More on the Pirate Queen
The new year had me hanging out with some friends in Chicago, and it turned out they had gone to see "The Pirate Queen." I was very eager to hear their impressions; one of them actually has a degree in theatre, so it was a more informed review than most…
Unfortunately, they were not terribly positive. In fact, they said the most enjoyable part of the evening was laughing about just how bad the show was. They’d gone hoping for a Riverdance kind of experience; instead, while the dance numbers were wonderful, there were far too few of them for their satisfaction. The music was good, but accompanied by lyrics that were both hard to hear and, even when heard, were often incomprehensible. I’d read of this in other places, that the plot itself was part of the barrier the audience faced with this musical. Not enough grounding in 18th century British/Irish relations, I guess.
"The best part, honestly," they said, "was when they had technical difficulties. They actually had to stop the show and get this Englishman down out of the net hanging over the stage. That part, at least, was exciting."
With reviews like that, this show is going to have a long way to go before it become the hit that these producers and directors are capable of. I wish them luck; I’d really like to go and see the show, but I’d like it to be worth the cost.
Tags: the pirate queen, riverdance, chicago theatre
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