This is going to seem trivial, but: Tarzan Vs. Pirate Queen- Page 3

[amalou]

Posted: 7/1/07 at 1:04am

yay for MeganS!! :) If you loved Pirate Queen then own it! woo!

Lots of people like Pirate Queen. Sorry. It's NOT unheard of.

The songs in Pirate Queen don't actually sound the same as Les Mis. Definately not as bad as Wildhorn using his same music over and over.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 7/1/07 at 1:24am

I think Mistress is wrong, and I love and respect her and her chair and best Friend Josh and the other Josh.
TARZAN cost a lot more than folks know and it lost every cent and more by staying open so long.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 7/1/07 at 8:45am

I think both Tarzan and Pirate Queen cost more than anyone would ever believe.

It seems that Disney kept Tarzan running at a financial loss to help give the show the cachet of a Broadway run for other productions. From what I've heard Tarzan has been overhauled for its Netherlands run and is doing well there.

I had thought Pirate Queen might do the same thing, keep limping along on Broadway while mounting revised productions elsewhere. Perhaps this would have happened if the show had gotten a few Tony nominations and Young Frankenstein hadn't been pressuring to take over the Hilton.

I hope we'll see a reconceived Pirate Queen surface in Europe or Japan eventually. As I expect many people will comment when they hear the soon to be released CD, there's a lot of strong material in the Pirate Queen score, enough to make for a fine show if the horifying opening number and some of the syrupy ballads are replaced.

[jasonf]

Posted: 7/1/07 at 1:13pm

"I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and bet that you're saying they were stolen from Les Mis? Um? It was kind of written by the same guys, so they kind of can't steal their own material?"

Yeah, the score is a mash-up of Les Mis, Miss Saigon, and Martin Guerre. I like or love all three of those scores. I didn't need to hear them a fourth time - though the score wasn't NEARLY as bad for me as the book was (which is where the real trouble with the musical is). On TheaterTalk this week they reran interviews with Peter Stone who, in MANY people's opinions, wrote one of the greatest books in musical theater history -- 1776. In the interview, he talks about how a show can have an amazing score and a terrible book and flop, but a show with a decent score and an excellent book can be a huge success because the story is what draws people in. The music in PQ isn't horrible because it IS written in a similar idiom to those other shows. The lyrics and book, however, are some of the worst I've ever seen, which, again following what Stone said, makes the show virtually unwatchable to many people.

At least with Tarzan the book followed the movie - it wasn't the greatest, but it was coherent. (And I would probably choose the PQ MUSIC over Tarzan's music any day -- lyric-wise - ugh, don't even want to think about it).

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/1/07 at 5:13pm

Having seen & liked both we definitely preferred The Pirate Queen