#1
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.
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
