Queen’s songs to be basis of new stage musical

Associated Press reports that guitarist Brian May and the other surviving members of Queen are collaborating with British playwright-comedian Ben Elton on a stage show based on Queen’s songs. Fronted by gay singer Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS complications in 1991, Queen produced several hits during the 1970s and ’80s, including “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Are the Champions.” “Young people will be in it,” May told London radio station Capital Gold. “There’ll be a lot of Queen songs with some new ideas in there.” Elton most recently wrote The Beautiful Game, a musical about the “troubles” of Northern Ireland, with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. May said he hoped the Queen musical would reach the stage late this year or in early 2002.