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.
