From The Pirate Queen: Stephanie J. Block. Photo by Joan Marcus____________
Playwright: Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg, John Dempsey
At: Cadillac Palace Theatre
Phone: 312-902-1400; $28-$85
Runs through: Nov.26
The brutal subjugation of Ireland by England in the late 1500s—and the transfer of Irish land to English ownership—sowed more than 400 years of discord, still not fully played out today, and gave rise to many Irish patriots, among them the West Country nautical matriarch Grace O'Malley. Her story, romanticized for musical theater, is the basis for The Pirate Queen, conceived by the patriotic Irish producers of Riverdance and written by the French composer/lyricist team of Les Miserables and Miss Saigon.
In its pre-Broadway shakedown cruise, The Pirate Queen is every inch a visually dazzling spectacular. It's reportedly budgeted at well over $14 million and, as they say, you see every dollar on stage. Scenic design, lighting, costumes, special effects, sound design and orchestrations all are gorgeous. The cast is gorgeous, too: auburn-haired women in long dresses and fantastic Elizabethan gowns as well as muscular men in tight leather trousers, big codpieces and high boots. They sing gloriously, move beautifully and roister with spirit thanks to director Frank Galati; choreographers Mark Dendy and Carol Leavy Joyce; and J. Steven White's fight direction. As Grace, Stephanie J. Block is a real-deal leading lady, a powerhouse of talent and energy. Hadley Fraser brings good looks and vocal fire as her love interest.
Nonetheless, The Pirate Queen has work to do before reaching New York in March. It's achieved all it could possibly hope or need to achieve in looks and technical finesse, but now it must find its soul. Right now there only are two or three scenes of true emotional impact, and they are the simplest, smallest moments: an old man dying, two women talking, the hero singing solo. But small and simple—even quiet—is something the producers and co-authors Boublil and Schonberg don't do easily, although they can do it well.
Will they grasp that they need to do it? Can they make the story less a political pageant and more personal? Can they increase Grace O'Malley from two dimensions to three, and raise the men ( her lover and two bad guys ) above cardboard one-dimensionality? Simply put, The Pirate Queen has plenty of grand passion, but it almost completely lacks intimacy—and it needs more. Dialogue would help, but Boublil and Schonberg much prefer to sing everything, which means that sometimes their best music is lost in the pedestrian music that surrounds it.
Ultimately, the fate of The Pirate Queen may depend on the Boublil and Schonberg fan base. Those who loved Les Miz probably will love this one, although it doesn't have ( yet ) the emotional wallop of a Bring Him Home ( simple and quiet ) or the philosophical tension between Valjean and Javert.
One specific suggestion: Five scenes and nine songs are devoted to Queen Elizabeth I and her courtiers. Although glittering to see, they're repetitive and interrupt the flow of other action, especially late in Act I. Cut, cut! Three Elizabethan scenes will serve.
