PIRATE QUEEN- the great and not so great

[kenny6]

Posted: 10/25/06 at 10:15am

Hello Broadway World,

I'm Ken. I am an avid Chicago theatergoer who makes probably two trips a year to New York to see shows. I've been reading your board for some time now. Figured I might as well start posting.

I had the priveledge to see last nights preview performance of the Pirate Queen here at our beautiful Chicago Palace. We've been very fortunate here in Chicago to have some amazing pre-Broadway shows here, so I was very excited to see what the creators of Les Miz and Saigon came up with.

Some of it was great. Some of it was not so great.

The great:

The performances.

Stephanie Block as Grace was very powerful. They need to give her some better material so we care about her character more, but she delivers what she has with 100% commitment. A great voice and interesting actress. (I'd guess Tony nom for Best Actress)

Hadley Fraser does a wonderful job with Tiernan. His voice is incredibly beautiful and made the entire audience sit up and take notice with I'll Be There, one of the more successful songs of the evening. (Tony nom for Best Actor?)

Marcus Chait as Donal is the man you love to hate. His character is so dispicable, but delivered with a level of charm and charisma, along with a fabulous voice. His character more than any other needs more development by the writers. (Tony nom for Best Supporting Actor if they give him some more character development)

Jeff McCarthy does a wonderful job as Grace's father. A rich baritone, and solid acting. And great costumes! He looks like the leader of the clan.

William Youmans provides some very necessary comic relief as Lord Bingham.

The Music:
I've read some other posts where people have criticised the score as being "Les Miz Light" or recycled Saigon tunes. I suppose this is all a matter of personal taste, but I LOVED the music. It dragged in a few places, but I found this to be one of their more intricate and least "in your face" scores. There may not have been as many memorable songs that you walk out of the theater humming, but as a whole I thought the score was stunning. I look forward to a cast recording so I can get to know these songs better.

The Set:
Not as overwhelmingly impressive as I would have expected, but it worked very well for the play. It was beautiful to look at and used effectively.

The Lighting:
Simply put, the best I've seen. Tony win for Mr. Kenneth Posner.

The Costumes:
Incredible. The Queen's costumes alone would win this designer a Tony. Not to mention the detail in the Irish clothes.

Okay- THE NOT SO GREAT:

The central plot:
I'm not sure what it was. And that can't be good. I heard several people at intermission commenting on how they weren't sure what the show was supposed to be about. And that needs to be clarified. Lots of different stories going on. They need to focus on one. I'd like to see more of the Irish love story, and less of the England/Queen Elizabeth.

I won't harp on it as its been mentioned enough in other posts, I simply could not understand what Queen Elizabeth was saying/singing. I would hope that is being addressed.

The flow of the show:
As soon as the show really gets going, it stops again. It gets good, and then it gets not so good. The things that really work REALLY work, and then something happens that REALLY doesn't. These moments all seemed quite apparent to the entire audience, so I assume they are apparent to the writers.

My biggest problem:
THE FIRST HALF HOUR AND LAST HALF HOUR ARE BORING.
The show takes a while to build up some steam. I agree with other posters that Boys'll Be Boys and the Wedding are when the show really gets going. Then it held my attention and focus through intermission in deep into the second act. But, as many others have said, after The Christening, it falls flat. No tangible tension leading to any sizeable drama at the conclusion. Again, I'm no director, but I could feel the entire audience around me seemingly feeling the same thing.

Is this show ready for Broadway. Not yet. But that is why they are here first. From what I understand they have a few months between Chicago and New York. Assuming they put in the necessary work, I think Pirate Queen could be a great piece of theater and have a great run. If they leave it like this, people will be turned off by the flaws in story telling and pace, and they could be in trouble.

I, for one, had a very enjoyable evening at The Cadillac Palace. And I look forward to seeing a better Pirate Queen at The Hilton next year.

[Ciaron McCarthy]

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

I am going to Chicago this weekend to see the show. I simply have to see if it's as bad as I keep hearing.

[kenny6]

Posted: 10/25/06 at 11:06am

Ciaron-

Did my review give you the impression I thought the show was "bad"? I actually found a lot of good in it. Per the title of my post, even some "great". I wouldn't think it's a great idea going to see a show "simply to see if it's as bad as you're hearing".

While Pirate Queen is no triumph of the theater, there is a lot to admire in it. And come New York, I think there will be even more.

I'll be interested to hear what you think once you've seen it.

Enjoy.
Updated On: 10/25/06 at 11:06 AM

[WickedLauren]

Posted: 10/25/06 at 11:15am

Kenny, thanks for the report on the show! I agree with just about everything you said, so many wonderful things about this show, but still alot that could be better. I saw it last weekend and an excited to see how much the show changes once it gets to NYC.

[queenbee2]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 12:24pm

Kenny-

Thanks for the review. I appreciate you pointing out both the things you like and dislike, rather than making blanket statements like "this show is amazing" or "this show sucks".

I just heard from my friend in Chicago that she somehow got her hands on an opening night ticket from her pal who works for Broadway in Chicago. I can't wait to hear how the opening goes and what new changes are in. I'll post whatever she tells me about it.

-QB

[kenny6]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 1:08pm

Thank you for your comments, WickedLauren and QueenBee. With all of the debating going on in another thread about one particular performance and the lack of any value whatsoever in Pirate Queen, I was worried my initial contribution to Broadway World had disappeard into cyber space!

As I said, I found much good in the production, and also saw a lot of things that need serious improvement. I for one was very inspired by John Dempsey's interview on castcom hinting that there are some major changes coming, but they will happen between Chicago and New York. From the tone of many messages I've been reading, the show is already heading in a positive direction. I'll be keeping fingers crossed that the major re-writes between here and Broadway contine to improve the show.

We will find out soon enough!

If you get a chance, check out the Hadley/Marcus castcom that's on there today. Quite entertaining to say the least!

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 1:46pm

I saw the show for the second time last night and walked away in love! I cannot wait to see it again. Sure there are flaws. Les Miz is a classic, but who has not wanted to fall asleep during Act II.

With some rewrites on the script and a little more humor, this should do well on Broadway.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 5:04pm

brdlwyr, it's interesting that you compare The Pirate Queen to Les Mis, because I think that comparison will be a problem for PQ when it comes to New York, as it will be opening in the same season as what appears to be a very succesful Les Mis revival.

My second time at the show was Oct 19th, so not all of the Chicago opening fixes were in. There was decidedly not a standing ovation until Stephanie J. Block came out, at which time almost the entire audience rose to their feet. Did the show get a similar response when you saw it, or were some of the audience on their feet for the whole curtain call?

Also, did you notice the written synopsis in the projections during the Overture?
I'm just wondering if that's a permanent change.

[o.0]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 5:11pm

When I was at the Pirate Queen on the Oct. 21st, about a quater of the audience gave an ovation for Hadley Fraser, and then everyone got to their feet for Stephanie J. Block. But there were no standing ovations before that.