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'Pirate Queen' dons Irish dancing shoes
A woman stands center stage at the wheel of a sailing ship,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], built with two-story rigging,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], masts, and white sheets billowing in the wind. Within moments she leaps onto a rope ladder, swings down on the deck, and brandishes her sword to help the ship's crew fight off a dreaded enemy. But this isn't a Broadway version of "Pirates of the Caribbean." The character, Grace O'Malley,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], is based on the 16th-century Irish chieftain who defied the Navy of England's Queen Elizabeth I. Fittingly,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the 42 performers in "The Pirate Queen," a new musical opening next week at the Hilton Theatre on 42nd Street, infuse their dance moves with Irish steps,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], to melodies that pulse with the strains of lilting Irish folk music.
If the musical seems like a first cousin of "Riverdance,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," well,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], it is. The show's producers,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Moya Doherty and John McColgan, launched that Irish music and dance spectacle 12 years ago. Now,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the duo is making a bold, not to mention expensive, bid to translate the aura of "Riverdance" into musical drama by telling the story of O'Malley's fight against the English subjugation of Ireland.
"After 'Riverdance' opened,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the promoters asked us to do another one. We have a worldwide structure in place, but we asked ourselves, 'What could we do that's creatively challenging and satisfying?' " says Mr. McColgan, prior to a recent preview performance at the Hilton theater. "We are never driven by money; a Broadway musical was what we wanted to do," continues Ms. Doherty, who is married to McColgan.
The pair,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], veterans of Dublin television and theater, set about looking for an appropriate subject,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], "Something that would be from our history," recalls Doherty. "O'Malley was a strong woman - ahead of her time." The Irish leader, portrayed by Stephanie J. Block, inherited the leadership of her clan following her father's death and continued his legacy of menacing the British navy. When she was captured, the chieftan wrote to Queen Elizabeth (Linda Balgord) to request a meeting. After their encounter - which is portrayed in silhouette behind a screen - O'Malley was granted her freedom, her lands,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and her ships "for the duration of her life-time."
Creating a musical with elements of Irish step dancing has proved to be as ambitious an endeavor as "Riverdance,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," which has attracted audiences of 18 million people around the globe and has four troupes still on the road. "The thing most challenging for us was to integrate the dance into the story," admits McColgan. One solution was to incorporate dancing into scenes such as a funeral ritual, a wedding,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and a christening. The dancing corps is led by eight champion Irish step dancers who also have "Riverdance" credits. The other American cast members had to be taught the Gaelic stiff-postured patterns. "The modern dancers were so excited when they put on the hard shoes," says McColgan.
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