By Daniel Munslow
Queen – It’s a Kind of Magic opened for South African audiences last night at the Joburg Civic Theatre. Craig Pesco (playing the enigmatic Freddie Mercury), Travis Hair (Brian May), Brett Millican (Roger Taylor) and Mitch Cairns (John Deacon) captivated the audience in a 2 ½ hour adrenaline-filled Queen experience. The four talented performers pay tribute to one of the greatest bands of all time, using outrageous costumes, comic relief, and mesmerising lighting and sound effects.
This energetic experience will get you out of your seats and dancing to the tunes 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'We Will Rock You', 'We Are the Champions' and many others. It is impossible not to be swept off your feet and back in time to the legend of Queen and their rightful place in modern popular culture.
In addition to the cast, Peter Freestone was also present for opening night. Peter was Freddie Mercury’s personal assistant and best friend from 1979. In Queen’s final years, he spent more time with Freddie Mercury than even the band members did.
On the offical Queen it's a King of Magic website, Freestone is quoted as saying, " walked away at the end of the sold-out show having had goose bumps a few times during the previous couple of hours! It was great for me, during the course of the set, to watch the audience, and I was really taken back to my first tour, "The Crazy Tour of England", when Queen were playing smaller venues. Queen had the crowd on their feet within the first few songs, exactly like the Queen It’s A Kinda Magic cast did at the show I saw recently, and what was really good was they were able to keep them there for the whole show!
'It's a Kinda Magic' is the right name because it is 'the magic' that you feel when you walk away at the end of one of their shows, humming all those favourite tunes!"
Their global tour
After capturing the hearts of over 250,000 Queen fans and after conquering stages across the globe, Queen – It’s A Kinda Magic is set to rock South Africa. During 2005-2006, the production electrified audiences in France, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Germany, Dubai, Canada, United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
In 2007, the interest in Queen was never higher, with the band upstaging The Beatles as the “greatest British band of all time” (BBC Radio 2 poll, 2007). Queen – It’s A Kinda Magic takes audiences back in time to re-live the energy, excitement and theatrics of Freddie Mercury and the greatest ROCK band in the world.
With 21st century sound and lighting, and a cast that takes magnetism to new heights, this theatrical attraction creates the 1986 world tour of Freddie Mercury and Queen, taking audiences back in time to experience the passion of Freddie Mercury, the amazing guitar solos of Brian May, the thundering rhythms of Roger Taylor and all those unbelievable Queen harmonies.
Fast Facts about Queen – a worldwide phenomenon * 18 Number One albums
* 18 Number One singles
* 8 Number One DVD’s
* Total album sales in excess of 100 million
* 2001 – inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
* 2003 – first and only band inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame
* 2004 – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame
* As of 2005 Queen albums have spent a total of 1,422 weeks or 27 years on the UK album charts; more time than any other musical act including The Beatles and Elvis Presley (Guinness Book of World Records)
* As of 2005, Queen Greatest Hits album best-selling album of all time in UK (over 5.4 million)
* 2007 – Best British Band of All Time (BBC Poll)
Read about Freddie Mercury
here Read about Queen
here For bookings, visit
www.computicket.co.za