Retire it, QUEEN!

I just got back from the first preview of THE PIRATE QUEEN, and, considering the fact that it has supposedly undergone such reworking since its poorly received out of town tryout, I can only imagine how much MORE of a disaster it could have possibly been than what I saw tonight. What a mess. The story is dull as all hell. I don't know who the target audience is supposed to be for this show. Going in, I was under the impression that they were targeting a youth-WICKED-Disney oriented audience, but as one tasteless sexual reference led to another, not to mention what sounded like the F-word and what definitely was the B-word, I was left clueless as to who is supposed to be buying tickets to this show. First off, the show apparently takes place in Ireland. Not one cast member was speaking with an Irish accent. The small bit of choreography that there is was pedestrian, aside from some impressive Irish step dancing thrown in randomly, I suppose to remind audience members that they were in Ireland. Honestly, the curtain call--if you can make it to that point without falling asleep--was the most lively, choreographed number in the show. Act One ended at 9:50, and the show let out at 11:10. Sitting to the right of me was an elderly man. He left at intermission. To the left of me sat a young girl, about 12, with her mother. The girl was shuffling around and her mother kept looking at her watch. I'm not even going to say much about the cast, because as far as I'm concerned, they are just innocent bystanders. They're working really hard up there to hold together a skeleton of a show. But, since all of the hoopla surrounding the show on this board is related to Stephanie J. Block, I'll just say that she looked just as bored up there as the audience members watching down in the house. Nothing about this show says Tony worthy. It reminded me a lot of the last show I saw in this theatre, HOT FEET, and we all know what the future held for that piece of work. Here's hoping the show moves quietly along, and the actors find new work in productions more worthy of their talent.

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Updated On: 3/7/07 at 12:20 AM

If they spoke with Irish accents I can only imagine that several people would say they were horribly fake accents.

You're kidding, right? Two shows on Broadway within the last year taking place in Ireland; SHINING CITY--they used fantastic Irish accents--and, currently playing--TRANSLATIONS--and they all sound wonderful and real. This is Broadway. There are dialect coaches who make their living teaching actors to speak in the accents appropriate to the play they're in.

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My first question...In Les Mis, do they speak with French accents? No!

Of course not, but if you were doing a show set in Jamaica, wouldn't they sound Jamaican? What about set in the American South? The Pirate Queen should also use Irish accents. Why? All of these examples, they're SPEAKING ENGLISH. In Les Miz, as far as the characters are concerned, they're speaking French.

Les Miz and French accents = Old argument. Stupid, does not hold water, has not since 1985. Find another.

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yeah, and RIVERDANCE never found an audience either.
You are entitled to your opinion but don't state it as a fact that the show is not good when many people are enjoyibg it.

There aren't to many German accents in Spring Awakening...just sayin'.

Wow, that is brutal.

They have pirate accents, though, right?

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Updated On: 3/7/07 at 12:42 AM

Les Miz and French accents = Old argument. Stupid, does not hold water, has not since 1985. Find another.

Didn't realize I pushed a button!

Arrrh!

This thread is damn scary and coming from all the wrong places!

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One thing I know about Wanna Be A Foster...he goes into every show really, really wanting to like it. He enjoys leaving a theatre feeling that he has experienced something original, uplifting, moving and plain ol' entertaining. He champions shows he loves and is grossly disappointed when a show fails.

So anything he says comes from a place of love...love for theatre, love for brilliance, love for vision, love for creation. He's not trying to pan something because he's a mean old codger. He's simply disappointed by mediocrity and all that falls below that line.

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I heard the "Fattest Cat Ever" is playing the ship. Is this true?

Another review: http://talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=1374029

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