Brian May surprises Queen musical audience in Portsmouth

Theatre-goers were treated to a surprise guitar solo from rock legend Brian May.

The Queen guitarist made his guest appearance during the Bohemian Rhapsody finale to the We Will Rock You musical as it began its UK tour at the Kings Theatre in Portsmouth.

The tour was cancelled when Covid-19 first struck in 2020.

The theatre's artistic director Jack Edwards described the moment as "incredible".

He said theatre staff were only made aware earlier in the day that May would be performing during Tuesday night's show.

"To have Brian May here at the Kings Theatre - it was a real coup. It was phenomenal - the audience went absolutely wild," Mr Edwards added.

The theatre recently fully reopened after lockdown restrictions eased.

"It feels like it's getting back to normal - people just want to be entertained and what better way than to come to the theatre and get the shock of your life?" the director said.

Dominic Booth, who plays Swing in the production, later posted that singing Bohemian Rhapsody accompanied by May was "a ONCE in a lifetime opportunity and I will treasure it forever!".

"I'm not over it, I don't think I ever will be over it," he added.

Many of the cast members have not performed since the tour was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Speaking before the show, writer and director Ben Elton said: "We've been in mourning for our culture so to come back and see the wires and the bells and the whistles and the crew all working - we're back at work doing what we do."

The show is based around Queen hits including Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga and Another One Bites The Dust.

The production has been seen by more than 16 million people in 28 countries and ranks among the longest-running musicals in West End history.