Pirate Queen Part III (my PM)

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 12:47am

(My PM to a fellow PQ fan)

In my younger days I wrote papers on Pinter and Chekhov, those critical writings skills have long diminished. But, I will give you a few thoughts since you share my great loyalty and love for that which is The Pirate Queen.

Maybe critics of PQ discount the fact that this is the genre of the Broadway Musical.
The same genre in which major awards were recently given to a show about foul mouthed puppets and another which included a plot involving grown men in tights in forest looking for shrubbery.

I approach each musical in light of the current state of the genre (which I love!) I go to musicals for entertainment and escape. I have limited time and do not have the luxury of attending 2-3 plays/week. I regret that I have not been to the Steppenwolf in years, but I would rather see Wicked for the 8th time or PQ for the 4th time.

On Sunday our seats were most excellent. We were in the second row. (The exact same seat in which I suffered through the awful Rent tour. *shudders*).

It was not the day to take my eight year old to a 2:40 musical. We had been up very late for the previous four nights with holiday guests, parties, etc. He was crabby in the morning and very tired. He behaved very well per usual, but was simply too tired to soak it in. Thus, we skipped the stage door per his request. He is no novice seeing at least 30 shows in the last few years.

Before the curtain, we could hear the cast apparently in a closing show pep talk. (I loved those seats).

You could see, hear and feel a great energy from the moment the lights were dimmed.

The overture is so gorgeous! I just love it. C8 was thrilled at the waves on the scrim.

The serenity of the overture and the waves then followed by the pirates pounding their oars forms a great metaphoric pattern for the show. Like the sea, a stormy scene is often followed by a calm sea. The pirate’s also show initially the reverence and dedication that the clan has to their country and history.

McCarthy’s recitative as Grace’s father is simply brilliant during the early moments of the show. His voice and presence are firm and strong. The male ensemble - artists and athletes - climbing, jumping and crawling all over the stage with aplomb.

I love the use of recitative in lieu of spoken word; I believe it adds to the drama and remoteness of the period.

Stephanie had a large group of followers there and she was raucously applauded for her entrance. She takes command of the stage and the younger Grace is filled with a great innocence and vibrancy. Up close you could see her intense interaction and competition with the young pirates.

This includes Tiernan, Stephanie and Frasier are given just a few moments to make the transition between friends and lovers. They interact with youthful giddiness and then show their developing relationship.

The Battle at Sea is technically brilliant. With merely a boom and some cloth we see Grace show her greatness with prowess as she cuts the line.

Cut to England! My wife and I just love Linda’s performance. She will win for best costumes! (that was a joke). She fills the enormity and brilliance of her costume with comic timing and a voice that meets its high expectations. At first we think she is a one dimensional royal puppet, but we see her grace and pain as she develops.

The Choice is Yours is the Tony! My god! I love Stephanie! (In a few minutes could you please explain why you leave your love for the love of country?) Most could not – she does. I will gladly pay a Ticketmaster charge to see her struggle, yet reach her decision with absolution!

(Boys will be Boys does not work for me)

OK, now we get to the heart of PQ – The Wedding Ring is worth the price of admission! These young brilliant dancers explode and reach heights that I could not imagine possible. Grace recognizes her decision and embraces the ritual. Tiernen does the same! It is so sad, yet uplifting. (Hope survives!)

And then……. (I am a tenor. I have a very nice voice.) But, this young man – with merely a square for blocking – puts his heart on his sleeve and tears down the house! His chest voice is haunting and then he soars! How long do we have to wait for the OBC recording?????? I will be there to buy it!

Oh, and then a few scenes later, Grace regains her position and freaking kills me with her brilliant aria!!!!

(I have to speed this up)

My favorite number is A Day Beyond Belclare. Musical theatre lovers will hum this tune for years.

Frank is brilliant at using the tableau to end an emotional scene and he nails it whit this!

Sail to the Stars – if this is the second best closing of an Act by two of the greatest writers in the modern era –so be it!!!

INTERMISSION

C8 is crabby and I get him a coke. He laughs again that I lied about the seats. He thought we were in out normal upper balcony.

I could have grabbed Grania’s crotch in two seconds – that is how close we were. There has been much written about that. But, I have witnessed three births and I will tell you that my wife would have grabbed it too! Stephanie obviously trusts her instincts and no acting coach would criticize her acting choices.

Grace kicks Donal's ass and I love how she is defended by her pirates!

If I Said I Love the Pirate Queen – you would say Yes and Hadley and Stephanie are so beautiful! This number is just so gorgeous! *sighs*.

The Dance Part Deux is the Christening! Those boys light up the stage! This quad of Irish dancers just amazes me.

OK – Donal betrays, at least he dies.

Now, Linda shows us the deep underside behind the costume in She, Who Has All. (My wife laments that she cannot sing with the ability to perform the role of Q I.)

The Sea of Life is brilliant and I love it, but like Les Miz, the falling action is VERY slow.

I would speed up the end.

The Ending Tableau is Stunning!

I, like the rest of the Palace erupt in applause and we hail our queen! BRAVA DIVA!



Today, I walked down Wells Street on the way to my car. All of the dock doors were open and you could see right into the seats, so sad...

I am proud that Chicago hosted the Queen!!!!

[GretchaSketh]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 1:11am

I believe i sat next to you during the second half of the show.

I agree with so much of what you said. I think they have some work to do to tighten it up but what show doesn't after their out of town try out? I think that stephanie truly commands the stage. You can feel her passion as the character. I really enjoyed the show...the music, the actors, the set. All of it!

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 1:25am

I was the fat guy! (You are now a witness that I am what I am)

I really regret only seeing it three times.

The score is gorgeous!

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 2:13am

What ending tableau is "stunning?" The one with Grace, Tiernan, and their kid standing center stage and hugging? I wouldn't exactly call that stunning. Typical, uninventive, sending a wrong message (that Grania maintained Ireland's freedom so she could raise a family and marry the man of her dreams) yes, but "stunning?" Sorry. It's as if we saw two completely different shows on the same day.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 10:31am

As in all theatre, it is the perspective from which you see the play.

[Popular]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 1:43pm

Thanks for sharing your experience! I think I let out an audible gasp at your description of how close you were sitting. LOL I thought how they sort of paused the scene and made her cries echo in the middle of the fight was very effective.

I also second Gretch's response (minus the whole sitting next to you part, of course. Small world!)

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 8:14pm

I enjoyed your review brdlwyr. I hope you'll get a chance to see the reworked version of PQ on Broadway, or (knock on wood) back in Chicago on tour someday. I'm curious about one comment:

"Sail to the Stars – if this is the second best closing of an Act by two of the greatest writers in the modern era –so be it!!! "

Which is the first? My opinion is that "I'd Give My Life For You" from Miss Saigon is one of the most effective Act I closings I've ever seen, both dramatically and musically. I'd put it right up there with "'Til We Reach That Day" from Ragtime, which from me is very high praise.

My guess is you were referring to "One Day More" from Les Mis. I don't remember what closed Act I in Martin Guerre.

[BreakingTheCircle07]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:48am

I'm curious about the ending tableau as well. All I remember is the family standing center and hugging. Did they change it over the course of Chicago's run?

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 4:00pm

Tech, you would be correct that it should have been third.

And, I hope to get to NY in the Spring, but would probably choose something new and I do look forward to the CD.

Seeing this show a few times has changed my opinion that there are no familiar melodies. I have so many stuck in my head all day now!

The load out is still progressing. It was cool when the dock doors were open and you could see the seats as passing by.


Years ago when they tore down the Granada on Sheridan, the back wall was gone and you could see right past the stage into the house. It was sad.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 6:54pm

Just got a mailing for a reduced price offering

Hopefully they will fix it before it sails onto broadway

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 6:56pm

Yes. I would hate to see this show crash into the jagged rocks on the shores of Hudson Bay.

[ChicagoAmy]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 12:24am

> Seeing this show a few times has changed my opinion that there are no familiar melodies. I have so many stuck in my head all day now!

I noticed that too! The first time I saw it I liked it, but nothing stayed with me. But ever since my second time seeing it (ended up seeing it five times), I've had the songs *constantly* stuck in my head!

[Sally]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 3:24am

I saw the show only once, and the songs did not stick. I hope that familiarity will breed love.

[GretchaSketh]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 9:42am

I couldn't agree more. The second time I saw it was when it stuck for me. I wasn't so focused on the story and could focus more on the lyics and the music and other details.

Unfortunately the average theatre goer does not see a single show more than once. They've gotta make those songs stick the first time!

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 11:20am

"Unfortunately the average theatre goer does not see a single show more than once. They've gotta make those songs stick the first time!"

This is why I wish the producers would follow Legally Blonde's lead and release a few of the better songs from PQ immediately. It wouldn't hurt if at least some of the audience had heard "I'll Be There" "Sail To The Stars" and a few others before seeing the show the first time.

Beyond this they've got to get rid of a few of those ballads and inject some energy into the last 45 minutes of the show. I imagine that is what's being worked on right now.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 12:37pm

I read on the Pirate Queen boards that SJB told someone that there was a new beginning and more exposition about Grania. Hopefully that'd make "Here On This Night" not come from so far out in left field, with more of a build.

Someone else suggested opening with Grania already a leader of the Pirates and having something with dice or her ship on fire or something ( I don't remember it all ). That'd probably make "My Grace" more interesting because it'd be very reminiscent and a great tool for backstory, which it vaguely is already.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 3:00pm

The novel opened with Grania and Tigernan fighting a fire on her ship. I think this might be too much to try to stage. There is a later scene where Grace's pirates seize a ship and she has its captain wager for his cargo with a roll of the dice. That's what I think would make a great opening scene. The roll of the dice could be a nice metaphor for all the gambles Grania took in her life.

Having said that, I think the only thing that could make "My Grace" exciting would be to cut it.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 11:11pm

Gretch (seat buddy) I thought the same, the average theatre patron needs to hum the song so they remember the show a few days later and mention it to friends and family.

The load out is not finished, there are still trucks on Wells Street.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 11:29pm

Tech- That too, heh. But I guess more the point I was trying to make is that such an opening would give ample opportunity and probably even necessity for a "My Grace"-type song.

I haven't read the source novel, but I'd definetly like to know more about Grace's mother. How she died and stuff. I don't know if we want to go the Secret Garden or Billy Elliot route and have her ghost chilling upstage half the time, but you know whatever works.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 12/4/06 at 11:47pm

Did the chieftans early in the production sign a document rather then hand off their head dress?

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 12/5/06 at 8:20am

I saw the third preview, and I don't remember the chieftans doing anything different.
It's been a while, so maybe I'm forgetting something. I believe that later in the previews spoken lines were added for Lord Bingham to explain what was going on, something like "Now your majesty, with Grace O'Malley in prison the chieftans are surrendering and your patience has paid off..."

In the novel Grania's mother was still alive for Grania's early years as a captain, and was depicted as a devout houswife who didn't know what to make of her rambunctious daughter. Dubdhara was crushed by Mairgret's death and took his grief out on Grania. Dubdhara and Grania weren't all lovey dovey in the novel.

As far as flashbacks go it might be interesting to see both Grania and Elizabeth as children to develop the idea of their parallel lives, as long as something more interesting than the Muzaky "My Grace" can accompany this idea. Otherwise I would prefer to see the show start with the Pirate Queen in her glory. Did Evita have scenes of young Eva with her dad? Did Sunset Blvd depict little Norma Desmond playing with toy ships?

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 12/5/06 at 10:42am

"...and have her ghost chilling upstage half the time, but you know whatever works."


For some reason that cracked me the hell up....

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/5/06 at 5:31pm

Haha, I was actually rather proud of that wording. Thanks for pointing it out.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 12/6/06 at 12:33am

Tech, maybe that is the difference.

The load out is not quite finished, one more semi trailer today.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/6/06 at 1:33pm

Dear lord, Eugene Lee.