"The Pirate Queen" was an experience that made me truly appreciative of good musical theater. Yes, it was just that bad.
With a book and music created by the same team that brought us "Les Miserables" and "Miss Saigon", I was very hopeful that this new musical production would be on par with their previous works that I love. I was amazed at just how short this show actually fell.
The story revolves around a true story. Grace O'Malley was the first female head of an Irish clan. She happened to lead at the same time that the first Queen Elizabeth was taking the thrown and leading an expansionistic monarchy.
In theory, the story could've been about these two women who ruled simultaneously at a time when women did not have any power. That would have been a very intriguing and rewarding story.
It could have been a three tiered love story. A woman and her country, a woman and her lover, and a woman and her son were the three obvious through lines that could've been developed in the story about Grace. That would have been a great story too.
It could have been an epic adventure. It could've featured sea-faring battles and exciting production/effect elements. That too would've been very entertaining...
Unfortunately, I can't really tell you what the show was about, because all of the above were so superficially developed that none had any sort of final emotional payoff. At intermission, I felt utterly confused about what was happening, and more importantly why I cared about what was happening. I've never been in a theater and actually considered leaving during the intermission. It was an extremely bizarre feeling for me.
The entire plot was completely contrived and predictable. A woman feels left out in a man's world. She gains the trust of men to become a great leader. She falls in love, but is forced to marry someone else (even though she's the ruler and could've changed that situation…). Her true love sticks around, so when the husband becomes totally worthless and betrays her the Lover can sweep in and save the day. But then there's the Queen of England who miraculously has a change of heart because she has no lover and sets Grace free, so really the Lover didn't save her at all when she got captured. And then the two queens are friends…
Confused? Ya, I'm sorry, but that's how I still feel. And I was there for the whole thing!
The show had a large ensemble that would randomly break out in RiverDance-esque production numbers that absolutely made no sense in the show. Only one of the four or five dance numbers could I even understand. Yes, at a wedding there would be dancing. But in a christening? What's with all the hardshoe Irish jigging? I mean, I get it. The show is about an Irish woman. And Riverdance is an Irish style. But aside from that little connection I cannot tell you why the show had choreography at all. Not that the dancing was bad. It was very good, but just so completely out of place!
There is a bar scene in Act One where the villain (Grace's arranged husband) sings about being adulterous. He is joined by barmaids and shipmates. The number was very crass. Understandably, it was to demonstrate the morals of the time period and the quality of life in Ireland. But they were all very clean. What I mean is they had meticulous wigs, clean make-up, and untarnished costumes. None of which are very realistic for a 1500's Irish pub. So the whole number was very off putting and seemed crass for no other reason than to be just that.
The only thing worse than that scene was any time the actress playing Queen Elizabeth was on stage. Her not-quite-legit soprano was nothing but grating. The overtones never even got close to correct. She was shrill and quite possibly one of the worst actresses I've ever seen. She was falsely emotive and intensely two dimensional. Her final change of heart and emotional pay off was so poorly developed that I was grateful for the dark theater, and that no one could see my eyes rolling in the back of my head.
To be fair, the leading actress (Stephanie Block - Grace) and the leading actor (Hadley Fraser - Tiernan) were wonderful. Both had wonderfully crisp and rich vocals, and it was only their solos/duets that stood out as Broadway caliber. It is unfortunate that they were cast in such a lack-luster production for what could have been big breaks in originating Broadway roles for the both of them.
"The Pirate Queen" opens next Thursday. Perhaps the incohesion of my experience will improve as the show ages and continues to develop. I hope it does.
Unfortunately, I can't really tell you what the show was about, because all of the above were so superficially developed that none had any sort of final emotional payoff. At intermission, I felt utterly confused about what was happening, and more importantly why I cared about what was happening. I've never been in a theater and actually considered leaving during the intermission. It was an extremely bizarre feeling for me.
The entire plot was completely contrived and predictable. A woman feels left out in a man's world. She gains the trust of men to become a great leader. She falls in love, but is forced to marry someone else (even though she's the ruler and could've changed that situation…). Her true love sticks around, so when the husband becomes totally worthless and betrays her the Lover can sweep in and save the day. But then there's the Queen of England who miraculously has a change of heart because she has no lover and sets Grace free, so really the Lover didn't save her at all when she got captured. And then the two queens are friends…
Confused? Ya, I'm sorry, but that's how I still feel. And I was there for the whole thing!
The show had a large ensemble that would randomly break out in RiverDance-esque production numbers that absolutely made no sense in the show. Only one of the four or five dance numbers could I even understand. Yes, at a wedding there would be dancing. But in a christening? What's with all the hardshoe Irish jigging? I mean, I get it. The show is about an Irish woman. And Riverdance is an Irish style. But aside from that little connection I cannot tell you why the show had choreography at all. Not that the dancing was bad. It was very good, but just so completely out of place!
There is a bar scene in Act One where the villain (Grace's arranged husband) sings about being adulterous. He is joined by barmaids and shipmates. The number was very crass. Understandably, it was to demonstrate the morals of the time period and the quality of life in Ireland. But they were all very clean. What I mean is they had meticulous wigs, clean make-up, and untarnished costumes. None of which are very realistic for a 1500's Irish pub. So the whole number was very off putting and seemed crass for no other reason than to be just that.
The only thing worse than that scene was any time the actress playing Queen Elizabeth was on stage. Her not-quite-legit soprano was nothing but grating. The overtones never even got close to correct. She was shrill and quite possibly one of the worst actresses I've ever seen. She was falsely emotive and intensely two dimensional. Her final change of heart and emotional pay off was so poorly developed that I was grateful for the dark theater, and that no one could see my eyes rolling in the back of my head.
To be fair, the leading actress (Stephanie Block - Grace) and the leading actor (Hadley Fraser - Tiernan) were wonderful. Both had wonderfully crisp and rich vocals, and it was only their solos/duets that stood out as Broadway caliber. It is unfortunate that they were cast in such a lack-luster production for what could have been big breaks in originating Broadway roles for the both of them.
"The Pirate Queen" opens next Thursday. Perhaps the incohesion of my experience will improve as the show ages and continues to develop. I hope it does.
I doubt it will.
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