The Pirate Queen 11/8

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 11:35am

I posted this in another thread, but I figured people looking for personal reviews might miss it:

Having just seen Pirate Queen, the news of Galati possibly being replaced doesn't surprise me too much. The direction did seem rather pedestrian with only Block and Balgord delivering nuanced performances. The opening number seemed horribly immature (what was with that melody? are these pirates or children singing a popular drinking song?), the sinking of the British ship was embarrassing (think children in a kiddie pool with a large toy boat), and the pub number and the first queen's court number were disasters. And I'm not sure what the finale was like for others or if it had been changed, but it certainly did not seem sudden or unexpected to me. I found it to be rather drawn out and unnecessary. **SPOILER** I mean, once reunited (a somewhat anticlimactic scene), do we really need another scene as they join their clan? And watch them all just stand there and sing something that sounded like a reprise, but was such a forgettable tune I couldn't remember if I had heard it before or not? Why not reprise Sail to the Stars, which was one of the only interesting songs in the show?

It could be a wonderful show. If the story actually represented what the title implies. But it will take a lot more than book and lyric changes to make it work. The score needs a LOT of punching up. With only 2 or 3 good songs, and none of them memorable, there is a ton of work to do to try and draw in audiences. Not to mention the set design, which serviced the second act pretty well, but the first act (especially the opening) just looked kind of silly. I've been a B&S fan since Les Mis, but the quality in their work has decreased in degrees with each new show they have presented and from what I saw, they really bottomed out with Pirate Queen. It's neither bad nor good, entertaining or dull, moving or ambivalent. It's just there. Mildly interesting with a few nice moments. But I only saw about 10-15 minutes of really good material in the entire 2.5 hours.

Anyway, I don't think I could say anything that hasn't been said already. But I do give kudos for a wonderful cast. If Block ever gets the material she deserves in this show, she could be a major contender for the Tony. Cut the girl becomes a boy to be on the ship nonsense. It's not interesting and we've seen that stuff a million times. Just start with her already sailing with her father and the crew. If they need to reference how she ended up on a pirate ship, give a beautiful song of nostalgia to the father. Something that could resemble the poignancy of "I Dreamed a Dream". You've got a great actor there. Use him! Merge the last two scenes together and give us a sense that they once again return to a life on a ship. I recall the gorgeous sailing scenes in the Scarlet Pimpernel, which were brief, but far more effective than anything I saw in Pirate Queen.

Anyway, if there isn't a major overhaul of this show, it will be Broadway's next Woman in White.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 11:46am

Matt, you are such a cynic. Be prepared to be blasted for that review by people who haven't even seen it yet. How dare you.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 11:59am

Well, blast away. I didn't go in with high expectations per se, but with great excitement and anticipation. And I was sadly let down, leaving the theatre with nary a goose-bump, tear, or even much interest. Even Martin Guerre produced a thrilling CD (and a less thrilling follow-up), though the show was a bit dull on stage. Pirate Queen's score may have a couple of tracks that I might play. And given all the recitative, of which makes up maybe 75% of the show (or so it sounds), I expect any cast recording would be a single disc.

I do want to note that I did not mind the style of the music at all. I know others mentioned it was "not Irish enough", but how French was the score to Les Mis or Martin Guerre? How Vietnamese was the score to Miss Saigon? Somehow those were excusable to the majority, yet Pirate Queen is not granted the same allowances. The music is mostly pretty, and would service well as underscoring for a film. But it's not especially tuneful.

And yes, the Irish dancing was great. I don't know if they added more than when it began performances, but I don't think there was too little. I think if there were any more, it would just seem a bit silly and inappropriate, given the story.

[Ciaron McCarthy]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 12:10pm

I don't know why people are so afraid to call a spade a spade. This show sucks. If shows like "Company", "Follies" and "Chorus Line" are considered fine examples of the broadway musical than a show like the Pirate Queen is in serious trouble.

It needs to be completely redone at this point.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 12:26pm

"This show sucks. If shows like 'Company', 'Follies' and 'Chorus Line' are considered fine examples of the broadway musical than a show like the Pirate Queen is in serious trouble."

Well, I can't bring myself to say "it sucks". Because I've seen sucky shows (Notre Dame de Paris for example) and it wasn't that. It was mediocre. And I don't know if comparing it to two Sondheim shows and A Chorus Line is really a fair comparison (first of all, I never like Follies - awful book). There are countless fine examples of musical theatre in a wide variety of styles. And I would consider Les Miserables near the top of the list. The idea of setting the story of The Pirate Queen to music was a brilliant one. But the execution isn't there. And somewhere along the way, they forgot what the story was about. Either that, or they need to change the title and the set design because the "Pirate Queen" only really exists in the show for about 5 minutes. Apparently the height of her career was skipped between scenes. She becomes the Pirate Queen at the end of one song, and in the very next scene, Queen Elizabeth sings about Grace's power and command over 100 ships and 1000 men. And I was like, "Really? Huh. It would have been nice to see some of that, but I guess we'll just have to take your word for it. Boy, that Pirate Queen works fast!"

And though I forgot his name, the guy who plays Tiernan has one of the best voices I've heard in a while. His "I'll Be There" was one of the only highlights of the show. The placement of his voice and the clarity of his sounds were impeccable.

[Ciaron McCarthy]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 12:39pm

Of course you can compare this new piece of crap the shows that are considered great theater. Pirate Queen is aweful.

(first of all, I never like Follies - awful book)

This hurt!! I think saying "Follies" book is "aweful" is going a bit too far. Sure the book had some problems and is the most problematic part of the piece but to say it is aweful. How could you?!

I know an informed opinion is a valid one so I'm sure you have your reasons but are you sure you just didn't like the story? Or do you really think the books structure is "aweful"?

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 12:46pm

Or they could change the title to Pirate vs Queen. I would also have liked to have seen the scene where QEI and Grania actually talk things over. The most dramatically interesting thing happens off stage, for crying out loud.

And I agree about Hadley Fraser's voice, Matt, pure and strong and beautiful.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 2:01pm

Ciaron - Actually, I like the concept of Follies, including its story, but the dialogue and structure were terribly weak and came off as superficial to me. There was more wit and honesty in the lyrics than in any of the dialogue, which I assume is why the score is so revered, yet the show itself has never worked in production.

"Of course you can compare this new piece of crap the shows that are considered great theater."

I would compare to successful shows of similar style such as Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, or even Wicked. I wouldn't try and compare Caroline or Change to Avenue Q or Annie simply because they are all musicals. They are completely different styles that were created for different reasons and for different audiences during different eras. Some are created for the craft of the art, which could result in the evolution of its form, while others are created simply to entertain, as in the spirit of the history of Broadway, and help to boost the Broadway economy. And I don't think the motivations of writing and producing a show diminish its importance if the end result is of quality and/or popularity. I prefer to recognize the different styles within the same genre, which would be more of a fair comparison. I don't compare the works of Rembrandt to that of Pollack just because they are all paintings. Just like all sculptures should not be compared to the Venus di Milo and all classical music should not be compared to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. There is a lot more to it than that. And when you understand that, then you can give a more objective analysis.

And I'm not trying to soften my opinion of The Pirate Queen and I'm not trying to be diplomatic in my review. When I see something that is truly bad, I say it's bad. The Pirate Queen is not "bad" and it does not "suck", but it is not good. I did not leave the theatre angry or upset that my money was wasted (as I did with Sweet Smell of Success). But I did not feel elated or lifted, either. I felt rather ambivalent.

[Ciaron McCarthy]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 2:05pm

Matt don't all musicals want to be in the same cat as the shows I have mentioned? They want to be held up high and adored. "Pirate Queen" sucks! =)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 4:04pm

Ciaron - I don't think that is the ambition of the producers of every musical, no. Like I said, different musicals are written/produced for a variety of reasons. And not all of them are about a place in history. Some of them want to be financial hits, which Follies was not. Some of them are written to entertain the masses such as Mamma Mia. And while Mamma Mia is not a huge artistic achievement, it is a worldwide mega-hit, which has earned a huge amount of adoration from audiences around the world.

[Ciaron McCarthy]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 4:49pm

Agreed. However, I don't think the authors of PQ were thinking they were making a Mamma Mia. They thought they were making another "Les Miserables" which is a fantastic musical. They have failed....miserably.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 4:58pm

I don't know if they were thinking that at all since there are so few similarities. The structure of the score most closely resembles Martin Guerre. Since Martin Guerre flopped, I don't think they assume that anything they write will be an epic masterpiece or even a hit. They are working with entirely new producers, designers, and director, so I doubt they were expecting anything to resemble their previous shows at all except perhaps in musical style.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 8:33pm

Matt, thanks for posting your review. I put a review of The Pirate Queen up on this board on Oct 20, and had similar perceptions to yours. I'm including a link to my admittedly long winded review if anyone who hasn't read it is interested.

"It's neither bad nor good, entertaining or dull, moving or ambivalent. It's just there."

That's it! You summed up the show in those three sentences. (I doubt they'll want to use this quote in their ads though.) Although Ciaron McCarthy has every right to say this show "sucks" I agree with you that this description doesn't fit Pirate Queen. I thought "Cyrano" and "Dance of the Vampires" sucked. Pirate Queen is just frustratingly mediocre. It's 20 minutes of a mega hit buried underneath two hours of flop. I think that many of us who have seen it have a strong feeling that this show could be amazing if it was properly reworked.

"Cut the girl becomes a boy to be on the ship nonsense. It's not interesting and we've seen that stuff a million times. Just start with her already sailing with her father and the crew."

Yes! My apologies to those who have heard me saying this repeatedly, but all of that "I wanna be part of your world" crap in the opening number was NOT in this show's source novel "Grania She King of the Irish Seas". There are some scenes in that book that could be adapted to make a strong opening, such as Grania letting the captain of a vessel her crew has just seized gamble for his cargo with a roll of the dice. Skip the half baked reprise of Valjean and Cosette's relationship in Les Mis and let us see some actual PIRACY for crying out loud. (A friend of mine suggested that the show open with Grania and her crew downloading mp3s from Limewire.)

In the novel Grania has a strained relationship with Dubdhara. When he dies she is as much weeping for the loss of the way of life that the Irish Chieftans represented as she is for her father. I'd like to see the show start with Grania already a force to be reckoned with. Bring in two little girls to play flashbacks of the young Grania and young Queen Elizabeth to show their strangely parallel lives. Don't bring the present day Queen Elizabeth out until the end of Act 2 (she doesn't appear in the novel until the very end.) This way all of those ornate costumes and sets might have some impact. Right now Pirate Queen feels like "Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind" with the Mother Ship being revealed every 10 minutes from the beginning of the film.

Although Richard Maltby Jr might have been involved with some less than stellar projects lately he has had experience working with Boublil and Schonberg, and Miss Saigon succeeded where Pirate Queen most miserably fails: It told a compelling story and had a truly powerful ending.


Tech's Oct 20 PQ review

[Eos]

Posted: 11/13/06 at 11:40pm

Greetings theater lovers --
I've been lurking on the boards for awhile now, and I thought I'd add a few thoughts.

I saw The Pirate Queen the Friday and Saturday before it opened a few weeks ago. I agree with a lot of what's been said about the holes in the show's book, but having read the novel, there's one thought that I can't get out of my head -- Like TechEverlasting has already said, there is so much in the novel that could be used to add a little legitimacy to the show. In the novel, Tiernan (Tigernan in the book), doesn't admit his feelings for Grania until later in the story. I think the show could benefit from holding off on the lovey dovey stuff until later as well.

I would love to see "Here on This Night" replaced with a scene where we get to see Grania do some pirating. I think the show needs a scene early on where we see her as a fearless sea captain, providing for her clan. Without that, it's hard for me to buy into her being a "She-King of the Irish Sea". Jumping into the love story stuff so early, makes the show a little generic to me. Tiernan can love her from afar for awhile. I know I can't expect an adaptation from a novel to be just like the source material, but we never get the chance to see Grania do what she was historically known for.

There's a moment in the second act, I think, where she's kind of a smart-@ss to the English. I loved that moment! I want to see more of the plucky Grania. Stephanie J. Block is a bit wasted here, I think. Her character needs a "Look at me, I'm a butt-kicking pirate" song in there somewhere to establish her as a real threat to the English, and to keep this character from slipping into a garden-variety heroine who does a little sword fighting.

I'm seeing it again in April, and like many others here, I'll be curious to see what they've done with it.

Updated On: 6/17/07 at 11:40 PM

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 12:23am

At this time of my life I am just happy to be in a theater!

I love The Pirate Queen. I am taking my eight year old son toward the end of the run. We have spent dozens of hours in the theater together and I look forward to his reaction.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 1:04am

"there is so much in the novel that could be used to add a little legitimacy to the show"

In the novel Grania loves to gamble, and in a way sees her entire life as one big roll of the dice. I think Stephanie J. Block could really bring the passionate, tough Grania from the book to life. I also like how in the book Queen Elizabeth is a mysterious, shadowy figure right up to the meeting at the end. Perhaps they should put Elizabeth behind that screen for all of her earlier scenes and then have the meeting between Grania and Elizabeth happen in front of it.

I agree that a musical based on a novel can't be expected to duplicate its source material in detail. I think the attempt to do this was one of Ragtime's failings. (I still love that show though, what a score!) I deliberately didn't read the Grania novel until I had seen Pirate Queen once, so I didn't come in expecting anything. I just started reading the "Wicked" novel. Even though there have been complaints that Wicked strayed too far from its source I think that show works. It is fun reading all the extra details about Elphaba and the others.

Maybe one of these days I'll finally get through "Les Miserables".

Edit: brdlwyr, I will be very interested to hear what your 8 year old son thinks of the show. I hope you'll let us know. I'm often surprised at what shows my 7 year old daughter likes and doesn't like.

Updated On: 11/14/06 at 01:04 AM