The Pirate Queen

[Ready 2 Defy Gravity]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 8:54am

Can anyone tell me when it closed and why?

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 9:39am

A few weeks ago, andit was godawfully boring.

I saw it, I got a really cheap ticket from someone, $3. and I Still almost walked out, but I had somewhere to be, and sinceit was raining, I decided to stay.

I liked the second act, almost, but it was terrible.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 9:46am

It closed on Father's Day.

Why?

Universally poor reviews

Audience hated it (despite what the people they picked out on the Castcom said)

They weren't making money.

Inexperienced producers, a creative team with egos bigger than Kelsey Grammer's head...changes were suggested, denied. Maltby couldn't save this ship the same way he saved the other Boublil and Schoenberg shows. Terrible, repetitive, unoriginal score that sounded too 80s, overly gaudy design elements, and just a boring story.

The parts were cartoonish, the actors relied too heavily on British and Irish caricatures to play the roles (though I'm sure that was a directorial choice).

Yet they all stood by the material and were "very proud." Good for them. Updated On: 7/24/07 at 09:46 AM

[NDR]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 11:12am

Ok, give the show some credit people.

Yes, it closed (too - IMO) soon.
Yes, it was boring at times.
Yes, there was some serious re-writing to be done.
Yes, they should have workshopped it a LOT more before bring it to Broadway.
Yes, some egos got in the way of the production and creation of a truly cohesive and exhilarating piece.
Yes, it didn't receive critical acclaim.
Yes, some audience members did not enjoy the show and walked out.

BUT
The show was beautiful.
The score was pretty - could use an overhaul to get rid of some of the "80's" rock sounds and overbearing harpsichord - but it includes some beautiful pieces e.g. "Here On This Night", "Woman", "A Day Beyond Belclare", "I'll Be There", and "If I Said I Loved You".
The performances were incredible (despite SOME subpar material).
The costumes and lighting were fantastic.
The dancing was very enjoyable.
Lots of audiences members (including myself) enjoyed the show.

I know I will get the usual tirades in reply to this post, but I truly believe that with some key additional changes (plot trimming, character development, sincere lyrical re-writing, etc.), and a scaled down cast (originally a 42 person cast), the show could have been and would have been better suited for Broadway.

I also think the subject matter itself was to blame. A historical piece about a well-regarded but mainly unknown Irish woman turned pirate and chieftain who rose above class and the gender boundaries of her time to challenge the British occupation of Ireland is a noble story but not one that would generally appeal to mainstream Americans. Perhaps a smaller venue would have suited better (of course with significantly more changes).

In the end, the show was good, not fantastic, not excellent, not the best thing to hit Broadway in the past 15 years, etc. It was good. I was and remain a staunch supporter because of my love for B&S' work and because of the potential I see in it.

That's all for now.

Let the attacks on my character, judgment, musical tastes, etc. begin.......
Updated On: 7/24/07 at 11:12 AM

[amalou]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 11:22am

Yeah, I know how you feel. That usually happens when you like a show that a lot of people love to hate. If you defend it, they simply won't have it. You're wrong wrong wrong for liking something even if a lot of people hate it. Jeez.

I do think Pirate Queen was good. It could have used a little more time before coming to Broadway and it kills me because they made really big improvements on it since Chicago but they just didn't go that extra mile.

However, Pirate Queen just opened at the wrong time. Broadway is moving in a different direction and they aren't craving big shows with big casts and epic scores anymore. I think if they had cleaned up a few more things and opened, say, five years earlier, it would have survived.

And I hate to say it, but the cd does not do the show justice. The performances on the cd are beautiful, but I think they should have had more strings in their orchestra, not just a solo fiddle player.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 11:29am

Pirate Queen was like Legs Diamond

It sounded like a good idea at the time until you really step back and think about it.

[Ready 2 Defy Gravity]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 11:55am

So what do you think Stephanie J. Block do now?

[me2]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 12:03pm

Ms. Block was in the 9 to 5 reading.
Broadway Blog: 50 Amazing Broadway Performers in 50 Weekdays

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 12:07pm

She's so wonderful, Im so glad she did that. I hope she makes it to Broadway with it. I'd love to see her to some comedy.

As for 9 to 5, I know this should be in another thread, but I hope they really spend money on the fantasy sequences.

[Eos]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 12:20pm

"I also think the subject matter itself was to blame."

I have to respectfully disagree with ya there, NDR. I read the novel and sadly, the book for the musical didn't do the subject matter any justice at all.
With all of the strong "girl power" type shows doing well these days, The Pirate Queen should have been right up there, but the writers homogenized the plot points, and in the end, Grania was turned into a garden variety heroine type who did a little sword fighting.
Sad. Too much love story, not enough ass-kicking, in my opinion. We never got to see Grania do what she was known for - PIRATING! We heard about it, sure, but I would have rather seen half of those laborious love songs nixed for a scene where we see Grace as a fearless sea captain - not a typical woman pining for her man.

whew!

Sorry... I get worked up.

Updated On: 7/24/07 at 12:20 PM

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 12:24pm

"However, Pirate Queen just opened at the wrong time. Broadway is moving in a different direction and they aren't craving big shows with big casts and epic scores anymore."

There's no way to prove or disprove this sort of point, but I disagree. If audiences aren't craving big casts and epic scores, why are Les Mis and Phantom doing so well? I think this production of Pirate Queen would have been just as big a flop if you had opened it at the Imperial theater in 1987 instead of Les Mis, or at any other time in the past or future.

It was heartbreaking to watch all this money being flushed down the toilet, especially since this really is an amazing story that could have made a great musical, and so many of the same mistakes were made with Martin Guerre. At least Guerre didn't make the mistake of opening on Broadway.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 12:28pm

Actually Tech, Les Mis opened at the Broadway. It moved to the Imperial in 1990 for Miss Saigon to have the Broadway. Minor detail! :)

(But I knew what you meant.)

I agree with those who are in the "it had such potential" camp. I really liked the show...but I wanted to be able to LOVE it.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 12:42pm

Thanks Jordangirl, I stand corrected and will try to remember that the next 20 times I make this point. (Whenever Pirate Queen's failure is discussed inevitably someone brings up that it opened at the wrong time.)

[Roscoe]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 12:46pm

Worse shows that got worse reviews have run longer than THE PIRATE QUEEN did. I think part of the problem was that atrocious theatre it was stuck in, easily the worst Broadway house of them all. I'll never willingly set foot in that airplane hangar again.

[Broadwaylady]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 12:48pm

I also liked it but did not love it. It seemed too long for me and many scenes should have been cut out or shortened. IStephanie Block was wonderful as well as the other actors. The Queen's costumes were beautiful and the dancing supurb. I went with three other people. Two liked it, two did not. It was near Les Miz's caliber.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 12:49pm

IMO, the show felt like an opera... Lots of people who are into musicals dislike opera and that really hurt the show (though I saw it pre-Broadway and enjoyed it), that and the Irish dancing...

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 1:26pm

It's all good Tech. I made the same mistake when I saw Coram Boy in the Imperial. Because of the Les Mis thingy in the sidewalk, I figured that's where it had been its whole original run and was confused because I thought I remembered the theatre being bigger when I saw it in 1988. Then I saw The Color Purple and read about the Broadway and investigated! That emblem thingy on the sidewalk at the Imperial makes it confusing.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 1:35pm

I agree with those who are in the "it had such potential" camp. I really liked the show...but I wanted to be able to LOVE it.

That is literally exactly how I felt about the show. I did, however, LOVE the performers. Stephanie, Hadley, Marcus, and everyone really did the best with what they were given.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 1:43pm

I agree with those who way it had a lot of potential. I did enjoy the show, and the performers were outstanding, but it just couldn't be saved.

[NDR]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 2:54pm

Eos - I think you have a great point. Perhaps, I should have said the treatment of the subject matter and not necessarily the subject matter. I do agree that more pirating was in order, but I also do hold that the story sounds "interesting" to some but that some people are just not interested in "serious" pieces of musical theatre. Does that make more sense?

TechEverlasting - I see what you mean about the time period conundrum. You are right. There is no way to prove or disprove the success or failure of the piece in the past (or the future). I do think (IMO) that the Broadway environment is currently hostile for larger shows. The costs involved in creating, maintaining and marketing a show are so high and the risk is so great. Despite the jolt in prices post 9/11 and the continuing rise in average ticket prices, the overall costs of larger cast shows are prohibitive and daunting. Les Mis and Phantom are already "classics" in the eyes of many mainstream theatregoers. There is a built in audience for them because they are still there, are decent shows, and are an easier pick than spending money on something "new".

Roscoe - I agree that the Hilton was too big. I am not sure what the thinking was behind it - maybe big cast, big theatre? I didn't hate the Hilton, but I don't think it was the right venue for such an intimate story (unless of course there was more pirating - and even then, perhaps a smaller space (1000 or 1200 seats) would have been better suited to the show.

BroadwayLady - I agree. There were some scenes that needed to be cut and/or shortened - especially the strange dance fight scenes. I get where they were going, I just don't think it worked.

ashbash - I think the opera reference is fair especially since the Queen had such classical operatic pieces.

Ashley0139 - that sums it up for me too.

dancingthrulife04 - the performers were incredible and what an assemblage of them!

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 2:56pm

The Queen did NOT have classical pieces, she had a classical sounding voice, the actress, that is, but the music was about as far from classical as you can get.

Dont confuse a classical sounding voice with classical music.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 3:05pm

The shape the show was in on Broadway was atrocious. What I saw frozen at the Hilton should NOT have been the final product, it should have been what was playing in Chicago (which, apparently, was a shipwreck).

[Eos]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 3:34pm

^ "...shipwreck"... heh

NDR - I completely see what you're saying.

Here's hoping the cast and crew find better projects. I'm crossing my fingers SJB will be able to remain involved with 9 to 5.

[NDR]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 3:36pm

Fenchurch - I stand corrected. Thank you for helping me define the difference.

[NDR]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 3:38pm

YankeeFan
Yeah, you are right. What was frozen in NYC should have been Chicago. I only hope they continue working on it and maybe give it a new life in London. I guess we'll see.