WILL The Pirate Queen sink or float? That's the question on Broadway's lips.

Moya Doherty's and John McColgan's epic musical, based on the life and times of legendary Irish chieftain Grace O'Malley, finally made its bow this week after an initial, tepidly received pre-Broadway run in Chicago that resulted in some major re-tooling en route to the Great White Way.

Doherty and McColgan have a ton of goodwill (and several million quid) in the bank stateside following the phenomenal success of Riverdance; never shy of a risk, they decided to up the ante by playing the Americans at their own game . . . a big Broadway musical. They commissioned ClaudeMichel Schonberg and Alain Boublil, the duo behind Les Miserables and Miss Saigon, to create a show based on the life of 16th-century proto-feminist icon O'Malley, aka Grainne Mhaol, the 'Sea Queen Of Connemara'. Naturally enough, certain liberties have been taken with the facts.

The above-the-line talent assembled to realise The Pirate Queen is staggering; venerable director Frank Galati is a twotime Tony winner, heading a formidable creative team that includes a smattering of Riverdance veterans, most notably choreographer Carol Leavy Joyce.

Following the lukewarm reception in Chicago, the crew was bolstered by additional lyricist Richard Maltby Jr and choreographer Craciela Daniele, who were brought on board to re-tool key elements of the show, and the production budget is estimated at $16m . . . hefty enough, even by Broadway standards.

The bottom line: no expense whatsoever has been spared, and no base left uncovered, in the valiant mission to ensure that The Pirate Queen is a major theatrical event. Ever the grand showman, John McColgan has made no secret of his desire to create a major musical, one to join the pantheon of greats.

As is the wont on Broadway, the knives have been sharpened from day one, especially since The Pirate Queen version 1.0 underwhelmed in Chicago. The New York critics have yet to offer their take on the revamped version.

Their verdict is nervously awaited because in New York City, more than any other place in the world, the critics can still make or break a show. Certain elements of the media, most notably the Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post, have been gleefully savouring The Pirate Queen's protracted production process, citing a cast master who had dubbed the show 'The SS Bomb'.

New York loves a hit. And New York critics love a bomb. Witness the response to last season's already notorious The Times They Are A-Changin', a dance extravaganza created by legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp based on the songs of Bob Dylan (an idea that, in retrospect, must rank alongside the worst in history for a major Broadway musical) that closed after just a couple of disastrous weeks of performances. You really had to be there. Or not.

One-hit wonder?

But Doherty and McColgan don't make shows for critics . . . they make crowd-pleasers. And unashamedly so. Which, naturally enough, only infuriates critics even more. Riverdance, lest we forget, has grossed a staggering $1bn at the box office to date.

But the impetus is certainly there to prove that Riverdance wasn't a one-off. McColgan's controversial Abbey theatre production of Dion Boucicault's The Shaughraun, the biggest box-office success in the Abbey's history, failed to go the distance in London a few seasons back; in that case the vicious reviews certainly didn't help.

There's a lot at stake with The Pirate Queen . . . producing a Broadway musical has, on many occasions, been compared to high-risk poker. These days, it's all about safe bets and the instant recognition factor, hence the onslaught of 'jukebox' shows (based on a notable artist's greatest hits, such as the Abba-tastic Mamma Mia or the current smash Jersey Boys, the story of '50s boyband Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons) and . . .

a particularly bizarre phenomenon . . . musicals based on Hollywood movies (our own personal favourite . . . off-Broadway sensation Evil Dead: The Musical).

It's all about making a splash.

The hype machine for The Pirate Queen has been in overdrive for months; one of Doherty and McColgan's more inspired initiatives has been The Pirate Queen Castcom, an online blog-cum-reality show created to document the show's journey to Broadway . . .

you'll find it at www. thepiratequeen. com/castcom. Dublin-born documentarian Rachel O'Connor has been creating an ongoing series of fascinating mini-docs focusing on every imaginable aspect of the theatrical process.

The results have already proved a massive success, going a long way towards fostering that all-important relationship between show and punter. It's not unusual, after all, for musical devotees to catch a show multiple times. And The Pirate Queen is a show custommade for repeat business. At a packed matinee last weekend, the audience response was positively euphoric; a standing ovation is practically a given on Broadway . . .

these people, however, were feeling it.

Work in progress Ah yesf then there's the show itself. The Pirate Queen is, to say the least, absolutely spectacular.

As a feat of staging, it's frequently stunning, visually inspired and absolutely gorgeous to observe.

The rather rudimentary plot, as it stands, is almost entirely driven by Schonberg and Boublil's heartfelt lyrics (with contributions from the aforementioned Richard Maltby and additional co-lyricist John Dempsey); the score offers several of their customary showstoppers, heart-thumping minimelodramas designed to bring a lump to the throat and a tear to a glass eye.

The cast of 42 (! ) give it their all, none more so than hard-working leading lady Stephanie J Block in a star-making role as the feisty Grace. Perhaps most intriguing is the decision to juxtapose (and parallel) the lives of Grace O'Malley and her nemesis Queen Elizabeth I (the impressive Linda Balgord, whose lively turn manages to eclipse her stunning costumes, which truly says something); Grace and Elizabeth are offered as flipsides of the same coin, bold women who defy both convention and tradition to make their way in the world.

As a history lesson, it possibly leaves something to be desired.

But then that's way beside the point. The Pirate Queen feels curiously Irish in the same way Riverdance did and that's the key to Doherty and McColgan's brilliance as producers: they've perfected a formula wherein Irish culture is offered up for global consumption, somewhat homogenised, while still retaining its compelling essence, its magic.

It worked with Riverdance and, for the greater part, it still works with The Pirate Queen; the former's influence can be strongly felt in several lively numbers judiciously interspersed throughout the lengthy running time.

Going to a Broadway show can often feel like being force-fed gateaux. We're talking about three hours-plus of spectacle here. And then there are the songs . . . so many songs. The Pirate Queen has, by my estimation, some two dozen of them. Including at least three future standards. Sometimes, however, less is more. Ultimately, the elements are all there. The production occasionally soars. But the show still feels like it's getting there. You can certainly feel the graft, the hard work that's gone into making it a serious contender . . . and that's the thing. You shouldn't. The magic hasn't arrived . . . not yet, anyhow.

That said, it's built for success, and, having witnessed it firsthand, the audiences are going wild . . .

critics be damned and all that.

They can walk the plank. Initial reports already suggest that the box-office receipts are extremely healthy . . . and then there are the thousands upon thousands (upon thousands) of Irish punters making regular shopping treks to NYC these days. They can be counted upon to vote with their feet and they'll have a ball, too. Is it a hit?

Time will tell. But don't write The Pirate Queen off just yet.