PIRATE QUEEN 1st preview- I couldn't wait

[queenbee2]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 10:18am

So, my dad and I arrived in Chicago yesterday afternoon. We immediately drove by the theater which is beautiful and picked up our tickets for the Wednesday evening show. We were both pretty excited about the whole thing, so dad basically said what the heck and asked if they had two (cheap!) tickets for that night. AND THEY DID! So we got to see the first ever performance of this show (way up in the balcony), AND I get to go again tonight in the orchestra!

Here I go. And I'll try to be as fair and concise as possible, keeping in mind this was the first preview and they have three more weeks of tweaking and even more time before coming into NYC.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T WANT TO KNOW SPECIFICS, MAYBE YOU SHOULDNT READ ON, but I'll try not to give too much away.

This is in no way a perfect show yet, but it is pretty amazing. And the return of the Epic Musical may be upon us.

I'll start with the obvious things that I would hope are fixed.

Pacing/Transitions- The show builds incredible momentum and then at times just stops. It just seemed like that hadn't had time to iron out all of the transitions between scenes yet. Story and momentum would build and build and then something (or too much of nothing with underscoring) would happen and we as an audience would be given too much time to breathe. I just wanted the show/music/story to keep coming at me. This is probably the biggest problem with the show at the moment and I would think Mr. Galati certainly sees and feels this as well. I'm sure this can all be tightened up.

Diction- There is so much going on in this show and so much info is being thrown at us so fast, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with all that is being said. Especially in the scenes with Queen Elizabeth. I don't think it is any fault of the actress, but her material is just written SO HIGH, I mean SO SO high, that at times it was very difficult to understand what she was singing, as pretty as it may have sounded. I heard many comments about this same issue at intermission, so I'm sure the creators are on it. The sound quality in the theater was quite impressive, so I don't think that is the problem. I just think it might be about lowering some keys. Also, in some of the ensemble numbers, which sound GLORIOUS when they all sing together, it's somewhat difficult to understand lyrics.

Blending of two worlds- There are two very distinct worlds in the story, Ireland and England. Right now the plots going on in Ireland are more captivating than in England, and I think a big reason for that is my above issue: it's often so hard to understand what information is being delivered in England that I tuned out a bit and wanted them to get back to Ireland. But if the one is fixed, it would help the other.

Okay- THE GOOD:

Boublil and Schoenberg are back! This may be their most glorious score to date. And that is coming from a big Les Miz fan. From the overture through the finale, the music is simply stunning. I've been itching to hear it for months, and besides the snippets on Castcom, I'm now happy that I was hearing it for the first time last night, because it is epic. Besides the beautiful score, the lyrics were so poetic and touching (when I could understand them) Please bring on the cast recording asap!

The set and staging are unbelievable. Sails blowing in the wind, pirates repelling, storms on stage, stars in the sky. This show is HUGE, and even though you can tell it must have cost a lot of money, I don't think there was every anything superfluous (spelling?) going on. All of the stagecraft seemed to drive the action. It is all beautiful to look at (as are the boys!).

The cast- wow!

Steph- She sounds amazing and is completely committed to this character. It's a huge journey for her and must be a very difficult role to get through every night. It is obviously early in the process, but she has a real grasp on this woman. I think as she has time to relax into the part, if one can with such a huge role, she will only improve. But already very impressive.

Hadley as Tiernan- What a voice! Beautiful and soft one second, and then huge and powerful the next. His acting is simple and honest. A very touching performance. His number in act 1 "I'll Be There" is one of Boublil and Schoenbergs best, and he performs it incredibly well.

Linda as Elizabeth- So poised, and thanks to STUNNING costumes and makeup she looks exactly like you would think Queen Elizabeth must have looked. Her voice is so beautiful. I just wish I could have understood more of what she was saying. Again, not her fault I don't think.

Marcus as Donal- He looks and sounds fantastic. Great role for him. Charming, but then really slimey. There is great tension between he and Hadley as they fight for Steph, and it culminates in an amazing fight between the two. A great job making a very unlikeable character multi dimensional.

Jeff as Steph's Dad- Very strong presence and singing. He does a good job as the leader of the pirates. And I have to mention, he has a great wig and costumes.

William as Lord Bingham- Funny and nasty. He plays quite a good villain and brings lots of wit and bite to his performance. The show is very heavy and dramatic, so his bits of levity are appreciated. His character does suffer some though since all of his scenes are with Elizabeth and sometimes you don't know what is being said. Great voice.

The Ensemble must be mentioned, as they all play numerous roles and sound INCREDIBLE. One of the most powerful sounds I've heard in the theater.

The dancing is great, but I wanted more. It is a very interesting mix of Broadway and Irish style dance. I was concerned it would be too "Riverdancey" for me, but I loved the way the two styles were mixed together, and found myself wanting more of both.

The show gets a little bit long in the second act. Things could be tightened and possibly cut, but I'd have to see it again, AND I GET TO TONIGHT, to focus on what those moments might be. I just got a little lost every time they went to England, so hopefully that will be resolved. But for a show in its first preview, they are in great shape. I can't shake a few of the melodies from my head, which is a good sign. I don't know if it might run for ever and ever like Les Miz did, but I know it had a very similar punch for me as the first time I saw that show. With tightening, cutting, trimming and a stronger end, this show could really be something.

I of course waited at the stage door after the show and it was pretty much a mad house. The cast was so gracious. Lots of pictures and autographs. And they kept telling us to come back later in the run to see what changes. I wonder if they meant tonight? LOL I told one of the ensemble members that I was coming back again tonight and they genuinely seemed so excited for the support. They also said they'd be rehearsing all day today and I'd probably see some big changes already. When do they sleep?

Sorry this went on so long. I just woke up and felt very excited about what I saw. I didn't really know what to expect. It's not a Pirates of the Carribean rip off like I thought it might be. Much more a show about family, duty and honor. With a love story of course. I can't wait to go again tonight. I'll try to report on any changes I notice.

I think you guys are going to like this one a lot.

[folkyboy]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 10:25am

thank you so much for your review! :) i am not really a Les Mis fan but i am anxious to catch this show when it hits New York anyway.

and you didn't give that much away at all! i think someone could hear this and still be very surprised by what they saw on stage! brava!

[queenbee2]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 10:29am

Oh good. Thanks for that. This was my first really detailed review I think I've posted here, and I've read on other threads when people get upset when too much plot is given away, so I tried to be careful. Was just re-reading my post. Sorry I talk so much.

-qb

[ken8631]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 10:53am

Thanks - looking forward to your second review too. Already have my NYC tickets (Big Steph fan here....)

[tophertilson]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 10:54am

Fantastic news. I'm going to try and see the show next week and I was dying to hear something. Sounds exciting!

[WickedLauren]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 11:24am

Queen-absolutely wonderful review. I was hesitant to open the thread since I'm seeing the show next weekend and didn't want to read any spoilers, but this was great. Have a wonderful time at the show tonight.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 11:33am

How was the flying?

[Act4ever]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 11:52am

I bought my tickets yesterday for this Saturday night!! woot!

[Adjie]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 12:33pm

Thanks so much for the review Queen bee, I'm seeing it next weekend also, can't wait! Hey lauren,maybe I'll see you there!

[outovfashion07]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 12:46pm

I'll be interested to see what you find differant about tonights performance. Keep us posted. I'm soooooo excited. I am seeing it Saturday night and possibly friday as well

[Popular]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 1:01pm

Thanks, QB!!!

Lauren, Adjie, and everyone else... QB has set the bar for your reviews

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 1:03pm

Are the pirates hot?

[Adjie]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 1:26pm

Curtain, I LIKE the way you think!!!

[stagemaster333]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 1:30pm

I'm going on November 16th with some people from my school (Northwestern). I'm so excited!

[Dancinqueen123]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 1:39pm

I found out today that I was 1 of 45 students selected from the fine arts department of my school to go see it. I'm going on November 2nd and I cannot wait. I'm so excited!

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 1:47pm

Thanks for the review! I'm seeing it November 1st. This made me even more excited.

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 3:25pm

Awesome review thanks!

Out of curiosity, anybody know how much Les Miz changed in original previews?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 3:32pm

Out of curiosity, anybody know how much Les Miz changed in original previews?

London or Broadway?

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 3:34pm

In the very beginning... was it an instant hit? Or did it go through lots of work?

[tophertilson]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 4:12pm

The original version of LES MIZ at the Barbican was over four hours long. Needless to say, it changed a LOT. :)

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 4:15pm

Gotya! I'm just trying to estimate The Pirate Queen's odds of becoming a hit since I burnt a nice portion of my pocket getting the family tickets for New York.

[Popular]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 4:20pm

sayitsomhow - The beauty of art is that it's subjective. Have your own thoughts about it and don't worry so much about if it's a hit or not to determine whether or not it was worth burning a hole. It may be loved to pieces by critics and you may hate it, and vice versa. Go, enjoy, and then report back to BWW

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 4:26pm

Hahah, no that's a great point that I feel strongly about, as I love lots and lots of shows that lots and lots of people hate! I know I will love this show regardless. Just curious you know?

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 4:26pm

Very nice review and a fair one! I will be looking for the updated review after you see it tonight.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 10/4/06 at 5:08pm

Great review. 3 questions...

1) Are there any loud bomb or gun noises in the show? (my loud noise phobia )

2) Was it a full house and what time did you get there to get balcony seats the day of?

3) How crowded was the stage door?

Thanks