 | UK Tour, 2010-2011, 2012 | West End), Noel Sullivan (Galileo: 2010-2011 | UK Tour, 2012 | West End)

Lauren Samuels (Scaramouche: 2011-2012 | West End, 2013 | 10th Anniversary World Tour)

We Will Rock You 10th Anniversary

Alisdair Harvey (Khashoggi: 2011-2014 | West End)

Kevin Kennedy (Pop: 2009-2010 | UK Tour, 2010-2014 | West End), Rachael Wooding (Meat: 2006-2007, Scaramouche 2012-2014 | West End), Olivier Tompsett (Galileo: 2012-2014 | West End)

We Will Rock You perform at West End Live in 2013

Rolan Bell (Brit: 2013-2014 | West End, 2013 | 10th Anniversary World Tour), Amanda Coutts (Meat: 2010, 2013-2014 | West End, Scaramouche: 2010-2011 | UK Tour)

We Will Rock You London cast, 2013

London’s West End will suddenly be a lot quieter, come the 1st of June.

#WWRYmemories

Monday, 26 May 2014

Goodbye WE WILL ROCK YOU! A look back at the productions history...