| I saw THE PIRATE QUEEN in its Chicago run as well. I confess to being a huge fan of LES MIS (which was my gateway drug into a love of theater) and MISS SAIGON. TPQ was a mess, though. Some of Schonberg's melodies ("She Who Has All," "Sail to the Stars," "I'll Be There" for example) were ravishing, but the story was preposterous and the love songs were so generic. (One was titled "Here on This Night.") In one sequence, Block gave birth belowdecks on a ship, then raced upstairs to join a sword fight. There was just no emotional center that worked, so everything fell flat. There were a lot of big choral numbers that were gorgeously sung, but the attempts at injecting some comedy were awkward. "Boys Will Be Boys" is no "Master of the House." |
