The show opened at the Dominion Theatre on May 14, 2002. A recent ad in Variety did not specify a start date or city for the American road show.

We Will Rock You is set in the future, in which a global corporation-style government authorizes bland music. A young rebel proves his right to lead the youth of the world when he finds the equivalent of the Arthurian sword—an electric guitar—stuck in the stone.

One of the producers of the London show is film star Robert De Niro, who is involved by way of his production company, Tribeca Productions. He met members of Queen several years ago at the Venice Film Festival where he saw videos of Queen in concert. "I thought it would be great to make a musical out of their story," he said at a 2002 press conference.

No new songs were written for the score. Instead, in the tradition of Mamma Mia! and Movin' Out, the rock group's existing songlist was shaped into a musical narrative.

The cast recording CD was released in May.