Avast, Mateys! My Thoughts on THE PIRATE QUEEN- Page 2

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 3:13pm

At first I thought his name was pronounced like the character from LOTR.

And yes, Hadley has a fantastic voice.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 3:31pm

Wow, I'm gone all day and the responses sky-rocket!

WishingWells - Currently playing, the spectrum would be something like this, in terms of personal enjoyment:
The Producers (Really Good), Tarzan (Really Bad). Pirate Queen would fall directly in the middle.

ashley0139 - sad to say the show is now frozen, in advance of the April 5th opening. It's a shame - there's a lot they could do in the 2 week span to improve it.

jv92 - The Tony belongs to Ebersole - everything else is still up for grabs.

Popular - why the heck would they replace one of the kids? It's not like the part takes skill....

[Popular]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 4:49pm

I have no idea.

Personal reason/family emergency? A better opportunity came up?

My guess is as good as yours.

It could be any number of reasons. I would hope it wasn't anything personal but who knows.

[Lady Italy]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 4:58pm

Thanks Yankeefan for your review. I am very happy to see that you did not find the Pirate Queen in such a negative mindset. I knew judging for yourself, you might be pleasantly surprised.

[Weez]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 5:29pm

Just come back from the show. I rather enjoyed it. It wasn't stunningly amazing or anything, but it was a good afternoon out and I'll definitely buy the cast recording.

The audience this afternoon actually really enjoyed Donal's death. I swear, they actually applauded more for that moment than any of the singing. XD

I liked the sets quite a bit. I HATE it when sets are too literal. It bores me and generally looks too fussy.

Choreography was definitely wonderful, and I thought Evleen was used a suitable amount considering the size of the other roles in comparison with hers.

Absolutely LOVED Dubhdara's wig. I just want to run my fingers through it and purrrrr. :3

Some people have complained about Grace and Elizabeth simply going behind a screen instead of having a big dramatic climax. I actually thought that worked better. In horror movies, the beast you imagine is always more terrifying than the one you see. I think the same principle applies here. These ladies are both so titanic in their ways that any attempt to explicitly show a several-hour discussion between the two would've just fallen a bit flat.

I'm all for cutting children if they're nasty little brats that talk and rustle candy wrappers and chat on their cellphones while eating their smelly food having waltzed into their seats ten minutes late. Adults too, for that matter.

Also Hadley was wonderful. May I take him back to the UK with me please?

[kec]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 5:44pm

"Also Hadley was wonderful. May I take him back to the UK with me please? "

Not yet, Weez... let him get his Tony nomination first.

[queenbee2]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 6:13pm

It's nice to see some constructive discussion, both positive and negative, going on about Pirate Queen.

YankeeFan- Glad you gave it a chance, and thanks for your review. I agree with most of your points, I have to say. The one thing you brought up, where I think you hit the nail on the head, is the way the English scenes hurt the MOMENTUM of Act 1. I couldn't figure out why those scenes bothered me (other than due to the odd tone, as I've discussed ad nauseum), but you're right- every time the show cuts to England, it feels as though all of the energy that has been built up in Ireland dissipates. Every time I start to get sucked in to the Grace/Tiernan/Donal story, the show cuts to England and I start to tune out a bit. Then I have to reinvest once they cut back to Ireland. Frustrating.

I also thought they could have made a bigger "moment" out of Donal's death. As it plays now, it is ALMOST really exciting. I feel like it could be as much as a different lighting cue to emphasize the moment (although I think the lighting throughout the show is simply spectacular. this particular moment could use a bit of help). But it's good to hear from WEEZ today that the moment Tiernan killed Donal got great applause. At the varying performances I've seen, the response has been everything from enthusiastic cheers and applause to very little reaction at all. Maybe it's a timing thing?

Happy to hear you liked some of the performances, and that you think Stephanie should get nominated for her work. I couldn't agree more. I know some of us started to discuss this in another thread, but what other nominations could you see coming out of this? Even if the reviews aren't amazing, I think there are a lot of "award/nomination worthy" elements up on that stage. Just wondering how you thought they might do come Tony time.

Thanks again for the constructive review.

-QB
Updated On: 3/24/07 at 06:13 PM

[queenbee2]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 6:13pm

posted twice- sorry.
Updated On: 3/24/07 at 06:13 PM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 6:19pm

Thus far, I predict nominations for Stephanie (though she gets the wildcard spot - it's between her and Laura Bundy. Once I see Blonde, I'll make my final call), Fraser or McCarthy could pick up a featured nod (Fraser, while top billed, is in a strong featured role), and, of course, a slew of technical nominations...choreography, costumes, sets, lighting, etc.

Of course, it all depends on whether or not the show stays open. If it closes 3 days after the reviews come out, all is more or less naught.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 6:19pm

The one thing you brought up, where I think you hit the nail on the head, is the way the English scenes hurt the MOMENTUM of Act 1. I couldn't figure out why those scenes bothered me (other than due to the odd tone, as I've discussed ad nauseum), but you're right- every time the show cuts to England, it feels as though all of the energy that has been built up in Ireland dissipates. Every time I start to get sucked in to the Grace/Tiernan/Donal story, the show cuts to England and I start to tune out a bit. Then I have to reinvest once they cut back to Ireland. Frustrating.

I didn't realize how true this is until right now. But now that I think about it, it is. I realized I was disappointed when they cut to England and was just more waiting for those scenes to be over while the other scenes were just so exciting. Very interesting point.

[queenbee2]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 6:28pm

Ashely- It's wierd, right? I couldn't figure out why the first act frustrated me at times and completely sucked me in at others. Then I realized that I was sucked in when we were in Ireland, and frustrated in England. I suppose it's just a fundamental flaw of the piece.

Yankee- You think Hadley would be Featured? I would think he's certainly Lead Actor (which he could get nominated in), seeing as he is clearly the second lead of the show, and is billed with Stephanie above all the other principals. Who decides that?

I thought he and Steph would hopefully be nominated for Lead, while Chait and/or McCarthy would be Featured (and while you didn't seem to enjoy Youmans or Balgord, I don't know that I'd rule either of them out of Featured as well? People seem to love them or hate them). But I agree with you that for the technical elements, the show will do really well. Costumes, Sets, Lights. I know some people are on the fence about the Score, but I love it and would hope to see it recognized. And Choreography for sure.

I'm wondering if after the not so stellar reviews for Curtains (and if it can overcome the horrible out of town word of mouth), if the show has a shot at actually getting nominated for Best Musical. The way people were destroying it early on, I thought no way. But now, I wonder if they can squeak in there?

-QB
Updated On: 3/24/07 at 06:28 PM

[MovieGuy1031]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 6:32pm

I'll be rooting for Steph all the way to nominations!

[ashley0139]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 7:04pm

Queenbee- honestly, that was almost like a revelation to realize that was exactly how I felt. Ok, maybe revelation is a strong word, but it is so true. Now I want to see it again so I can see if it's still the same. Haha.

As for noms, the only show new show I haven't seen this year is Curtains, and I definitely think Stephanie deserves one. Although, of course, I firmly believe Christine should win. It's kind of sad this year for lead actresses that, no matter how good they are, Christine is there. Kind of sucks for the rest of them.

[queenbee2]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 7:19pm

Ashley-

I'll look forward to hearing what you have to say after seeing it again. If you have a similar experience.

I agree with you about Christine. Even though I did NOT like GG (what was that first act?), I thought both here and Mary Louise's performances were quite brilliant, and they will assuredly be recognized as such. It's SUCH a tough year for leading actresses.
But Stephanie will hopefully be nominated amongst these greats. She is so strong in the show. And I wasn't a "Blockhead" before.

Any thoughts on the show getting nominated? And how about the other performers?

-QB

[FallintoLight]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 7:34pm

Yankeefan- Thanks for your review. I respect your opinion and I think you phrased things well in expressing it! I'm glad you gave it a chance in light of all the negative opinions you've heard.

I have to say I agree with the feeling on having a child in the show. It seems when he is onstage to be a bit odd that they would add a child when he doesn't do much but I think without him there would be a hole. I think in order to give the story more depth you need him!

I don't know what can be done about the momentum of the show regarding England and Ireland. I feel that the scenes in England are naturally going to be slower but how can they keep up the momentum even in the slower scenes? It's a good question. I, as I am sure many of you concur, find the scenes in Ireland to be much more enthralling and more interesting purely because of the times in which the story takes place. My interest lies more with the exciting life of Grania O'Malley than with Elizabethan England. The life of royalty in that era has never much interested me although I think the portrayal in this show is a bit more interesting than other portrayals I've seen.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 9:12pm

Stephanie J. Block gives a phenomenal performance as does the entire cast. It's a large company with lots of moving parts, not an easy task to pull off.

Did I mention how much I loved The Pirate Queen?

Updated On: 3/24/07 at 09:12 PM

[myManCape]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 9:33pm

”Yankee- You think Hadley would be Featured? I would think he's certainly Lead Actor (which he could get nominated in), seeing as he is clearly the second lead of the show, and is billed with Stephanie above all the other principals. Who decides that?

I thought he and Steph would hopefully be nominated for Lead, while Chait and/or McCarthy would be Featured (and while you didn't seem to enjoy Youmans or Balgord, I don't know that I'd rule either of them out of Featured as well? People seem to love them or hate them). But I agree with you that for the technical elements, the show will do really well. Costumes, Sets, Lights. I know some people are on the fence about the Score, but I love it and would hope to see it recognized. And Choreography for sure.

If the producers are smart they would prefer that Hadley be featured, as it is a more wide open category. Stephanie’s performance warrants a nomination, but as many people said she has no chance of winning. As far as the rest of the cast, while they maybe good (Jeff McCarthy is outstanding) I cant imagine that Pirate Queen will get more then 1 acting nomination. The choreography is perfect and will be nominated regardless of reviews but the reviews could determine if they have a shot at winning. As for as the other technical elements, I would not expect any nominations except maybe for lighting and orchestrations. Again the reviews will heavily weigh on the nominations.

[FallintoLight]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 9:49pm

I think Stephanie's performance in the show is steller! If Stephanie does not get nominated this year, however, she has many more years ahead of her to get that nomination and even someday WIN that Tony. The woman is extremely talented and this is only her second Broadway show and she's already having things written with her voice in mind.

This is an extremely tough year. It's wonderful to see so much talent on stage these days. I'm very interested to see who they nominate this year. I certainly have my favorites and hope they are nominated as I know others do too. We'll just have to wait and see.
Updated On: 3/24/07 at 09:49 PM

[queenbee2]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 10:16pm

MyManCape-

For the sake of conversation:

So who do you see being nominated in the Featured categories then, if you don't see anyone from PQ? I keep hearing people talk about the kid from Spring Awakening, and a lot of people are mentioning his name, so I guess I must have missed something. But as far as John McMartin or Matt Cavenaugh in Grey Gardens, or any of the guys in Curtains, did you see those performances as more extraordinary than the supporting players in PQ? And what about the Featured women this year? I know a lot of people don't seem to like Ms. Balgord, but her performance certainly stands out. The costumes alone might get her a nomination!

And speaking of costumes, you didn't mention them getting a nomination there, where I think they probably have a lock on a win.

I actually love hearing differing opinions, so I'm interested to hear what performances you (and others) did like this year.

-QB

[ashley0139]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 10:46pm

Queenbee- I do hope to see it again next time I'm in the city for an extended period of time. I don't know if you saw the mini-review I wrote for when I saw it a couple weeks ago (along with my other mini-reviews). Apart from Stephanie, I think Hadley has a good chance (God, his voice is beyond gorgeous) and I actually adored (read: hated, in a good way) Marcus. If they do put Hadley in lead actor, he's going to have a much harder time with Raul in the same category. I would actually hope Marcus gets one for featured. And I ADORED GG, but I also agree that Mary Louise will get one. And (and this has nothing to do with PQ), but I would love to see Kelsey get one for featured actress. And possibly Matt Cavenaugh.

Updated On: 3/24/07 at 10:46 PM

[myManCape]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 11:01pm

”I know a lot of people don't seem to like Ms. Balgord, but her performance certainly stands out. The costumes alone might get her a nomination!”

Her performance stands out because it isn’t very good. And the costumes they give her certainly do not make up for her lack of acting.
As far as the featured categories I would say that they are wide open, especially on the male side. Which is why I said the producers should hope (and petition) for Hadley to be considered featured. It would at least give him a chance to be nominated. If hes considered leading he will be up against Lee, Esparza, Hyde-Pierce, Groff, Short, d'Arcy James, Cerveris and who ever else I forgot.
Pirate Queen just strikes me as a show that will not receive more then one acting nom (unless it gets good very good reviews.)
As far as the costumes go, they were nice but nothing spectacular.

[FallintoLight]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 11:06pm

Just curious myManCape who do you think should be up for costumes? I'm always interested to hear others opinions as often shows/people are mentioned that I have not thought of.

[Weez]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 11:07pm

To be honest, I don't think there are any male leading roles in the show. Tiernan may be the main love interest and get a couple of numbers, but he does spend most of the time in the background looking emo. It's a show about Grania and the only other character who comes close to being a lead is Elizabeth.

Btw, loved the Ireland costumes, HATED the England ones. Way too fussy and oddly-shaped. Fuss does not appeal to me.

[FallintoLight]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 11:13pm

I've heard lately that a lot of people dislike Elizabeth's costumes and that they were too over the top. I'm curious as to what people think they should be. I ask this because when I saw the costumes I thought they were fairly accurate to the times. It WAS over the top in those days to signify her wealth and status (to the best of my knowledge)

[Weez]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 11:17pm

Less like she was wearing a picnic table around her waist would have been nice. There's a difference between opulent and over-the-top. As they were playing around with historical accuracy in other places (and even stated as such in the Playbill), what would have been wrong with making the costumes a little less ugly and likely to make the audience giggle unnecessarily? I'm sure they could've done historically accurate without the whole "picnic table round the waist" effect...

Wasn't just Elizabeth, I hated all the English lady dresses. :3

Updated On: 3/24/07 at 11:17 PM