WLIW to Air Encore Presentation of Pirate Queen Special

WLIW21 New York Public Television will broadcast an exclusive encore presentation of the behind-the-scenes documentary The Pirate Queen: A New Musical - A Broadway Journey, in a celebration of Irish culture on Sunday, March 18 at 7PM.  The hour-long broadcast will also include in-studio interviews with producers Moya Doherty and John McColgan and stars Stephanie J. Block and Hadley Fraser, and a special ticket offer for WLIW viewers including a "talk-back" session with cast members after the performance.    Viewers who want to support WLIW21's commitment to musical theater and Irish culture with a membership pledge can call 1-800-767-2121 or log onto wliw.org to make a donation.   The program first aired on WLIW21 Monday, March 12.

Hosted by Gabriel Byrne, The Pirate Queen: A New Musical - A Broadway Journey follows the story of two legendary musical theatre teams - Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, creators of Les Miserables and Miss Saigon; and Moya Doherty and John McColgan,  the producers of Riverdance - as they journey to bring Grace O'Malley's story to the Broadway stage.  

The documentary follows the creative team, cast and crew from their earliest days of rehearsals in Dublin and New York, to their opening at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, through the moment they embark upon their Broadway premiere.  The documentary includes powerful performances recorded at rehearsals and during the Chicago run. 

The new Broadway musical The Pirate Queen, which began previews March 6 and officially opens on April 5 at the Hilton Theatre, tells the real-life story of legendary Irish Chieftain Grace O'Malley: a compelling, inspiring heroine who led an extraordinary life as a pirate, chieftain, lover and mother in 16th century Ireland.   To protect her people and save her one true love, O'Malley must confront the one woman more powerful that her: her fierce rival, Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Viewers who want to support WLIW21's commitment to musical theater and Irish culture can call 1-800-767-2121 or log onto wliw.org to make a donation.

WLIW New York is the fourth most-watched public television station in the United States, with an average weekly cumulative audience of 1.9 million households in the New York metropolitan area.  As a resource for public television stations, WLIW distributes live daily broadcasts of BBC World News, as well as the weekly financial series "Consuelo Mack WealthTrack."  WLIW is a leading producer of PBS fundraising specials including the VISIONS aerial series, cultural documentaries celebrating the cultural diversity of America, and music specials. For more information, visit www.wliw.org.

THE PIRATE QUEEN plays Tuesday - Saturday at 8:00PM with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00PM and Sunday at 3PM at the Hilton Theatre (213 West 42nd Street, NYC; A Live Nation venue).  Please note, there are no matinee performances on Wednesday, March 21st and 28th.  Please check www.ThePirateQueen.com for the preview performance schedule.