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Before last year’s biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” sparked heightened interest in Freddie Mercury, the late singer’s band was getting its due on the theater stage. 

“We Will Rock You – The Musical” made its debut in 2002, and the latest production comes to town this week.

Trevor Coll saw the show in 2007 as a high school student in Toronto. He joined the “We Will Rock You” tour this year and stars in the lead role as Galileo. Rather than a biographical story about the rock band, “WWRY” is a futuristic fantasy – with plenty of Queen singalongs throughout the show. 

Question: You play Galileo. Who is he?

Answer: Galileo is kind of a dreamer. He has all these visions of music references in his head, and he doesn’t know how to make sense of them. But he finds this group of bohemians who tell him he’s a prophet that is there to save rock ‘n’ roll music at a time when music and individuality are all prohibited. It’s kind of a hero’s journey in terms of what we go through. It’s a lot of fun because I get to sing a lot of the best Queen tunes out there, like “I Want to Break Free,” “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” So some big shoes to fill from Freddie Mercury’s perspective.

Q: Can the songs of Queen be easily strung into a story or narrative, or does it take some work by the creators of the show to tie them together?

A: I think that Queen’s music is naturally quite theatrical, so their music kind of lends itself to storytelling. Ben Elton, who did create the book of this story, he tied this together in a really fun and futuristic way, using his clever and witty humor. But also the power that’s behind all this music – the music is really the driving force behind the entire arc of this story. 

Q: Why is there this continued interest in Queen where in 2018 you have the hit movie and in 2019 you have a musical show that’s still on the road 17 years after it debuted?

A: Queen is one of the best bands, if not the best band, of all time. They know how to create music that is fun, filled with energy, filled with life and is universal. You can have “We Will Rock You” playing at a hockey game. You can have “Fat Bottomed Girls” playing at a birthday party. You can have “You’re My Best Friend” playing at an engagement party, and you can have “Love of My Life” playing as someone walks down the aisle. There’s so much that their music has to offer for so many different people, and everyone loves the thump-thump-clap, thump-thump-clap beat to “We Will Rock You,” the energy it has. That’s universal. And when music and art can be on such a universal level, it’s something that can bring a world together today more than ever. 

Q: What’s your favorite Queen song to sing?

A: It changes all the time, but when I get to sing “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the start of it, I get to sing the “Mama, just killed a man” line, and the whole audience is singing along, hands are up in the air, it’s pretty euphoric. I can imagine myself watching the show the first time, sitting out in the audience, doing the exact same thing, and realizing what an impact this show and the music has had for me, being able to share it and give that back. It’s pretty unique. 

If you go

What: We Will Rock You – The Musical

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27

Where: Taft Theatre, 317 E. Third St., Downtown; 513-232-6220

Tickets: $64.50-$32.50

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