The ship captained by Grace O'Malley -- that fierce Irish grande dame of the high seas also known as "The Pirate Queen" -- is fast approaching the Chicago shore.
September 8, 2006 (Press Release) --
The ship captained by Grace O'Malley -- that fierce Irish grande dame of the high seas also known as "The Pirate Queen" -- is fast approaching the Chicago shore. But it is not the sight of billowing sails in the distance that suggests its arrival; instead, it's the growing whir of the marketing engine as it revs into high gear.
"The Pirate Queen" -- set to receive its world premiere Oct. 3-Nov. 26 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre -- is just the latest mega-musical to dock in Chicago before dropping anchor on Broadway. "The Producers," "Movin' Out" and "Spamalot" tested the waters in a similar way. And while the show's formidable team of composer Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyricist Alain Boublil -- the forces behind "Les Miserables" and "Miss Saigon," as well as the less successful "Martin Guerre" -- remained at home in Paris and London respectively on Wednesday, the producers and other members of the show's creative team visited Chicago for an update on its progress.
Among them were "The Pirate Queen's" Irish-bred co-producers, Moya Doherty (producer of "Riverdance") and John McColgan (a force in Irish television, radio and theater).
"We originally thought we might have the world premiere of this show in Dublin," said Doherty. "But despite all the grand changes in Ireland in recent years, there is still a lack of quality theaters for such a large-scale musical in that city. So Chicago became the natural choice. And I understand the Irish population of Chicago might be as big as Dublin's.
"Above all, this is a story of Irish cultural heritage," Doherty added. "And it focuses on two powerful female leaders -- Grace O'Malley [to be played by Stephanie J. Block of "The Boy From Oz" and "Wicked" national tour fame] and England's Queen Elizabeth I [Linda Balgord, who established herself in Chicago before moving to Broadway more than a decade ago]."
Noting that "The Pirate Queen" has been in the works for five years, McColgan spoke of its epic scale and promised a grand set design by Broadway master Eugene Lee ("Ragtime," "Sweeney Todd").
Chicago's Frank Galati, who is at the directorial helm of the musical, hinted that his approach to this story is "Shakespearean -- the way 'The Tempest' might have been done at the Globe Theatre."
Looking greatly slimmed down from his usual Falstaffian figure, Galati explained that "The Pirate Queen," like "Les Mis" and "Miss Saigon," "puts personal stories of love and triumph against a historical backdrop of insurgency, rebellion and revolution."
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
POSTED BY HEDY WEISS
"The Pirate Queen" -- set to receive its world premiere Oct. 3-Nov. 26 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre -- is just the latest mega-musical to dock in Chicago before dropping anchor on Broadway. "The Producers," "Movin' Out" and "Spamalot" tested the waters in a similar way. And while the show's formidable team of composer Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyricist Alain Boublil -- the forces behind "Les Miserables" and "Miss Saigon," as well as the less successful "Martin Guerre" -- remained at home in Paris and London respectively on Wednesday, the producers and other members of the show's creative team visited Chicago for an update on its progress.
Among them were "The Pirate Queen's" Irish-bred co-producers, Moya Doherty (producer of "Riverdance") and John McColgan (a force in Irish television, radio and theater).
"We originally thought we might have the world premiere of this show in Dublin," said Doherty. "But despite all the grand changes in Ireland in recent years, there is still a lack of quality theaters for such a large-scale musical in that city. So Chicago became the natural choice. And I understand the Irish population of Chicago might be as big as Dublin's.
"Above all, this is a story of Irish cultural heritage," Doherty added. "And it focuses on two powerful female leaders -- Grace O'Malley [to be played by Stephanie J. Block of "The Boy From Oz" and "Wicked" national tour fame] and England's Queen Elizabeth I [Linda Balgord, who established herself in Chicago before moving to Broadway more than a decade ago]."
Noting that "The Pirate Queen" has been in the works for five years, McColgan spoke of its epic scale and promised a grand set design by Broadway master Eugene Lee ("Ragtime," "Sweeney Todd").
Chicago's Frank Galati, who is at the directorial helm of the musical, hinted that his approach to this story is "Shakespearean -- the way 'The Tempest' might have been done at the Globe Theatre."
Looking greatly slimmed down from his usual Falstaffian figure, Galati explained that "The Pirate Queen," like "Les Mis" and "Miss Saigon," "puts personal stories of love and triumph against a historical backdrop of insurgency, rebellion and revolution."
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
POSTED BY HEDY WEISS
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