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The cast of 16 international musicians, singers and dancers interpret three shows to perfection: The Dream Musical of Abba, The Pulse concert of Pink Floyd and the We Will Rock You concert of Queen. They don’t just stand there, sing and pretend to be these superstars, this show is innovative, supported by sophisticated laser lighting, thought provoking videos, magnificent stage sets and an extremely talented dance troupe.

On arrival at this classy venue, after a complementary glass of champagne in the courtyard, everyone moves into the air conditioned Sala Española which is intimately laid out with well spaced tables for up to five people and discreetly lit by ceiling spotlights. Wherever you sit, you have a great view of the semi-circular stage and the catwalk which culminates in a mini-stage with a piano.

At 9.30pm the Abba show kicks off with Mamma Mia, followed by a string of hits including Dancing Queen, Gimme Gimme Gimme (which cleverly turns into Madonna’s Hung Up), Winner Takes It All, One of Us, Does Your Mother Know, and a medley of Take a Chance on Me, S.O.S., Honey, Honey and Voulez Vous. The costumes are fabulous, musically it is excellent and the choreography brilliant. So much so, that it is difficult to know which aspect to focus on – the singers, the dancers or the first class musicians. The show continues with Chiquitita and ends magnificently with Waterloo.

Following a short break the stage rises in darkness with seven people on board to the sounds of Is there Anybody Out There? Next comes Shine On You Crazy Diamond. The lighting effects are fascinating in this Pink Floyd show, as are the musicians. There are also some highly amusing touches – high level cables run across the front of the stage, and during Learning to Fly, an inflatable spaceman slowly moves across, and for the song Money, a giant pink piggy bank makes the same trip. A high ribbon trapeze dancer cavorts gracefully above the stage as videos are shown while the percussionists are perched high on their own platforms to the left and right of the stage. One of these is show creator and producer Eric Viana and we promise you he is one hell of a drummer! Tribute is paid to the many international singers and musicians who have joined that Great Gig in the Sky, followed by the song Wish You Were Here. During Comfortably Numb the trapeze dancer returns, this time with ropes, and then a wall is built on the stage which eventually partially obscures the performers who are belting out Another Brick in the Wall. The wall breaks and it’s goodbye with Run Like Hell. Anyone who saw the original Pink Floyd tribute when it started life at Pleasure Island will see that it has come a long, long way since then and is far more suited to this big stage setting.

The Queen show opens with One Vision. More fabulous music, vocals and dancers, and lots of Queen hits including Another One Bites the Dust, Radio GaGa and Who Wants to Live Forever featuring a wonderful piano performance by the female keyboard player. Bohemian Rhapsody was a masterpiece, as was Barcelona (the singer who took Montserrat Caballe’s part was breathtaking), and A Kind of Magic during which four male dancers performed somersaults and cartwheels. I Want to Break Free and We Are the Champions ended the show, and there was a final reprise with We Will Rock You involving full audience participation.

What is clear is that all the singers and musicians can turn their hands (or voices) to any type of music, and they do so with passion and grace. If you love stage musicals, you will love this. Performances are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with tickets available from hotel receptions, agencies, or on the door at only €25 for adults and €9 for youngsters from four to 14 years old. Exit Palace is located at Exit 29 from the TF1 motorway, near Siam Park. We wholeheartedly encourage you to go and see this breathtaking show.

This article appears in the print edition 624 of Island Connections

Gallery: Rock Story - The Musical

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