Broadway Bound?

So I came across this article today. Apparently Duncan Sheik (who to this day the mere mention of his name gets his annoying catchy one hit song stuck in my head - "And I am barely breathing. I can't find the air...") and a writer for the television show Big Love (which I do watch and enjoy) are teaming up to write a musical based on the movie "American Psycho."

I'll repeat that: a musical based on the movie "American Psycho"

Now, don't get me wrong, I love me some Christian Bale as much as the next girl, but even I cannot deny his absolute creepiness in that movie. I mean, have you seen it?!?!!? He drops a chainsaw down the stairs after a girl. A chainsaw!

Where am I going with this, you ask?

Oh, readers, don't you know me by now?

To Queen, of course. 

Several years ago, Dr. May, RT and Ben Elton co-created a musical based on Queen's music. We Will Rock You has been playing for seven years, primarily in London but occasionally elsewhere throughout Europe and one brief stint in Las Vegas. (And potentially soon at the high school where my mother teaches as I demanded that she request the rights to perform it! I will be in charge of publicity, i.e. convincing RT and Dr. May to show up on opening night as they frequently do abroad.)

I've not seen it, but it looks freakin' awesome (I mean it's a Queen musical. That in and of itself is amazing!)

Why have I not seen it? Well, because We Will Rock You has not yet come to Broadway.

Just last month, Dr. May addressed the issue on his website (Thu 21 Jan 10, Queen and America). Basically he says: "No, no we haven't forgotten about the U.S., but we're so much more popular elsewhere. And what if the show gets bad reviews - you Americans don't like us as much as the English did so we wouldn't be able to survive them." I'm paraphrasing, obviously. Dr. May is very diplomatic as he explains that Queen won't bring We Will Rock You to Broadway because it might not be a success because Americans don't like Queen as much as the rest of the world does.

Here's where I disagree.

To say that Americans don't like Queen is garbage. In December 2009, Billboard (the American publication) released the top selling albums of the decade (2000-2009), Queen: Greatest Hits is number 6 on the list. Not convinced? We Will Rock You (the song) was recently named the most-played song at NFL, NHL, and MLB games last season (2009).

So to say Americans don't appreciate Queen is a bit of a cop-out, don't you think Dr. May? We seem to appreciate you an awful lot given that you've basically ignored us for the last twenty-odd years. Imagine if you actually paid attention to us! Mamma Mia is a tremendously successful musical based on the music of ABBA. Using your logic, Americans must love ABBA. The truth is that most Americans, myself included, probably know a few songs. That doesn't mean I still can't enjoy the musical (or in my case, the movie based on the musical).

I daresay that Americans have a much stronger affinity for Queen as a band than we do for ABBA. If you stand behind your show, you should bring it to America. Give us the chance to show you that we Americans appreciate Queen. You're right - most Americans probably don't know the Queen catalog backwards and forwards like I do, but they never will until you start actually marketing over here!

Um, and one last thing, Dr. May: American Psycho: The Musical is potentially coming to Broadway. I think us Americans might be ready for We Will Rock You.