MORE PIRATE QUEEN FOOTAGE

[Popular]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 6:11pm

For those who just can't get enough :)
CLICK HERE

[mrcacou]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 6:23pm

Looks great but a bit too "Martin Guerresque" to me. Hope it won't have the same fate though.

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 6:25pm

Why are they shouting? It's like a Celine Dion concert -- all the songs start melodramatically muted and then crescendo to shouts and punched, over-articulated squealing.

Sorry...

[WellIfYouInsist]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 6:25pm

The new song sounds a lot better than "My Grace," which it looks like it's replaced.


I hope it has, anyway.

[mrcacou]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 6:28pm

Smartful Dodger, listen to "how many tears" from Martin Guerre and you'll understand.

[Popular]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 7:10pm

I'm not going to respond to the comparisons since I'm not familiar with Martin Guerre.

Just want to say that they didn't have to put up the extra footage for us. They already put up a press reheasal video so this was really something extra they did because the fans were requesting it.

So if those responsible are reading... THANK YOU! :)

[msls777]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 7:23pm

Definitely, thanks to whoever is responsible. And thanks Popular for posting.

Regarding Martin Guerre, I don't think it's farfetched to make comments regarding it. Some "dialogue" melodies actually sound really similar to Martin Guerre (the climbing thirds that end on a different chord). And I guess, the emphasis on dancing also enforces that. But still, if you were to watch the entire show, I think you would see that it is quite different from Martin Guerre (both the original and the re-write), even in terms of melodies. And while on the theme of comparison to other musicals, one thing I never understood was the resemblance that people found between "Boys'll be Boys" and "Master of the House" or "Gaston." I think people might have all ready stereotyped the bar scene with the antagonist, believing any playful song to sound like "Master of the House" or "Gaston." Really, "Boys'll be Boys" is quite different... for one, the emphasis on the augmented fourth (if my ear/memory serves me correctly) sets it apart from other songs.

Smartful Dodger, the audio quality itself is not that great. Hadley Fraser's final note on "I'll Be There" in no way sounds like that, and similarly, the crescendos in real life never seem "squealing" as you characterize them. When you put that many singers and this bad quality audio together, of course it's not going to sound as great as it really is.

Also, it's pretty unfair to say that "all songs" are like that, since I can name quite a few that aren't (one of which is "Here On This Night"--one of the "biggest" songs in the Pirate Queen, which is also reprised as its finale... the song ends quite softly). But what was ever wrong with having a song build-up to dramatize a part of the story? In the huge ensemble "A Day Beyond Belclare" they were emphasizing that they would support Grania in her quest to see her father who, as the lyrics state, is on his deathbed. If they chose to sing something muted compared to the soft contemplation of Grania when reading the letter, that certainly would be against the nature of the dramatization. I never was annoyed by songs ending "majestically" either, such as in "How Many Tears," -- I feel if Bertrande sung that ending softly, it really wouldn't have gotten the point across as opposed to her shouting to God ("Sometimes I wonder, if someone hears. Why must I live through so many tears?")

That aside, I'm assuming the song Stephanie J. Block was singing in the beginning was "Woman." It would be nice to hear the whole piece since there seemed to be a lot of different melodies but I liked it. I also guess there haven't been major changes in the "big" songs that worked in Chicago (other than a castcom that showed different lyrics for "Here On This Night" and I think Tiernan's part in "A Day Beyond Belclare" that they showed, most of those songs have stayed the same).

But yeah, I'm excited about it's opening! I wonder how much it has changed, and if they have indeed catered to many of the criticisms brought up in Chicago.

[Broadwayboy2631]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 7:56pm

I’m sorry, but I think that this musical looked excruciatingly bad. Who ever looked at Riverdance and Les Miserables and said, "Let's combine the two, and make a real spectacle!"?

[WellIfYouInsist]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 8:43pm

I am pretty sure it was the producers, but then again I have a habit of keeping myself well-informed.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 8:45pm

Popular, thanks as always for bringing this to our attention.

I gather that's the new song. One of my biggest criticisms of PQ in Chicago is that there weren't many "hits", songs that could stand alone and sell the show and its characters. This one looks promising. Perhaps we'll get something more than Grania saying "Daddy, I want to see what you have seen" as a motivation for her wanting to sail. I can't imagine why with all the millions they're spending on this show they couldn't spend $50 for a microphone that wouldn't CLIP when they taped this!

As far as "Boys Will Be Boys" being a clone of "Master of the House", there's more to music than intervals. "Boys" has the exact same tempo, groove and very similar rhythmic motifs to "Master". Perhaps this will be changed for NY. With the rich traditions of Irish dance music there's no need for this similarity, which is driven home by setting the scene in a tavern.

[WellIfYouInsist]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 8:56pm

I agree. The theme(ie purpose) is almost exactly the same in "Boys'll Be Boys" and "Master of the House."

Both even have the (bum bum bum[so la ti]) lead-in to the chorus.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 11:58pm

Love this new footage! So excited to hear bits and pieces of the new song - sounds like Stephanie is doing amazing with it!

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 12:08am

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I'm only halfway through the video, but Stephanie's new songs sounds awesome.

[BwayDreams]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 10:21am

I am SO GLAD that they are putting up more video footage of this show! Even the castcoms have gotten better at adding scenes from rehearsals. I am loving Stephanie's new song. I liked "Because I am a Wife" but it just didn't do enough for her. This one rocks. Now I want the sheet music! lol

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 10:31am

The sound quality of the video is awful, but the music sounds fantastic. I'm really excited to see this show.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 10:37am

BWAHHH!!! YAY, I can't wait for march 8th!! I'm reunited with this show...

it's gonna be so exciting to see the changes since Chicago!!

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 10:47am

Hadley took the first chorus of I'll Be There a little softer and legato then normally, I like it.


And I really do like the new song...

Please tell me "The Woman that I am" is still in the show! that was one of my favorite moments since the very first time I saw it!

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 11:37am

Thank you for posting this!! I haven't been this excited about a new show in forever, and this only increased my anticipation.

[skingdom]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 3:33pm

i already hate it.

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 3:40pm

Head over heels in LOVE

[dancinfan]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 3:56pm

Poor Jeff McCarthy - who decided he had to do the step dancing USC at the end?

[MrBundles]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 5:38pm

yes, the sound quality makes me cringe

[ashley0139]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 6:08pm

I liked it. Though the first song reminded me a lot of Miss Saigon. Still good though. I'm very excited about this show and hoping to see a preview in March.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 6:20pm

I liked the show in Chicago, I hope it becomes more about the conflict between Grace and Elizabeth, then it should be very good... thanx for posting the video...

[fachedaluna]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 6:25pm

****lovely****

Sound could be better...but for internet communication not too bad