Thursday, June 07, 2007

Pirate Queen to Close; Touring Production Will Sail On


The announcement came via Castcom, "The Pirate Queen's" video log. Producer John McColgan announced earlier on Wednesday that the show will close on Broadway Sunday, June 17, 2007. Despite having won several awards, the show was snubbed by the Tony awards and grosses were down(last week the show ran at 54 per cent capacity)and this can only be laid at the feet of the mainstream media critics, who were almost universally cruel in their reviews, with the exception of the Irish Voice's Niall O'Dowd, who asked that the audience decide for themselves, a sentiment we echoed here at WGT.
The good news is that, to quote McColgan, "This show has a life and this show will go on." This will be through the Broadway cast album, which is to be released on July 3, and through both North American and European tours, which are currently being negotiated. Perhaps the out-of-town critics won't be expecting another "Les Miserables" and will therefore be able to assess "The Pirate Queen" on her own merits.
Photo credit: Joan Marcus
Patricia Jameson-Sammartano
WGT Culture Editor

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I saw the Pirate Queen shortly after it opened. I was enthralled by the story and the production. It may not have been Les Miserables, but I was thoroughly entertained. While in NYC, I also saw Wicked. It received more awards and accolades but was far less of an evening. It is sad that this show was closed based on the media. I look forward to the touring production and will make plans to enjoy it again.