The show, which plays tribute to rock band Queen, was written by British author Ben Elton together with band members Brian May and Roger Taylor and has sold more than four million tickets worldwide. A futuristic struggle between good and evil, We Will Rock You is based on Queen's back catalogue which spans more than three decades.
A combination of DPA 4065 and 4066 omnidirectional headband mics were used for all cast members. The mics were supplied by DPA's South African distributor Prosound, whose Mark Malherbe was also the sound designer for the show's South African run. Malherbe loosely based his design on the original, which also specified DPA headband microphones. "As this is essentially a rock show, it needed microphones that can deliver clean, clear sound at high levels, with low visibility, which can be positioned easily for maximum gain," says Malherbe. "They also needed to stand up to the rigours of eight shows a week."
In February at the Naledi Awards, which celebrate South African theatre, Malherbe picked up the accolade in the Best Sound Design category for We Will Rock You. Prosound has also been using DPA microphones on other stage shows in the region, including Jesus Christ Superstar, for which 24 DPA 4066 headbands were deployed, as well as on local cult show Fangs which was first produced in 1978, and which used fourteen 4066s mics on the most recent production.
(Jim Evans)
