The premiere of "Queen - Mercury the Legend" on July 4 kicked things off and was sold out to the last seat. Under the direction of Michael Fichtenbaum and the brilliant choreographic performance of Florient Cador, the audience experienced an evening full of energy, passion and rock'n'roll history. Cador himself slipped into the role of rock icon Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991, and impressively brought his dancing presence, gestures and facial expressions to the stage. Nichika Shibata powerfully and devotedly embodied Mercury's inner conflict, while Benjamin Skupien showed real rock star potential as guitarist Brian May. Former ORF newsreader Hans Georg Heinke hosted the evening as manager Jim Beach. Together with the Europaballett St. Pölten, they revived Queen's musical and dance heritage. Live recordings and original sound sequences provided additional "Mercury power" - the audience celebrated the evening with enthusiasm and great applause.
The evening's guests included Mayor Matthias Stadler, National Councillor Robert Laimer, Provincial Councillor Eva Prischl and Provincial Councillor Martin Antauer. Photo credit: Josef Bollwein (Guests Europaballett)
