PIRATE QUEEN thoughts- Page 2

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 12:15am

I saw it tonight.

Oh God.

I'll post a 'review' of sorts tomorrow, my brain is taking the night off. I just wanted to get that much out.

[fachedaluna]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 3:04pm

I guess our interpretation of the song truly differs. Maybe it's a generational thing.

[fachedaluna]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 3:08pm

One of my best friends and her husband went to see the show last night. Non-theater insiders. Just average audience member types. They thoroughly enjoyed it. She is a huge Wicked fan, and said this may be her new favorite. That bodes well for the PQ box office if people start feeling that way!

She said they had a little trouble understanding what was going on in the beginning (story wise), but once they got about 5-10 minutes in, they were hooked. Loved all the voices. Couldn't believe the costumes. Thrilled by the dancing.

Her husband even liked it. And he's not that into musicals. He appreciated the stage fighting and said the pirates encouraged him to get back to the gym! LOL

Always nice to hear from people with no agenda and know pre-conceived notion of what they are going to see.

Couldn't get a report on any new changes, as they had nothing to compare it to.

Written by queenbee on another thread

**************************************************

These are probably the target audience, who will most likely keep the show going.

No agenda or board views...just average folks.

[Popular]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 3:32pm

Luvtheemcee - you're a tease :P

Fachedaluna - I did see QB's post... I love the perspective she always writes her thoughts with.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 3:36pm

Just average folks? No agenda? I am not sympathetic to the idea that being knowledgeable and above average is somehow suspect.

[commasplice]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 7:32pm

"I guess our interpretation of the song truly differs. Maybe it's a generational thing."

I'm just not really sure how you interpret the phrase "in love" (as in the lyrics "a woman in love, it is she who has all"). Having love and being in love are different things. The phrase "has love" can be an umbrella term, as you said, that covers the love of friends and family as well as the love of a significant other. The phrase "in love," though, has distinctly romantic implications.

And Emcee, I'm going to agree with Popular - stop being a tease and post your review

[Popular]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 7:48pm

as long as we're calling people out for being teases, I think StephanietheStar owes us a review as well *hint hint*

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 7:55pm

I'm with you Commasplice!

I thought "She who has it all" was a really great moment in the show in Chicago... a fantastic song and fantastic performances by the leading ladies... but... is it not kinda silly that it seems to be implying that a woman is nothing if she doesn't have a man to love her? Like some how Queen Elizabeth is a less effective woman because she doesn't know love like Grace does... it isn't that kind of awful? Kinda insulting.

kmc

Updated On: 3/10/07 at 07:55 PM

[Popular]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 8:02pm

Am I way off by thinking that the sentiment behind the song is that Queen Elizabeth is a lonely woman, isolated by her status, singing about what good are all her accomplishments and joys in overtaking the Irish if she has noone to share it with?

Maybe I'm not remembering the song or lyrics enough to really comment but that's what I got out of it when I saw the show in Chicago.

If that's the case, I don't think it's about needing a man to complete her, but more about what makes life worthwhile. What good is experiencing anything in life if you can't share the moments with others.

In any case, it's been made more than clear that the show is striving to show both the feminine and warrior side of these women. If this song IS indeed about needing a man, maybe it's just to show that they have many sides to them... being needy as well as needed.

Updated On: 3/10/07 at 08:02 PM

[keen on kean]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 12:33pm

Only a Frenchman would portray an English leader as needy. Poor Elizabeth! Powerful, intelligent, well-spoken, having lovers, advisers and supporters during her lifetime - and we are supposed to believe she felt life was somehow incomplete because she didn't have someone to "share" it with? Oh, please, can we get out of comic book history?

[Popular]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 1:06pm

So you think just because someone in power is constantly surrounded by people they can't feel disconnected? Haven't you ever heard the phrase "it's lonely at the top"?

I think this could be a nice discussion/debate if we stay clear of throwing cheap shots at each other (comic book history? what does that even mean?).
Updated On: 3/11/07 at 01:06 PM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 2:23pm

I have a copy of this show( on a certain format we cant talk about ) from chicago and its bloody awful.

They will have had to have made some massive changes to get this anywhere close to decent.

It wassnt even bad in a campy way it was just bad(boaring) act 1 nearly put me to sleep.

sink this ship quick

[Popular]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 5:08pm

First off all, what you're judging the show on is what was in Chicago. Changes have been made so let's stick with what they are working with now.

Secondly, you didn't even see it. You are making statements (ones that you didn't even bother backing up) based on illegal footage.

I don't mind discussing the weaknesses of the production but I simply can't respond to "I was bored" and "sink this ship". Try giving me something intelligent to respond to and we can have a conversation.

[fachedaluna]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 8:20pm

Thank You Popular!!!!

You said exactly what I would have written on both topics of "She who has all" and the footage of Chicago PQ show.

Thanks again for your words of support.

[ikmbway]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 8:31pm

Just got back from the matinee today. I really enjoyed the show. The lighting and staging is some of the best I've seen. The story itself wasn't the most spectacular thing in the world but it was very enjoyable. The performances were great also. Also, the waitress we had today tried out for the show. Obviously, she didn't make it. Just my 2 cents. If anyone wants more specific details you are welcome to PM me.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 8:39pm

I'm still mulling over the first preview I saw a few days ago.

For me what it boils down to is that the show stops working when Elizabeth comes out and does the "So it was a man, why is it I envy her..." soliloquy. We can debate what "She Who Has All" means and so on, but obviously this part of the show still isn't making sense for a lot of people. With just a few weeks to go and the slow pace that changes happen on this sort of production, I think they should just cut all that stuff. put the Wicked screen in the dumpster and add another reprise of "Woman".

What really stayed with me from seeing the show last week was Hadley Fraser's performance. They've toughened up Tiernan's character, and "I'll Be There' is now the song of an angry man. It's worth going to see the show just to hear his voice.

[FallintoLight]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 9:17pm

Very well said Popular.

Although in the beginning I was very frustrated with discussions about this show I have since talked to several people over PM about it. I greatly enjoy the show but I also know there are flaws! What's the point in throwing cheap shots around about a show you haven't seen? I am ready to discuss flaws but I wont discuss them when the media used to see the show is illegal!

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 10:03pm

Thanks for the retrospective thoughts Tech, very interesting

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 11:31pm

The version i saw from chicago had many problems

The whole of the scenes with Elizabeth were just plain dull, it seemed to stop the story dead.This was my biggest problem with the show.Unless they have done some major work on them scenes i wont be watching it again.

The sets were also unattractive and never matched the potential size of the material.

I was impressed by the lighting (especially in act 2 ) and the cast were also very good.

A handful of the songs were also pretty weak(again in act 1) some i found sleep inducing and i have sat through nearly every show you can name.

The show also seemed to feel a lot longer than it was(i never see that as been a good thing) and the story just didn't keep my attention .

I also had a problem with the choreography (the Irish dancing just seemed forced and dated)

I did actually have huge expectations for this show as i love a lot of there previous work but this failed to impress me and many of my friends who have seen it.

I wish all the cast the best(i really do,i work in musicals myself so i know how sad it is when a show closes ahead of time) but i just don't see how they have made enough changes between its try-out and now to make this a winner.

I could be wrong though

and popular if you like the show and want to champion it then great , im glad it's got its fans but my comment about the show was not aimed at you.

and it makes no difference if i watched it in the theatre or on another format, the format i watched it on was a perfect copy shot by the company so i probably got to see the show in more detail than an audience member in the theatre.

Updated On: 3/11/07 at 11:31 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 11:40pm

"The Irish Dancing seemed dated"
The play takes place "Late sixteen century"

I feel the dancing and choreography are the most exciting to hit Broadway in quite awhile
The dancers are just incredible.

I think the Queen scenes are very invoving, Balgord is just a treat to watch.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 11:44pm

im a professional dancer (a working dancer) and that dancing has been done so much that it seemed dated, unoriginal.

And the Elizabeth scenes i saw in chicago's production are shocking(i don't seem to be the only one with that opinion either)

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 12:01am

I thought Linda Balgord gave the performance of a lifetime so it sounds like a lot has changed since the out of town tryout.

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=928285&dt=5

Updated On: 3/12/07 at 12:01 AM

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 12:55am

songanddanceman2, if you had posted here that from watching a company video you had determined that Pirate Queen was the most brilliant perfect show ever created I doubt the validity of your opinions would be so vigorously questioned. A great show is a great show, even on a grainy video found on an unmentionable website, and a lame score shows through in any format.

The scenes with the Queen are much better now, because she now has a personality. In Chicago I had the feeling that Linda Balgord's job was just to walk out and show us her costumes. (No criticism of Balgord intended, I think she did wonderful work with weak material.) I felt insulted. It was as if the writers were saying "these costumes are so cool, we don't even have to give this character motivations or emotions. These idiots in the audience will be thrilled just to see something that looks like an old painting brought to life!"

I think Pirate Queen's main problem has always been a story that doesn't go anywhere. It's as if at the end of Miss Saigon Kim gets a bad haircut instead of killing herself. If the PQ story worked, all the other elements people have been criticizing on this thread might not be so annoying. There's lots to nit pick about in Miss Saigon and Les Mis as well, but these shows hold together because they tell compelling stories, and interesting things happen at the end.

[danhattan]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 1:09am

"I think Pirate Queen's main problem has always been a story that doesn't go anywhere. It's as if at the end of Miss Saigon Kim gets a bad haircut instead of killing herself."


Tech- I totally disagree. The haircut comparison is
ridiculous. (Spoiler alert)

If ANYTHING it would be as if at the end of Miss Saigon Kim ends up with Chris. Would that ending negate all of the story that makes up Miss Saigon?

And what's so wrong with a happy ending? The entire musical deals with war and blood shed yet true understanding comes when the parties involved meet face to face and negotitate. Don't you wish our world worked like that? The message of peace at the end of this show hit very close to home for me. I think many people will identify with this show and it's powerful heroines.


Updated On: 3/12/07 at 01:09 AM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 1:21am

The show is turning out to be very POPULAR,
They are filling the seats for previews
(cheap seats included)
and the audiences are really responding well.
Now they need to sell real Irish Beer in the Lobby.