The Pirate Queen
From the time I began watching films about Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth-related things literally started to fall into my hands! There are two new non-fiction books waiting for their turn - perhaps I’ll write about them later. As for now, I’d like to tell you that Good Queen Bess appears in musicals as well as in operas! :)
In Schönberg and Boublil’s 2007 musical, Queen Bess is the antagonist of Grace O’Malley, an Irish woman-pirate who defies English ships. Grace O’Malley really existed, you might want to read about her here. (And there is Barbara Sjoholm's novel about her.)
The story is actually very promising, and I think Grace deserves a bit of our attention even in this ‘pirate mania’ period (owing much to the enormous and... overshadowing success of The Pirates of the Caribbean). Unfortunately, the show closed after only 85 performances at Broadway. Different reasons are named, but the sad fact is there. A pity, for this could have been an unusual musical, with its historical background and elements of Irish traditional music in the score. The site still exists: www.thepiratequeen.com. There are photos, some articles and interviews with the actors.
Honestly, I understand little yet in Celtic music, but then listening to this musical was an exciting new experience for me. The most beautiful song is Sail to the Stars, performed by Áine Uí Cheallaigh. Also liked Enemy at Port Side and perhaps The Wedding. I usually love overtures; this is again the case. In Queen Elizabeth’s songs, the harpsichord creates an unusual effect and a definitive contrast with Grace’s songs. Still, some numbers seemed almost defiantly pop (Boys’ll Be Boys), and some, boring. Yes, Schönberg and Boublil are famous for their ballads, and many people love them. Unfortunately for me, I’m not one of those. Here, the most remarkable ballad is Woman.
Woman (from some TV show; so far, the only extract from the performance you can find at YouTube)
(If I ache to taste
Am I not to try?
If my heart says sail
Why should I deny?
I have my dreams
I have made plans
I see horizons wide as a man's...)
It could be a new feminist song or something, the words aren’t bad… :) and in any case it’s better than another illustrious ballad from The Pirate Queen:
I’ll Be There
Stephanie J. Block plays Grace O’Malley. Hers is a warm pleasant voice, but IMO not a strong one. Linda Balgord personifies Elizabeth. She has a high-pitched voice, sometimes almost reminding one of an opera soprano! (lol) Some folks in the web liked their duets (‘vibrato-laden’, etc.), but I didn’t. There are two different voices sounding completely independent and, er, ignorant of each other?
The men are relatively insignificant, unremarkable personalities - or so it seemed to me.
There is a great amount of ‘making-of’ videos at YouTube:
An interview with Linda Balgord - she talks of her costumes
Ladies speak about the opening night
I’ve listened to the CD version of the musical, the video being unavailable. You can get the CD here, if you wish. And if you’re interested and eager to watch it, you might ask your friends for a pirate version of The Pirate Queen (what a word combination! :))))
А еще ее чуть-чуть обсуждали на форуме мюзикловру.