#1
Posted: 3/7/07 at 11:57am
I wasn’t sure whether it was appropriate to write a review of the first preview of The Pirate Queen but since it seems everyone else has, here’s mine. If nothing else, you’ll know I see more than Tarzan (I’ve actually seen most of the major shows currently running, just for the record). I know they’re working the kinks out and, frankly, I felt privileged to be a part of the process in some miniscule way. Last night, I contributed by being part of the sound absorption in the Hilton, a barn of a theatre. I remember how people complained about the size of the Uris (now the Gershwin) when Sweeney Todd ran there way back when. More on the sound later.
God, I wanted to love this show. I remember the first time I saw Les Mis, I was singing ‘Master of the House’ and ‘Bring Him Home’ to myself for a week, making up my own words because I didn’t have the album yet. When I saw Miss Saigon, ‘Why God?’ haunted me forever. I can’t recall a single song from the show last night. Even when I woke up on the train, it was Raul singing ‘Being Alive’ in my head, but the closest I could come to PQ when I tried to recall the songs was the theme from Riverdance. I remember thinking ‘that was really pretty’ a few times during the performance, and then the theme was gone. Could we have crammed in any more 5/4 time? I guess I still expect to leave a musical humming a tune from it.
The book? I can’t remember the last time I had to work so hard to follow a story. It was way too predictable in some places, the dialogue made no sense in others, and it just never came together. Then it just ended and we were in bows. Uh, huh? At least I get a libretto at the opera. Last night I needed aspirin and a scorecard. The show seems to be designed around tableaus or carefully conceived moments, and the book and lyrics were merely a means to get there. We got an Edsel. I just couldn’t like this *show*.
Now, on to the production. I am a big fan of Eugene Lee and everyone is allowed to make a mistake. I think he used up his quota here. The projections were beautiful but inconsistent, and when I got bored, I started looking for Han Solo trapped in the carbonite wall sections. In fact, much of the set was inconsistent, with every trip to the ship different. I can understand why the capstan wasn’t always there, to allow for the dance numbers, but why did we get a pinrail in Act II but no railing in Act I? OK, I have sailed tall ships, and I understand that this is theatre, not the HMS Rose, but from a design point of view, the lack of consistency and integrity between scenes on the same setting was disturbing. And does Mel brooks know someone stole Young Frankenstein’s castle cutout? On the other hand, some of the people around me laughed at the ‘cartoonish’ painting of the walls for Elizabeth’s palace when that was, in fact, the exact style and was well executed. Can someone tell me what purpose the manger served atop the sky representation over the proscenium? I kept hoping Terk would pop his head out of that little window, swing down, and save the show (OK, that’s my one gratuitous Tarzan reference, sorry).
The lighting was often breathtaking and Ken Posner certainly deserves a Tony nomination for his outstanding work here. Likewise, Martin Pakledinaz’s costumes were marvelous and certainly worthy of the highest praise. Someone commented about Elizabeth’s dresses in another thread. I refer you back to the first song she sings, which sets the character of Elizabeth I quite accurately (Yes, that IS a compliment for the book), which is all about image and propriety, and later the pots and paints for which she is still well known. The Elizabethan costumes were dead on accurate, and while they were a glaring contrast to our happy Irish pirates and peasantry, was that not the statement that brought the show to its climax? And a rare tip of the hat to the wigmakers, well done!
Ah now for my part in the show, the sound absorber! As I said, the Hilton is a barn, and you can’t accurately define sound levels without people in the house. Last night was rough, but I suspect it was the first time the house was filled to capacity, and I applaud the producers for running the AM NY deal if only to let the techs work with a full house. The sound design was spotty but I know that will improve with time. I was concerned that it was often hard to understand some of the lyrics, though, and I am not sure how much of that was miking and how much was the actors diction.
Finally, the staging… eh. It never came together cohesively for me. It was like the dancers would come on, the director would hand things off to the choreographer, and go out to Starbucks. Don’t get me wrong, the dancing was awesome, but it didn’t always support the story. Again, it was moment to moment, tableau to tableau, with no connective tissue kinda thing. And the show needs an ending, please. Frank Galati’s staging did not account for some of the poor sightlines, and from my seat on house right, I couldn’t see Grace at all in ‘She Who Has All’, He also failed to make good use of the few interesting set elements.
And so… the performances… oops! Out of space! Join us after this commercial break from our sponsor. The review gets better!
God, I wanted to love this show. I remember the first time I saw Les Mis, I was singing ‘Master of the House’ and ‘Bring Him Home’ to myself for a week, making up my own words because I didn’t have the album yet. When I saw Miss Saigon, ‘Why God?’ haunted me forever. I can’t recall a single song from the show last night. Even when I woke up on the train, it was Raul singing ‘Being Alive’ in my head, but the closest I could come to PQ when I tried to recall the songs was the theme from Riverdance. I remember thinking ‘that was really pretty’ a few times during the performance, and then the theme was gone. Could we have crammed in any more 5/4 time? I guess I still expect to leave a musical humming a tune from it.
The book? I can’t remember the last time I had to work so hard to follow a story. It was way too predictable in some places, the dialogue made no sense in others, and it just never came together. Then it just ended and we were in bows. Uh, huh? At least I get a libretto at the opera. Last night I needed aspirin and a scorecard. The show seems to be designed around tableaus or carefully conceived moments, and the book and lyrics were merely a means to get there. We got an Edsel. I just couldn’t like this *show*.
Now, on to the production. I am a big fan of Eugene Lee and everyone is allowed to make a mistake. I think he used up his quota here. The projections were beautiful but inconsistent, and when I got bored, I started looking for Han Solo trapped in the carbonite wall sections. In fact, much of the set was inconsistent, with every trip to the ship different. I can understand why the capstan wasn’t always there, to allow for the dance numbers, but why did we get a pinrail in Act II but no railing in Act I? OK, I have sailed tall ships, and I understand that this is theatre, not the HMS Rose, but from a design point of view, the lack of consistency and integrity between scenes on the same setting was disturbing. And does Mel brooks know someone stole Young Frankenstein’s castle cutout? On the other hand, some of the people around me laughed at the ‘cartoonish’ painting of the walls for Elizabeth’s palace when that was, in fact, the exact style and was well executed. Can someone tell me what purpose the manger served atop the sky representation over the proscenium? I kept hoping Terk would pop his head out of that little window, swing down, and save the show (OK, that’s my one gratuitous Tarzan reference, sorry).
The lighting was often breathtaking and Ken Posner certainly deserves a Tony nomination for his outstanding work here. Likewise, Martin Pakledinaz’s costumes were marvelous and certainly worthy of the highest praise. Someone commented about Elizabeth’s dresses in another thread. I refer you back to the first song she sings, which sets the character of Elizabeth I quite accurately (Yes, that IS a compliment for the book), which is all about image and propriety, and later the pots and paints for which she is still well known. The Elizabethan costumes were dead on accurate, and while they were a glaring contrast to our happy Irish pirates and peasantry, was that not the statement that brought the show to its climax? And a rare tip of the hat to the wigmakers, well done!
Ah now for my part in the show, the sound absorber! As I said, the Hilton is a barn, and you can’t accurately define sound levels without people in the house. Last night was rough, but I suspect it was the first time the house was filled to capacity, and I applaud the producers for running the AM NY deal if only to let the techs work with a full house
Finally, the staging… eh. It never came together cohesively for me. It was like the dancers would come on, the director would hand things off to the choreographer, and go out to Starbucks. Don’t get me wrong, the dancing was awesome, but it didn’t always support the story. Again, it was moment to moment, tableau to tableau, with no connective tissue kinda thing. And the show needs an ending, please. Frank Galati’s staging did not account for some of the poor sightlines, and from my seat on house right, I couldn’t see Grace at all in ‘She Who Has All’, He also failed to make good use of the few interesting set elements.
And so… the performances… oops! Out of space! Join us after this commercial break from our sponsor. The review gets better!
But they are always supported and thorough. Wonderful review!
