In an odd couple pairing if there ever was one, playwright Craig Lucas and the remaining members of the English rock group Queen are currently developing a new musical, tentatively titled Queen.

According to Peter Franklin, Lucas' agent (reached Jan. 5) the show will tell the story of the rock combo, drawing on several episodes from its career, including the AIDS death of its lead singer, Freddie Mercury.

Lucas will pen the book. The music will be culled from the Queen catalogue. Queen broke onto the music scene in 1974 with the international hit, "Killer Queen." Future hits, all highlighted by a sleek electric sound and Mercury's soaring tenor, included "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions," "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Somebody to Love," "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

Lucas' most recent play was the critically acclaimed The Dying Gaul. Other works include Prelude to a Kiss , Reckless and God's Heart . His previous musical work includes the Sondheim revue Marry Me a Little and the chamber operas Breedlove and Orpheus in Love.

The show is in development and there are no projected dates for a production. -- By Robert Simonson