An Epic Disappointment: The Pirate Queen

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 3:43am

Being that the Pirate Queen wraps up its Chicago tryout tomorrow afternoon, I thought I would catch the show tonight at the end of its initial run and prior to its (hopefully vast) improvements for a Broadway run.

To put this the best way that I can, The Pirate Queen is a genre in search of a musical. It seems the the creators have chosen the broad subjects of "pirates" and "irish dancing", and have attempted to combine the two into a typically grand, epic, pop-operatic musical that Boubil and Schonberg have so ably proven themselves at in the past. The problem is, the story they have chosen that fits the two genres, that of Grania O'Malley and her struggle to retain an independant Ireland, sadly does not have a naturally dramatic build or climax that such epic musicals depend on. B&S' two other massive hits, Miss Saigon and Les Mis are smartly based on works of fiction that already have in place well constructed dramatic arcs. The challenge in these cases is fitting into a three hour span such epic and time-spanning works. While Pirate Queen has such a challenge, it has the additional issue of working with a historical timeline that is not inherrently dramatic. A diplomatic conversation between two heads of state behind closed doors is simply not worthy of the climax of an epic "pirate" tale whose previous conflicts up till that point have included multiple sword fights, a rousing sea storm, cannon fire, and engulfing flames. Of course, the challenge is to remain faithful to the actual events. Yet the current climax of "talking it out behind closed doors" simply destroys what very little dramatic momentum the Pirate Queen has going for it.

At first I wondered why B&S chose to premeire this work first in the US, when they previously scored such big hits by playing the West End prior to Broadway. I thought such an epic megamusical surely could have been better guided by a grand British visionary. That question immmediately was answered upon the first glimpse of the cartoonish English court that the PQ employs as the main antagonist. In the world of PQ, the English are a rediculously decoric and refined people whose queen is more concerned with appearing "Queenish" that actually ruling a vast empire. Every ridiculously shrill song that comes out of Queen E's mouth says amazingly little besides what it is to be queen and how important it is to be respected. While this is fine for a Spamalot-like interpretation of the British empire, it is far too broad and cartoonish to ever be taken as a serious threat to Grace or her people. On the other side of this, the Irish I feel are also not given their due in terms of cultural exploration. The PQ essentially portrays the Irish as a rip roaring, rowdy sing-along bunch who perform typical Irish dancing whenever possible. While I realize intricate and detailed portrayals of entire cultures are impossible to ever convey truly effectively onstage, I would expect a musical epic that takes itself so very seriously would attempt to steer clear of bland stereotype.

Lastly, comes the problem at the piece's center: the music. Sadly, this is probably B&S' most unmemorable score to date. From an Enya-like, slow going overture all the way through to the final bland ballad, the music never once leaves the dock to truly "sail" as it should. There are a few bright spots that clearly have the workings of a swell musical. But for the most part, what is left onstage is a lot of earnest singing and very little emotional impact. All of Queen Elizabeth's music needs to go in my opinion. The absolutely piercingly shrill quality they have chosen for the queen says nothing about a figure who surely had just as brassy of "balls" as Grania OMalley ever had. Queen Elizabeth, no matter what the creators wish us to think of her, is far more worhty of a complicated and inticate character than they are granting her in this piece. And in fact, in my final opinion, a far more interesting musical would have been the female struggle in the Mary Stuart story of the conflict between Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scotts. And as we all know, THAT had one hell of an ending a lot more interesting than a heated "conversation."

In conclusion, I simply cannot recommend this current incarnation of PQ. But seeing as the show closes tomorrow in Chicago, I dont feel that such a review is capable of damaging any possible ticket sales. All I can hope is that some SERIOUS work takes place in the months leading to Broadway. If it doesn't, a sure flop is in the making.
Updated On: 11/26/06 at 03:43 AM

[mauriposa]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 4:21am

I saw PQ on Friday, and I couldn't agree with you more. I found myself bored in several spots, a problem I don't ususally have when I go to the theater. And I absoultely share your opinion about the anticlimatic ending. I liked the sentiment and the idea that conflict can be solved without violence, but as a great big ending, it just doesn't work.

For me, the show's only saving grace (no pun intended) is Stephanie J. Block. She was the only reason I was able to invest myself in the story. Well, her and the set and lighting. They were both inventive and interesting, a couple of qualities the show itself seemed to lack.

I wasn't planning on seeing this show. I've neven been a fan of musicals like Les Mis - I'm much more of a RENT-Q-Drowsy-ACL-Spelling Bee type of theater person. But I promised my best friend that I would take her. And, really, I am glad that I saw it. Overall, I had a good time. The show does have its moments. I just never see myself sitting down and listening to the recording the way I do so many others.

[Eileen2]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 12:14pm

I saw the show earlier this month and I agree with your review. Stephanie J. Block was the saving grace of this production. I didn't mind the premise, I did think it was interesting, but poorly executed. I'm hoping they can make vast improvements prior to opening. I'm just concerned that being in such a large theater with a poor out of town word of mouth, that they will be fighting an uphill battle.

Eileen

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 12:30pm

Don't fret, they are adding MORE Irish dancing for Broadway!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 12:34pm

Am I the only Irishman in NYC not to have seen any version of Riverdance?

I hope it makes it as we were looking forward to seeing it. What originally looked like a halfway decent year for musicals is starting to look rather bad - after Grey Gardens

[pndmnd]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 1:50pm

I saw Pirate Queen on Wednesday, and couldn't DISAGREE with you more! Coming from an Irish family, I already knew the story of Granuaille, so that might have something to do with my enjoyment of the show. I loved the music, and can't wait for the recording to come out this spring. You mention the Enya-like overture, which is true. They used traditional Celtic instruments, instead of a traditional orchestra. I also thought that the voices were amazing.

As for the portrayal of the English, the contrast between the lavishly dressed Brits and the roughly dressed Irish is part of the point. The British royalty at tha time were the "haves" and the Irish were the "have nots". In some ways I feel as if I saw a different show than you, because I enjoyed the journey that Queen Elizabeth took. She starts out very superficial, but then realizes that there is more to life. She starts to stand up for herself, and become more aware of how her appointees are handling things overseas.

While the Irish didn't always dance in the step-dance style, they did always dance. It has been a huge part of the culture, and having them break into dance during the wedding and christening is very true to the culture. As for your perception that the Irish are portrayed only as a rip-roaring, rowdy sing-along bunch, I disagree. I thought that there were many cases where the tightness of the clans and the country were shown (like when the O'Flahnery clan goes with Grania to see her father, and when her crew aids her in the dismissal of her husband).

I will admit that the first scene starts a little slow, but I'm also very confident that that will be fixed by the time Pirate Queen opens in New York. I also wanted to add that the sets were very simple, but very striking.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 1:56pm

It's really like Eugene Lee can't go wrong. He probably struck a deal with the devil.

[Eileen2]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 2:07pm

Mr. Roxy...

My guess is that you're probably one of the few Irish who haven't seen Riverdance from the area. When it came out, I definitely was ready to see it.

Eileen

[o.0]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 2:32pm

One of my problems with the show was that I never saw Grace as a "pirate". She was a strong female leader, yes, but pirate? Not really. We heard about her pirating from the English, but I could never really see her character doing some of those things. The swordfighting was a little sloppy, which probably added to my disbelief, though.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 3:39pm

"A diplomatic conversation between two heads of state behind closed doors is simply not worthy of the climax of an epic "pirate" tale whose previous conflicts up till that point have included multiple sword fights, a rousing sea storm, cannon fire, and engulfing flames."

The cannon fire and rousing sea storm are very effectively rendered in Pirate Queen. Perhaps this is because these effects depend heavily on Jonathan Deans' brilliant sound design. The multiple sword fights didn't do much for me. I suppose it's unreasonable to expect a woman who has just given birth to do really theatrical sword fighting.

>Of course, the challenge is to remain faithful to the actual events.

No, the challenge is to write a decent book for this show. I've read numerous posts that have cried "historical accuracy" in defence of PQ's stunningly lame ending. Supposedly the meeting between Grania and Elizabeth can only be shown behind a screen because there isn't a transcript of exactly what was said. Meanwhile most of the other plot details in the show have been made up out of whole cloth. Tiernan and Donal certainly aren't historical figures. No one named Lord Bingham was ever sent to the Tower of London for "disrespecting" Irish women. A quick perusal of the source novel "Grania She King of the Irish Seas" would yield plenty of promising material that could be used punch up this show. As far as I can tell this novel has only been used to come with character names so far. The problem with The Pirate Queen isn't a lack of interesting subject material.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 11/26/06 at 4:02pm

I love Pirate Queen SOOOO MUCH.


As a matter of fact, I just got really sad because I looked at the clock, and realized that they are about halfway through with their last Chicago show....so sad!!

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 11/27/06 at 9:46am

pndmnd, your defense of the show is on such a surface level. Queen Elizabeth didn't have nearly enough stage time to make any sort of a convincing turn in attitudes. And yes, it is quite obvious that the english have more than the Irish. I am saying that it need not be so obvious on such a bland, loudly stereotyped level. The English looked like something out of Monty Python, in their marching, in their swordplay, and in their RIDICULOUS accents. Lord Bingham need only twirl his greasy mustache while laughing menacingly to give more of a comically evil performance.

They can go one of two ways. If historical accuracy is the point of this show and it is meant to be a piece to educate its audiences, then PLEASE give us a little more than broad stereotypes. SOme nuance and reliance on the audience's own intelligence might be of use. Or if they want to totally rip apart history and make for a good musical with a compelling plot, then the entire ending has to go. It's a challenge no doubt. I would like to see a little of both.

And as for the "traditional Celtic instruments" two words: Electric Guitar.

[pndmnd]

Posted: 11/27/06 at 4:18pm

Theatreboy, a character doesn't need to be in every scene of a show in order for them to have a journey and a change of attitude. If you listen to the lyrics of "She Who Has All" and watch Queen Elizabeth, you see her realizations taking place.

Also, I never said that all of the instruments were traditional, I just said that they used them.

We all have a right to our opinions, so lets respect that and just agree to disagree.