Pirate Queen- it's a good show. — Page 2

Nah, the ending was the least of the problems, for me. It was simple, but sweet... and really, the only way it could logically have ended if it was going to go the happy ending route.

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B3TA07- Would you care to elaborate on "Retire it, Wanna Be".
Exactly what is it you are deducing that I want to be?

You didn't think that was maybe directed at Wanna Be a Foster? The same Wanna Be a Foster you were responding to in the same post?

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I enjoyed your review Queenbee2, and I agree with your fundamental point. Pirate Queen is now an entertaining way to spend a few hours in a theater, a good solid show, but not something great. The cast is indeed brilliant, and all the technical elements are first rate. In Chicago I felt Pirate Queen was a complete trainwreck (an opinion I frequently stated) so they have indeed made great progress.

The producers have done an excellent job promoting the show, and there seems to be a very positive audience response, so this could be one of those shows that runs for years to the horror of theater snobs everywhere.

I think what is holding Pirate Queen back from greatness is the weakness of the basic story. At this point their slogan could be "When surrender wasn't enough, she tried begging." In the novel Grania is a brave, daring gambler who defies the British to the very end and is a force for Queen Elizabeth to reckon with. The last 30 minutes of this production are all about defeat and acquiescence.

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The title of this thread smacks of desperation. It's like someone saying "oh please see it! it's really good, honest!"

Updated On: 3/17/07 at 09:43 AM

queenbee2,
Ignore Wanna Be a Foster, he is not the board police although he thinks he is.
Also note that B3TA07's comment "Retire it, Wannabe" was directed at him and not you.

Keep posting.

Updated On: 3/26/07 at 09:58 AM

danhattan-

I agree with you. The new ending is a powerful statement in its simplicity. The prayer for peace couldn't be more timely, and while I had thought they might try to come up with a "flashier" ending, the power of those words of peace seems quite appropriate, especially with the current world climate.


Yankeefan- thanks for taking the time to post, but I can assure you, there is no "despErate" agenda here (I assume you meant "desPERation"). I happen to like the show. Sorry. And the point of the thread title was comparing the difference between the word GOOD to the word GREAT, which I had hoped the show might be and have clearly stated it isn't yet.

-QB

Updated On: 3/17/07 at 10:40 AM

QB - I never professed to be a good speller, especially at 9:40 in the morning.

So despite my embarrassment (is that right?), I must say that your enthusiasm for the show is refreshing. I had plans to see it today, but I didn't want to go slip sliding on the ice.

I do have plans to see their first Wednesday matinee, though.

Updated On: 3/17/07 at 10:55 AM

Yawn...same comments over and over again.. It's still going to tank... And if you don't like my comments don't look at em...Post the same thing over and over again...everyone who disagrees about this show can say the same thing over and over again.

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QB - nope.

I didn't see it out of town, I don't have many expectations for it, I have no vested interest in its success or failure.

In short, I am the perfect, unbiased audience member.

I thought the scene where Elizabeth and Grania met face to face was brilliant and I understood it completely. Especially when Liz says the line "what took 7 years of bloody war we women have negotiated in four hours" (pardon me for not a direct quote) And the page in the Playbill that stated the story and acknowledged the differences between the characters of the show and the real life men and women helped a bit.

I also thought the ending was very sweet. For 7 years this woman had been in prison and away from her homeland and the man she loved and then FINALLY they were together again with her son. Especially when the cast slowly walked out on stage and began to sing "Mayb God bless the bride and groom" u could hear the audience go "yes!! awww! thank God!"

And it's obvious the stage Grania is completely different from the Grania of Irish history. The entire stage story is different from the real tale of Grania. It's for theatrical purposes only, and if the REAL Grania were to be brought to the stage we would be discussing in a thread how pointless the show would be because it would basically just be a bunch of battles with a few games of cat and mouse thrown in. There was never so strong a love story between Grania and anyone in the real history, it's all for the stage, and I personally thought the Pirate Queen was a wonderful show I am glad to see I will be seeing again soon.

Aye, matey!

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So I saw The Pirate Queen yesterday. I'd had a very stressful week and decided to take the trip up from DC with a couple of friends yesterday to see it - and I was not disappointed. Those 8 hours in the car were totally worth the 2 hours and 40 minutes of the show.

I will admit that there are several things that could use some work, but I would easily go see this show again.

Here are some of my thoughts:

1) The accents - I know they are a recent development, but they really need to be kept consistent. Actors would literally go from one sentence speaking with an American accent to the next one speaking with an Irish accent. Even Hadley Fraser, who has a beautiful British accent, switched between American and Irish. It was very noticeable and definitely needs work to keep it consistent before opening.

2) Tiernan and Donal's fight - I don't know if it's because I was sitting on the extreme side and something like that is really staged to be seen from the center of the theater, but it was really bad. It was so obviously fake that it was laughable. I've seen fights staged live before and know they can be done better than that.

3) The Queen - Her costumes were beautiful but I didn't enjoy Linda Balgord's performance at all. Her songs are all high-pitched, which might have been fine if she had enunciated better, but between the high pitch and her poor enunciation I couldn't understand the majority of what she was saying in her songs.

4) Lord Bingham - I don't know why, but I didn't like William Youmans' portrayal of this character. Throughout the entire show I kept trying to figure out what character he reminded me of in a movie, and I still haven't figured it out yet but I didn't like it. He also spit like no one else whenever he sang. My friends and I, and a few people around us, were actually cracking up during one scene because there was a massive amount of spit whenever he opened his mouth.

5) The songs - While some songs felt like they were borrowed directly from Les Miz I really enjoyed the majority of them. I especially liked "A Day Beyond Belclare" and "Sail to the Stars." They were a wonderful way to end Act I and left me excited for the beginning of Act II. I will most definitely buy the recording when it becomes available.

6) I'm sure this would do better under the Unpopular Opinions I Hold thread, but I'll say it anyway. I enjoyed The Pirate Queen better than Les Miz.

I'm sure there are more things I thought of yesterday that I can't think of today but I'll add them if they come to me. Overall, I had a great afternoon at the theatre, flaws and all. There was much more good than bad about this show and I hope it does well.

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Thanks for your review!!!

I also plan on getting the Cast Recording. I think the music is BEAUTIFUL!!!