The legend of Freddie Mercury continues to delight audiences as a flamboyant tribute show celebrates its 25h Anniversary.
Mercury - The Ultimate Queen Tribute rocked The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham.
There are some names in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that will live and shine on forever and one of them is the charismatic and larger-than-life Freddie Mercury.
Born in Zanzibar and named Farrokh Bulsara by his Parsi parents, Freddie Mercury went to boarding school in India and later moved to the UK with his family where he formed rock band Queen with guitarist Brian May and Drummer Roger Taylor.
The music of Queen has travelled far and wide across the globe and the songs feature in films, adverts and even stage shows such as We Will Rock You.
Any Queen tribute act has to be something rather special because it has big, very big, shoes to fill.
Those big shoes in this show, which has been touring successfully around the globe for 25 years, are worn with comfort and ease by Joseph Lee Jackson who performs the iconic part of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury with such conviction and passion that within minutes of appearing on the Alexandra’s stage the audience went wild with ecstasy.
Jackson has studied Mercury to such detail that he captures the late singer’s energetic movements with uncanny authenticity.
The part of Brian May is taken by Glenn Scrimshaw whose exquisite guitar playing – and long curly mane – conjures up memories of an era when music was organic and musicians played their songs for the sheer joy of sharing their music with others.
All of the timeless Queen songs such as I Want to Break Free, We Will Rock You, Radio Ga Ga, We Are the Champions, and the epic Bohemian Rhapsody are performed with such love that members of the audience were standing up and dancing and clapping along to the tracks.
The stunning show not only celebrates the music of Queen but it also highlights the cutting edge and innovative fashion of the group as the band members change their style according to the decade in which the songs were released.
The show boasts stupendous production values with excellent choreography, superb lighting, and a peerless magnetic connection by the lead singer with the audience.
Freddie’s mother was so impressed by the show when she saw it some years ago that she gave it her blessing and praised the incredible love and care invested in the production.
Mercury – The Ultimate Queen Tribute is an electrifying show that rocks the soul.
Verdict: ★★★★★
Mercury - The Ultimate Queen Tribute is currently on a national tour.
Joseph Lee Jackson and Mercury are the best queen tribute we have ever seen