Pirate Queen First and Second Act Comparison

[wickedfreak]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 11:24am

I saw Pirate Queen last Sunday and was wondering if anyone has had the same expirience I had.

I thought the first act was OK..not great...not horrible. It had some really good moments (The Woman song Steph sings at the begining...I'll be there..Sail to the Stars) and some really really bad moments (Boys will be Boys). I think that the Boys will be Boys song should be cut compleatly. But I was sad to learn that the show was frozen a couple days before I saw it. Anwhoo...back to my point. Did anyone else feel that the second act was like really amazing? I felt like I was at a different show. Maybe it was just me but the second act was just spell binding and captivating and the duet between Grania and the Queen (She Who Has All) is probably one of the best duets I have ever heard.

Did anyone else have this expieriece? And has anyone seen it since sunday? Have they improved the first act? Have they gottten rid of the Boys Will be Boys song yet?

And I am sorry in advance for any spelling mistakes I may have made.
Updated On: 3/29/07 at 11:24 AM

[Popular]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 11:45am

I also felt the 2nd act was stronger, but that was back in Chicago.

With all the changes, most people have been saying the 1st act is now the better one so it's interesting to read you saying the opposite.

BTW, I don't think Boys Will Be Boys is going anywhere.... it's an even bigger dance number than it was in Chicago. They loved it back then, and that's what the audience were asking to have more of.

[wickedfreak]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 12:00pm

Hmm...interesting...I guess it was just the audience I was with cause Boys Will Be Boys got like not a lot of positive response. Like they were saying on castcom the other day...every single audience is different...it is going to be interesting to see the reviews after opening night.

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 12:09pm

I think we all know the reviews (from the major publications) are going to be mixed to negative with several "redeeming qualities," like Steph, Hadley, costumes, and lighting, praised repeatedly. I really don't expect any deviation there. What I do care about is that audiences who love or like it spread the good word and the producers find the right ways to market it so this type of production can live a healthy life on Broadway, despite any harsh opinions from overly "art valuing" major reviewers.
Updated On: 3/29/07 at 12:09 PM

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 12:16pm

I saw Pirate Queen twice in Chicago, and I saw the first preview in NY. (Keep in mind I haven't seen some recent fixes.)

It is hard to tell what I would have thought seeing the show for the first time on Broadway. The first act is by far the most improved from the Chicago version. So much exposition and character motivation was added for NY. The song "Woman" was added, in Chicago that 12/8 theme just repeated endlessly in the opening. The addition of Donal's father and the bit about the feuding clans is a wonderful addition. Plus Tiernan now actually gets mad when Grania agrees to the wedding. In Chicago he just sort of sulked.

Act 2 doesn't seem much different to me. A lot of dialogue was added to try to make more sense of the Queen's meeting with Grania, but I still don't think that storyline quite makes sense. I've heard from many people who love all of that.

The critics are going to rip "Boys Will Be Boys" to shreds for being a "Master of the House" clone. There's no way that number could be cut at this point. I love the new "hoe down" break that was added for NY, and I like how the song was made raunchier.

[bwaydoc]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 12:50pm

I loved the storyline and thought it was very easy to follow, even without having read the mini-synopsis in the Playbill before the show started.

I think they do a pretty decent job of setting up the meeting between Grace and the Queen in Act II. It doesn't really come out of nowhere, and it makes sense that the Queen would listen to her and not outright put her to death or something. I don't remember the exact line the Queen says in Act I, but it's something about how her biggest enemy is also someone she respects for being a woman who is doing what she's doing - everything the Queend does after that in terms of Grace falls into place when you think about it in those terms.

I loved both acts, but I think I prefer Act I over Act II. And I could do without "Boys Will Be Boys," but I will admit it is one of the truly light-hearted moments in the show, so I think it needs to be in there.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 12:51pm

From someone who has no vested interest in the success or failure of the show and has only seen the show in New York, I believe that the Act I is significantly stronger. I think there are very few redeeming qualities in Act II (I'll go into it more if you'd like).

Boys Will Be Boys is the highlight of the show - a mix of a catchy tune and eye-candy staging, despite trite lyrics.

I also wasn't a fan of the Q.E. subplot, even though it makes up the bulk of the show. Perhaps if the performances weren't so charicaturey.
Updated On: 3/29/07 at 12:51 PM

[B3TA07]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 1:11pm

^Not sure if you can really answer, but based on your experience and what you saw, would you say the actors were mis-directed, or it was an actor issue?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 1:18pm

I feel that Balgord and Yeomans were both poorly directed and miscast.

Balgord turned the Virgin Queen into a shrill shrew, Yeomans turned his part into an over the top cartoon character.

They're poorly written parts, as well, full of contradictory dialogue and lyrics.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 1:26pm

Oh, believe me, I know. And I assume the "shrill" was in reference to the unnecessarily operaticness of her singing?


I kind of see both of those roles as being ones that replacement actors will embrace and hopefully make more enjoyable performances with.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 1:35pm

Really? I think it's mostly in the writing.

You could bring out Helen Mirren and Sir Laurence Olivier to portray Elizabeth and Bingham and I don't think they could get much more out of these characters without some serious rewriting.

[bwaydoc]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 1:53pm

I disagree TechEverlasting. I got the strong feeling that the acting was getting in the way of the characters. I would prefer to see someone elses interpretation of it. I agree with Yankeefan that the performances felt like a charicature, and I put that all on the actors.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 2:03pm

I guess brilliant minds can disagree.

I just don't see what more can be done with those two characters given the way they've been written. I also have to admit that I adore Linda Balgord, so I am biased.

Bingham's character is much more interesting now than it was in Chicago. There he really was Snidely Whiplash. Once the element of Bingham wanting to marry Elizabeth was added and some of those atrocious lyrics were rewritten the character improved a great deal.

Same actor, better writing.

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 2:15pm

the show def. got better as it went on. i ended up loving it! still wish stephanie had a bigger song though ::wink wink::

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 3:30pm

Tech - I see exactly what you mean (re: Snidely Whiplash). Yeomans struck me as a combination of something like that and Don Stephenson as Thurio (in 2 Gents a few years ago....). A VERY flamboyant, effeminate take on the role. His "love" (if you can call it that) for Q.E. was so subtle that it was almost shocking when it came out of left field in the last 5 minutes of Act II.

The problems with the show really fall in England. Balgord's shrill soprano combined with an overly gaudy set and stereotypical "English-sounding" score slowed-down the momentum so much that, by the intermission, I was dreading those scenes. They really screwed up an otherwise (for-the-most-part) entertaining show.

Updated On: 3/29/07 at 03:30 PM

[sciguy]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 3:58pm

The title of your post caught my interest. I saw PQ last week with my daughter. After the show we both commented that it was too bad that Act 1 wasn't nearly as strong as Act 2. If it had been I seriously believe that it would be a huge hit. Unfortunately, neither one of us could put a finger on exactly what was wrong with the first act. I felt it moved very slowly and certain songs, like Boys will be Boys were shoehorned into the story. I also noticed alot more Les Mis type moments in Act 1. I think Act 2 showed alot more originality. Just my two cents.

[WishingWells]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 4:25pm

I think act two was more original for me as well. There were a few times in the first act where I thought of Les Mis. Maybe it was just me, but I felt that some of the scenes in act 1 were fast. I was trying to figure out what was going or what people were saying. Once everything setteled down, I loved it. (That may have not made sense..sorry)

Also, I have to agree that Bingham and the Queen were my least favorite. There was something about how they were acted that didn't fit with the seriousness of the characters. I am also not a big fan of their singing. I am looking forward to seeing what other actors do with that role.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 9:52pm

The scenes with Bingham and the Queen were my most favorite. I absolutely loved Linda Balgord's performance. I wouldn't change a damn thing. I sure hope she gets a Tony nom.

[fachedaluna]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 10:10pm

With all different opinions and interpretations I have been reading on this topic, I really am interested to see what the crix will write. Probably their comments will be as diverse as all of these postings. Very intriguing.
Updated On: 3/29/07 at 10:10 PM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 10:21pm

Don't get your hopes up for good reviews.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 10:25pm

Move on Yankee.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 10:29pm

Hey, I enjoyed it.

It's a deeply flawed show (as many have pointed out), that isn't flawed enough to be a complete waste. There are great moments, there are terrible moments.

Knowing what Brantley and the others enjoy, this won't get the kind-of reviews the producers (and the fans) are hoping for.

Phantom, I respect your opinion. Please respect mine.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 10:30pm

For someone who thinks the show has a zillion flaws, I'm surprised you're wasting so much of your valuable time talking about it, over and over again. That's all!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 10:34pm

I express my opinions about the flaws over and over again in the hopes that someone involved with the show will see it (and the many other posts which have pointed out the same flaws), take off the rose-colored glasses, and change it for the better.

The show has some of the greatest potential I've ever seen, in my years and years of going to the theater. The fact that it's frozen 3-weeks into previews with 2 weeks of changes-for-the-better to go is a shame.

Updated On: 3/29/07 at 10:34 PM

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 10:39pm

Well, perhaps you can direct the revival someday.