M H Archer's blog

High Fidelity Review

M H Archer — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 18:14:48 -0500

High Fidelity is an energetic finally-growing-up-when-you're-30-something story complete with stupid decisions made for no apparent reason, an eclectic group of aimless friends, a handful of bad break-ups and, at some points, strikingly honest internal monologues. For audiences who liked Avenue Q and Rent, this is another tribute to being young(ish) and foolish that will have you humming a tune as you walk out. (My favorite song in the show, for the record, is "9% Chance".) In High Fidelity, traditional ideas of on-stage Broadway behavior are tossed out to make room for more expletives than a 50 Cent song and a narrative that is every bit as edgy and fun and nostalgic as it was meant to be when Nick Hornsby first wrote the novel.
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Pirate Queen Review

M H Archer — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 19:46:36 -0400

Members of the Broadway Community, take heart. That big hit musical you've been dreaming about since Cats is finally headed your way. With its luscious score and captivating story, The Pirate Queen could soon displace Wicked as the most sought-after theatre ticket in the country.

(Remember, you can always buy Pirate Queen tickets at TicketLiquidator.com even when it's sold out everywhere else.)

Built around the legend of 16th Century Irish hero Grace O'Malley, this tale of romance and empowerment challenges popular perceptions of women in a way that hasn't been done since Rosemary Harris stole every scene with her Tony-winning Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter.

The hero of the tale, you see, is a real, actual, complex human being. It's refreshing to see art that creates a female character who goes beyond what Hillary Rodham Clinton refers to as the "talking dog syndrome" (you don't expect a dog to speak at all so when it does you are impressed regardless of what it says... the same goes for women speaking well as leaders). The Pirate Queen rejects that simplistic view and instead paints a nuanced portrait of Grace that will resonate strongly with younger female audience members.

Certainly O'Malley was a feminist in every basic sense of the word, defying chauvinist stereotypes and living life on her own terms. Here on the stage her story is being told in a way that honors the power of women not merely as defiant tomboys, but also as nurturing mothers, level-headed politicians, fierce warriors and passionate lovers. All those things, at the same time, in the same woman. That's the insightful hand of two writers (both married heterosexuals, mind you...) who have woven into their story the many competing ideas of what a true heroine should look like. Their lead character alone, deftly play by Stephanie J. Block (The Boy from Oz, Wicked Nat'l Tour) is reason to see the show.

However, it's not only the feminist history that makes this show compelling. There's also a doomed love, a doting single father, a fair bit of swashbuckling and sword fighting, a deliciously regal Queen, a raucous cad, a marriage, a funeral, and a dastardly villain. The writers have blended all these elements with high aspirations and even higher production values to create a mythically-proportioned show that will keep you on the edge of your mezzanine level seat for every minute of the three hour run time.

The Pirate Queen will be the third big success for impresarios Boublil and Schoenberg, who famously co-wrote the timeless classics Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. They also, less famously, teamed up to create a big flop called Martin Guerre. Luckily, that failure seems to have been a creative anomaly. The Pirate Queen is poised to carry on the acclaimed legacy that began with Les Mis. Cleverly directed by Frank Galati (The Grapes of Wrath, Ragtime), the talented cast sings, and at times dances (Don't panic. It's not West Side Story), its way across a brilliantly fluid stage design courtesy of the legendary Eugene Lee (Wicked, Sweeney Todd, Candide).

Before I delve into details, there's a very important caveat here: the show is still in previews. When I saw it, it was still in the *first week* of previews. These things mature as they play to real audiences, and The Pirate Queen is still young. So if you see it now, take it with a grain of salt. And take this review as what it is meant to be-- observations about a work in progress that I conclude has incredible potential.

Because there is no spoken dialogue in the show, the songs do all the heavy lifting of exposition. This is a risky choice but an obvious one for Boublil and Schoenberg, who write all their shows this way. Schoenberg's music is, as usual, soaring and melodic, while Boublil's lyrics are at once narrative and expressive. The combination of the two is irresistible, but it presents a few problems of character development early in the show. I won't be giving anything away when I tell you that the first few songs ("All Aboard the Ceol Na Mara", "Here on this Night", "Battle at Sea") take us by the hand and hurry us through some requisite plot points in record time, leaving us breathless and slightly confused. After sitting for the first 20 minutes with eyebrow raised and a disappointed smirk beginning to form on the corner of my lip, however, I began to understand that chaotic opening is necessary to pave the way for the real journey to unfold. (Note to producers: It still needs some serious tweaking before you bring it to New York. See my notes at the bottom of this post).

And what a journey it is, wearing its heart on its sleeve in every song yet managing to stay comfortably short of cloying-- no small task in a theatre community that has most recently offered us such insultingly ill-developed musicals as Woman in White and Lestat. Dubhdara, masterfully played by Jeff McCarthy (Urinetown, Side Show) captivates in his role as Clan Chieftan and proud father of Grace O'Malley. The paternal relationship is, in fact, the strongest in the show, and it is obvious from the very beginning that Dubhdara and Grace have a deep, unshakable bond.

The relationship between Grace and her lover Tiernan is less convincing at the outset, but handsome, talented newcomer Hadley Fraser finds his stride in Scene 9 and brings a tear to every eye as he belts out "I'll Be There" (think Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" with a heavy dose of testosterone). Through the rest of the show, Fraser develops Tiernan into a Bridges of Madison County lover almost worthy of our pirate queen's devotion. By the time this show opens on Broadway I expect the heat between Fraser and Block to be turned up a bit so we really believe in their love a little earlier in the show.

The leading lady's reluctant husband Donal, played by Marcus Chait (Urban Cowboy) hits the nail on the head with Schoenberg's rousing anthem "Boys'll Be Boys" to earn the defensive indignance of the entire audience. So well, actually, that he garnered less applause at curtain call than his counterparts... mostly because we still couldn't forgive his betrayal of Grace, even after the curtain went down and the house lights came on. I call that good acting.

In response to this inferior husband's attempt to control her, Stephanie J. Block as Grace sings what is possibly the best song in the show, "Because I am a Wife". Vacillating between despair and rage, she hits every note both musical and emotional, then ends the song in a defiant triumph. It's a difficult song to master and a crucial moment in the show. Kudos to Tara Rubin Casting for wooing a talent like Block who could carry such a part.

A more controversial female figure is Queen Elizabeth, played as comic aria by Linda Balgord. In the preview I saw, she had three songs that basically retrod the same path of Oh-Wow-It's-Cool-that-I'm-the-Queen-Now-and-I'm-Adjusting-to-this-Newfound-Power. (Note to producers: One is enough; two if they show more of a progression.) Even as the writers experiment to find the right balance for her important character, Balgord plays every inch the regal figure of a virgin queen with a cool comic edge and a reticent power. She enters the stage as a fairytale villain and ends the show with the respect of Grace and the audience. Her stage presence is buoyed by Martin Pakledinaz' (The Pajama Game) costumes for her and her ensemble court, which are an absolute delight. Forthcoming rewrites aside, Balgord takes on this edgy role with aplomb.

As for the lighting and effects design, the work of Messrs Kenneth Posner (Wicked, Hairspray) and Gregory Meeh (Cirque du Soleil) respectively, both are well conceived and flawlessly executed. Within Lee's stage design, these ambient elements of the set allow it to morph seamlessly from a pirate ship to a queen's court to a foggy moor and back again.

All told, The Pirate Queen boasts a stellar cast, an expert creative team and a potentially classic score. Admittedly, there are kinks to work out, but it's obvious in every aspect of this show that everyone involved is completed invested in making it the best musical possible. The raw materials are good, they're headed in the right direction, and they've convinced this reviewer that they've got what it takes to show up on stage at the 2007 Tonys.

Now, for the team behind The Pirate Queen, my notes: read more ...

Yo ho, yo ho, The Pirate Queen!

M H Archer — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 15:59:11 -0400

What's hotter than Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean? Well, actually pretty much nobody is hotter than Johnny Depp. BUT, coming in a close second is the dashing Mr. Hadley Fraser who plays Tiernan in the breathtaking new musical The Pirate Queen.

Not only is he dreamy (Check out his photo here.), but Fraser is also a veteran musical theatre heartthrob. He starred as Marius in Les Miserables and has originated many other standout roles in mainstage productions around the world. His UK accent absolutely melts audiences here in the U.S. (and by audiences, of course, I mean me) and his fine singing voice will no doubt earn him a Tony nomination in 2007.
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Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

M H Archer — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 13:42:47 -0400

Mary Poppins is my absolute, hands-down favorite childhood movie. A big part of my fantasy life as a child involved floating tea parties, jumping into sidewalk chalk landscapes, winning carousel horse races and cleaning my room just by singing and clapping. Needless to say, when I heard Richard Eyre was bringing this wonderful story to the stage at the New Amsterdam Theatre, I was ecstatic.

The show has become a smash hit across the pond in London, but I haven't seen it yet. I'm tempted to take a weekend trip to England just to hear the Chimney Sweep song performed live, but since the opening here is in just a few months I'll try to wait. It's a co-production of Disney Theatrical (known for their lush and delightful spectacles -- except Tarzan) and Cameron Mackintosh (the most financially successful theatrical producer in history), so there's pretty much a 100% chance it will be a rollicking good time and a huge moneymaker.
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The 2006 Tony Awards

M H Archer — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 13:41:24 -0400

It's Tony Awards season here in New York City, and I'm finding it harder than usual to predict the winners this year. There are a lot of close calls and a few dark horses among the nominees.

Noticably absent from the nominations list are the box office-busting film and television stars who brought the spotlight and the adoring audiences to the
Great White Way this season. Pretty Woman Julia Roberts made her stage debut April 19th in Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain to grudgingly lukewarm reviews from devoted fans of her film career. Next door, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, erstwhile Friends star David Schwimmer took on the role of Lt. Barney Greenwald in Herman Wouk's monotonous The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. The play was so poorly received that it closed after only 17 regular performances.
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A star is born

M H Archer — Mon, 08 May 2006 13:39:37 -0400

As Mother's Day approaches, I've been thinking quite a bit about the importance of family. My heritage as a descendant of French and German immigrants, as a woman and as an American has a significant influence on my development as a playwright. More directly, the places I've lived and worked have shaped my craft in ways I may never fully understand. With the power of origins and geography in mind, I'd like to talk a bit about theatrical heritage on the American stage.

I believe there's something transformative about a person's first real job experience. No matter how much we're taught or trained, it's that first experience of actually completing a task that cements into our minds the lesson of how (or how not) to do it in the future. For most actors and playwrights that first real job is usually in a small local theater, and when that theater is woven into the fabric of a dynamic acting community it can make the difference between success and failure for a new artist. In my current hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, such a community has been the origin of more than a few important people in the theatre world.
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Stars of stage and screen

M H Archer — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:37:26 -0400

From the bright lights of Broadway to the dimly lit local movie theater, there's a slow and steady migration of stories. Every year, some of the season's best scripts are harvested and re-produced on film. It's a beautiful thing. While I strongly believe that the artistic experience created in a theater relies on the physical space and the energy of the audience, I also believe the advanced production technologies and unlimited settings unique to film add a depth of experience that is equally as compelling. In short, a film version of a script can be just as good as the original stage version. Take a look at just a few of the incredible recent reproductions that span genres and delight audiences both on and off the stage.
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That old song and dance

M H Archer — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 12:35:35 -0500

It's no secret that musical theatre is the heart of Broadway. Since Cats and Phantom of the Opera first premiered in New York in the 1980s, lavish designs and richly produced soundtracks have been par for the theatregoer's course. Today, Wicked, Spamalot and The Lion King are so far above every other Broadway production in sales and popularity that straight plays have a hard time making headlines. As a consumer of culture, this leaves me to wonder, is it that musicals are just more in touch with what Americans want in their art right now, or is it that plays just aren't as good as they used to be?
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