The Pirate Queen by Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg, Richard Maltby and John Dempsey -- What a show! Action! Beautiful women! Strong men! Great voices led by the magnetic Stephanie J. Block (who reminds me of Maureen O'Hara), and music from Les Miz -- well, almost, but I guess they can steal from themselves. Throw in Irish step dancing (the producers did Riverdance), a sad Irish flute setting a mood, a hilariously dressed Queen Elizabeth (the feisty, operatic Linda Balgord, dazzling costumes, real and absurd, by Martin Pakledinaz which go beyond magnificent (with an imaginative reflection of the 1500s), and a huge, intricate set - in which the brilliant Eugene Lee outdoes himself, with Kenneth Posner's exquisite lighting; add Graciela Daniele's thrilling choreography (aided by Carol Leavy Joyce's Irish input) of a battle dance, a wedding extravaganza, etc., and Frank Galati's imaginative direction of the large cast, his creation of beautiful stage pictures, and we have here a show that my companion that evening, a theater professor, called, "A great musical - totally engaging-- not a dull moment."
I loved Marcus Chait and William Youmans as villains, Jeff McCarthy, and the power of the large chorus of first-rate singers, dancers and charmers. Was Grace O'Malley the first feminist? Did she really meet with Queen Elizabeth and discuss the fate of Ireland? Did step dancing exist in the 1500s? Who cares? It's a great entertainment that will keep you entranced.
Previews:
February 23, 2007
Opened:
April 5, 2007
Ended:
June 17, 2007
Country:
USA
State:
New York
City:
New York
Company/Producers:
River Productions (Moya Doherty & John McColgan)
Theater Type:
Broadway
Theater:
Hilton Theater
Theater Address:
213 West 42nd Street (8th Ave)
Running Time:
2 hrs, 45 min
Genre:
Musical
Director:
Frank Galati
Choreographer:
Graciela Daniele; Irish Dance: Carol Leavy Joyce
Review:
Parental:
gunshots
Cast:
Stephanie J. Block (Grace), Linda Balgord (Queen), Hadley Fraser (Tiernan), Jeff McCarthy (Dubhdara), Marcus Chait (Donal), Katie E. Tomlinson), William Youmans (Bingham), Nick Adams, Richard Todd Adams, Caitlin Allen, Sean Beglan, Timothy W. Bish, Jerad Bortz, Troy Edward Bowles, Grady McLeod Bowman, Rachel Bress, Don Brewer, Kimilee Bryant, Alexis Ann Carra, Áine Uí Cheallaigh, Noelle Curran, Bobbie-Ann Dunn, Brooke Elliott, Christopher Garbrecht, Eric Hatch, Cristin J. Hubbard, David Koch, Timothy Kochka, Jamie LaVerdiere, Joseph Mahowald, Tokiko Masuda, Padraic Moyles, Brian O'Brien, Kyle James O'Connor, Michael James Scott, Greg Stone, Daniel Torres, Jennifer Waiser, Briana Yacavone.
Technical:
Set: Eugene Lee; Lighting: Kenneth Posner
Other Critics:
TOTALTHEATER David Lefkowitz -
Critic:
Richmond Shepard
Date Reviewed:
April 2007
