Irish pirate musical set to walk the plank on Broadway

IF Granuaile were alive today she would probably tie up her hair, grab her cutlass and lead a band of pirates to lay waste the Hilton Theatre on Broadway where a musical tribute to the Irish pirate is floundering.

The Pirate Queen is the brainchild of the husband and wife behind Riverdance, Moya Doherty and John McColgan. Ireland’s wealthiest impresarios were hoping that the €7.5 million musical based on the life of the 16th-century Irish chieftain, Grace O’Malley (Granuaile), could repeat the success of the show that made them multi-millionaires.

Not a chance, say the New York critics who have panned it as a miserable version of Les Miserables.