Pirate Queen 7:30 October 24, 2006 Review..... — Page 3

She does, I believe, say BOATS and not BALLS. I too wanted to point this out, but didn't want to engage in the conversation, as I knew it would only trigger more talk about not being able to understand the Queen's lyrics (an issue I had as well). It's nice to hear that this issue may have somewhat improved, according to your post steppin'wolf.

-QB

is there a lot of cursing, and "ball" remarks in the show?
i havent seen it yet, but it seems from what ive heard that there are, and i dont know, it seems to me that the show could do without those...

re: the Queen saying "she has lost her balls". You are absolutely correct, she does in fact say "she has lost her boats". I had a friend check an old script for me, and I stand corrected. (I also take back what I said earlier about having been able to understand every word Queen Elizabeth sung in my second viewing of the show.)

As far as the overall use of profanity, in addition to the several confirmed uses of the word "balls" the show features Grace singing "sh*t" two times, and at the end Lord Bingham calls Grace an" Irish whore" and offers to "strike this bitch down" in front of Queen Elizabeth. What's so bizarre is that even with this strong language Bingham, Grace and all the other Pirates come off about as gritty and rough as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

As I've said before I don't mind strong language in a show if it's appropriate to the characters. Its use really puzzles me here. This show seems like a natural for parents to bring their young daughters to, with its strong female lead and the historical setting (such as it is). Can you imagine if the Wizard called Elphaba a "bitch" or a "whore" in Wicked?

"Sh*t, I'm defying gravity!"

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Updated On: 10/28/06 at 04:50 PM

I personally hope that Idina, Shoshana, and Eden all get their dues as Grania.

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I had this really annoying tune stuck in my head today. I finally realized it was Boys Will Be Boys, but I always ended up singing Master of the House. It's not a good song, just a catchy jingle that is simple and repetitive and sounds rather like a different/better B/S song.

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That's the poster that I could not resist shelling out $15 for. I think it's the most gorgeous piece of art I've ever seen associated with a musical.

chinkie azn jai, was Stephanie singing "Because I Am a Wife" or were the new "The Woman That I Was/Am" lyrics being used?

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>This show seems like a natural for parents to bring their young
>daughters to, with its strong female lead and the historical
>setting (such as it is). Can you imagine if the Wizard called
>Elphaba a "bitch" or a "whore" in Wicked?

But it's not being marketed as a kids show and it isn't based on a childrens film so comparing it to Wicked is ill-considered.

Miss Saigon has a strong female lead but involves prostitution, scenes of a sexual nature and several moments of fairly strong language. Les Mis uses adult language and scenes of whores.

So why anyone would expect Pirate Queen to be Beauty and the Beast is beyond me.

Having finally gotten to see the show, I would say I wasn't blown away. I think a lot of the remarks on here have been unfairly nasty about the show but yes, it needs works. On first viewing much of it left me unaffected but seeing it again the following evening, many of the tunes stayed with me.

What this means for the shows future I don't know. Martin Guerre left me unmoved on the first viewing but when the songs grew on me I loved them and think much of the work is better than Les Mis. However, the book was a problem with London's Martin Guerre and it's a problem with Pirate Queen.

I really hope somebody takes a serious step back and looks at this again before Broadway. I don't think they can change enough to make it *great* in Chicago but with a few new songs and a book change in some scenes, it could be a winner.

I'll Be There, Here On This Night, Because I'm a Wife, Sail To The Stars, the song with the sail mending and a few other numbers grabbed me but there needs to be more.

I can't say I'm grabbed by the Queen Elizabeth character either. Balgord's vocals didn't help there either.

Updated On: 10/29/06 at 07:55 AM

Listen, in all seriousness you are entitled to your opinion. I'm honestly not trying to start anything. Until I see it myself I guess I can't really reply except to say that it's too bad a ticket was wasted on you. I'd be glad to take your seat next time!

HAHA You haven't even seen it? I thought you worked for the production. Sueleen's review was completely accurate. This show is BAD!! It's another "Wicked" all the money wasted on sets and costumes. The characters are confused. The music is dull. The lyrics are on a Tim Rice level. Stephanie is wasted here. I wanted to walk out. I had more fun at "Martin Guerre". I will second Sueleens review. I agree with everything 100%.

Thanks Ciaron.
At one point the women are sewing the wedding dress and in the second act the men fix the sail. I am not sure what photo you are referring to, but that's how I remember it.

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"But it's not being marketed as a kids show and it isn't based on a childrens film so comparing it to Wicked is ill-considered."

It's sure written like a kid's show. If they want to come up with a grown up story treatment, then maybe they can get away with using some dirty words.

The folks at The Pirate Queen should only hope and pray that they can get their book and score to the point of being comparable to Wicked by next spring. I'm not saying that Wicked is the highest standard a musical can aspire to, but at least it's coherent. Wicked tells an interesting story, the audience actually cares what happens at the end and it has a couple of really strong songs in it. The Pirate Queen has none of those things going for it at the moment.

As I have said repeatedly I am not against using strong language in a show where it is appropriate. I even took my then five year old daughter to see the Producers and didn't mind a bit when Nathan said the "Who do I have to f**k to get a break in this town" line. It was funny, it made sense for the character, and my kid didn't go to school the next day and say the "f" word in front of her teachers. The use of profanity in Pirate Queen is awkward and vulgar. It adds nothing to the characterizations and just draws attention to how generally lame the lyrics are. The second time I saw the show several people near me in the audience giggled when Grania sang to Donal that silly line in "I Dismiss You", something to the effect of "You don't have the balls, I'm tired of your sh*t." It's just bad writing.

"I really hope somebody takes a serious step back and looks at this again before Broadway. I don't think they can change enough to make it *great* in Chicago but with a few new songs and a book change in some scenes, it could be a winner. "

elf2, I could not agree with you more. They really need a serious step back, and this show could be a big winner.

My opinion is that the entire story treatment and about half of the lyrics need to be thrown out. They desperately need at least two hit songs. I really think this show could be huge, but I think they need to do at least one workshop of a revised version before they sink millions of dollars into opening on Broadway. If what's up there now is the result of over two years of work from this creative team, then something is seriously wrong with their process.


"I think a lot of the remarks on here have been unfairly nasty about the show but yes, it needs works."

I don't know if you're referring to me there, but my perspective on the show is based on the obvious fact that these producers are trying to create a huge hit musical. I think they have been very well served by their cast and technical staffs, and horribly let down by their writer, composer and director. I would hate to see this show be another big expensive flop, especially when there's so much potential in the story and concept. Broadway has had too many megaflops lately. If that's "unfairly nasty", then so be it.

elf2, if I recall correctly you closely followed Martin Guerre as it went through its different rewrites and versions in London. I would be interested to hear what you think The Pirate Queen's producers should do now.

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"I'd like to know why they're dropping "Wife" entirely."

They are trying to save the show. (Besides, next week they might add back a longer version plus two reprises and a dream ballet based on it.) Look at it this way: If The Pirate Queen flops on Broadway and closes after a few months, it will be as if every single number in the show was cut. They won't be doing any of them! The lifeboats were an attractive feature of the Titanic, but it was still a good idea to drop those when the thing was sinking.

I've only been able to watch a few musicals in development, but there are several "lost" numbers I pine for. There was a tune in Act 2 of Ragtime called "The Showbiz" featuring Harry Houdini and Evelyn Nesbit. It's on the "Songs From" album and I just love it. It didn't make sense to focus on these two incidental characters late in the show though. When Fosse first played in Toronto there was a fully orchestrated version of "Take off With Us" from All That Jazz. I really missed that one when they cut it. By getting rid of it they were able to add "Nowadays" from Chicago.

This is one of the reasons it's worth going to great lengths to catch out of town tryouts of shows by your favorite composers. (It's also why some people sneak little recording devices into show previews, although I would never condone such behavior.)

The fact that the creatives at Pirate Queen recognize that this number isn't working gives me some optimism.

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No doubt, with performers like Stephanie J. Block and Hadley Frasier The Pirate Queen will be able to fill its ads with lots of positive sounding pull quotes from reviews.

I've been thinking about an earlier comment from elf2:

"So why anyone would expect Pirate Queen to be Beauty and the Beast is beyond me."

This is what I hate about the whole opening sequence. Grace's character is WAY too close to something out of The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast. She's portrayed as a mischievous little girl who wants to be part of the grownup world, playing tag with Tiernan, worshipping her benevolent father and then saving the ship (that little rascal).

After reading the source novel, with its rich weathered heroine and complex relationships, I would never expect The Pirate Queen to be Beauty and the Beast. There certainly isn't anything in the novel about Grania begging her kind father to come along on his voyages or playing tag with Tigernan. Unfortunately what Boublil has given us is a sorry imitation of Beauty. The frivolous inclusion of a few four letter words doesn't make this any less of a cartoon story treatment.

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