Thanks to the many people who responded to the Boston Globe review of Pirates! with comments on our blog and on Boston.com. In addition to the overwhelming majority of those who wrote with high praise for the production, all eight of the other reviews we received have been enormously enthusiastic. Here are the links to the reviews in their entirety for you to read for yourself."Pirates! a treasure to behold" - Boston Herald
"Pirates! is a jolly treasure" - Patriot Ledger
"Pirates! swashbuckled it's way into my heart" - reader review at ArtsBoston.org
"Pirates! is one of the happiest funniest musicals I've seen in a while" - Frank Avaruch
"Pirates! it’s fabulous, frolicking, fun!" - The Boston Guide
"Pirates! is a swashbuckling tour de force" - Boston Theatre Examiner
"Thar's Booty at yer Huntington" - Cape Cod Times
"Enchanting Pirates! at the Huntington Theatre Company" - Berkshire Fine Arts
"Set Sail for Huntington Theatre Company's Pirates!" - BroadwayWorld.com
I hope that all this acclaim will be enough to convince you to see Pirates! before June 14! And thanks again for all your support over the past few days.
Best wishes,
Michael
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4 comments:
I did enjoy "Pirates!" very much, but not as much as I had hoped. I am a real G&S fan, but not one who would object to those changes which seem to have upset some. Inserting the Nightmare song from Iolanthe was a great idea, etc. However, with the exception of the equating ministers of finance with pirates, most of the big laughs went to Gilbert's original lines. Writers take note. Also, by transposing the music into lower keys, much of the excitement is lost. I found myself smiling when the policemen don't go, but not at all thrilled. The music in the original key ALWAYS thrills at that point. Also, with the lower keys, almost all of the voices lose resonance in their lower range. The reviewer's have mentioned great voices, but only a singer would tell you what happens to these beautiful voices when they are moved out of their natural ranges. Sullivan KNEW voices. You should trust him. The work as a whole will be more successful if you keep his keys.
My husband and I took our 2 children ages 5 and 7 and they were on the edge of their sits through out the whole performance! We all loved the show, the actors were fantastic; it was a fun, energetic show that I am glad we turned into a family day. Another hit for The Huntington!
Maryellen Morin
we thought this production was terrible. bad jokes, bad musical direction, bad schtick. oy.
Michael, my two daughters and I just saw Pirates and it was superb-- we've seen and love any number of excellent Broadway shows over the years, from Billy Elliot to the Spelling Bee to Oklahoma, on larger stages and with more expensive production budgets (and ticket prices way over $100 each too), but the Huntington's Pirates was every bit as rich and fun and rewarding. All the acting was excellent, but especially notable were the Pirate King and the Major General-- they both, in my view, helped raise the show to exceptional heights, with impeccable comedy timing, good voices, and extraordinary stage presence. They certainly got standing ovations from us, and from other of the audience members lithe enough to stand easily. Why the show isn't sold out every night, and why it isn't graced with the presence of more musical-loving children is a sociological (and perhaps marketing) problem beyond my interpretive scope at the moment. But you are to be congratulated for putting this on, and please extend my family's great gratitude to the director, techs, cast, and the lovable fool-suffering Pirate King and the insufferable, lovable Major General. It was all the very model of a modern major musical.
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