Gary Mullen & The Works’ “One Night of Queen” has enjoyed a thriving, 13-plus year run, due in large part to the striking vocal resemblance between lead singer Gary Mullen and the legendary Freddie Mercury. This weekend, Mullen and his band are bringing their highly-popular show to the Akron Civic Theatre, a Knight Arts grantee.

In a telephone interview with Mullen, the intensely animated and energetic singer talked about how it all got started. In his native Glasgow, Mullen did as many young men did – he sang in local bands with friends and other musicians, figuring he and they were destined to take on the world of rock and roll and become stars. Mullen also sang in local karaoke places, where he kept being told how much he sounded like Freddie Mercury.

His wife and mother apparently thought so too, for in 2000 they entered him into a British TV show called “Stars in Their Eyes,” Mullen said. To his surprise, he got a call for an audition; the next thing he knew, he was scheduled to perform. “It was the most surreal thing,” Mullen noted. But it worked, for Mullen received the most votes ever for any performer on the show – approaching one million – and won the contest. Mullen said the program, which ran from 1990 through 2006, was something like “American Idol,” minus the hefty singing contract and prizes.

What happened instead was that Mullen began getting requests for shows and nightclub appearances. Then came the idea to get together a band and really do it up. Thus “One Night of Queen” was born, and Gary Mullen & The Works have been doing the show since May 2002.

The group’s performance in Akron is scheduled for  this Sunday at 7 p.m.

Critics have noted not only the vocal likeness to Mercury, but the physical resemblance and production values that make the group’s show seem uncannily like seeing the original Queen.

Gary Mullen as Freddie Mercury in “One Night of Queen.” Photo courtesy of Akron Civic Theatre

Mullen commented on that as well. He says the bandmates sat down, looked at the budget they had to work with, and figured out how to execute the show so that the experience was as authentic as possible for the audience. They watched performances by Queen over and over and thought of ways to emulate them.

Gary Mullen & The Works continue to tweak the show. The one we will see, he commented, is the best production ever. Some critics have said the performance has “operatic intensity” and all the qualities of a light show. About the intense lights, Mullen said he feels like a “pizza” by show’s finale.

The group will, to be sure, sing the big works: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “We Are the Champions,” among others. But for die-hard fans, they will add a few lesser-known Queen tunes.

Mullen’s current gig is a long way from his days as a computer salesman. Now he’s on the road, performing wherever there are Queen and Freddie Mercury fans, which is pretty much everywhere. Gary Mullen & The Works have performed recently across Europe – from Austria and Germany, to France and Belgium – and have taken the tour to the other side of the world to Australia and New Zealand. They are coming back to the United States, making a cross-country swath with “One Night of Queen.”

Gary Mullen & The Works will perform “One Night of Queen” at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 8 in the Akron Civic Theatre, 182 S. Main St., Akron; 330-253-2488; www.akroncivic.com. Tickets are $25.