Kaysville’s Bre Welch stars in lavish ‘Pirate Queen’ at Hale
Brianna Gray is Queen Elizabeth, Heather McDonald is Grace O’Malley and Jacob Theo Squire is Tiernan in "The Pirate Queen," opening Feb. 12 at Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley City.
Bre Welch of Kaysville (right front) stars as Grace O'Malley in "The Pirate Queen," opening Feb. 12 at Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley City. Derek Smith plays Tiernan and Cecily Ellis-Bills portrays Queen Elizabeth.
WEST VALLEY CITY – Bre Welch saw “The Pirate Queen” on Broadway in New York City when she was 17 years old and remembers feeling awed.
Almost 10 years later, the Kaysville resident feels even more awed by the big, lavish, swashbuckling show now that she is playing one of the leads and a strong historical woman, Grace O’Malley.
The show, written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, the famous writers of “Les Miserables,” had a brief Broadway run and the Hale Centre Theatre was “hand-picked” by the composers and Music Theatre International to revisit the musical.
Hale Centre is the first regional venue to host the show since it appeared on Broadway, and some of the costuming is from the original production.
“We are so fortunate to have been chosen to produce this magnificent musical that was composed by two giants in the theater world,” Sally Dietlein, theater vice president and executive producer, said. The show opens Feb. 12 in West Valley City.
“‘The Pirate Queen’ is a romanticized version of a true story about two powerful and revolutionary women who came together to bring peace to two warring countries: Queen Elizabeth I of England and Grace O’Malley of Ireland. The actresses in this piece are true athletes who must wear corsets and heavy costumes while singing a lyric soprano score or while swinging hefty swords. This is a must-see show,” Dietlein said in a release by the Hale Centre Theatre.
Welch, 26, also said she feels fortunate to play a role of a strong woman and to tell a true story.
PREVIEW
• WHAT: ”The Pirate Queen”
• WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday Feb. 12-April 2; also 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m Saturdays
• WHERE: Hale Centre Theatre, 3333 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City
• ADMISSION: $32-$35/adults, $16/ages 5 to 11. 801-984-9000, www.hct.org
Welch heard about the show long before auditions because she was asked to model for the poster.
The whole cast also got some training in Irish dance from Alan Scariff, a former member Riverdance.
Welch said she loves the music because it is not completely the stationary operatic style of performance, but more “active” with a lot of movement and acting.
“Opera is singing what is in the past and this singing is about what is happening now,” she said. “It works like a dialogue and there is an urgency.”
This is not Welch’s first show at the Hale Centre Theatre. She has performed in six other shows and she loves working for the Hale Centre.
“They actually pay their actors so you feel appreciated,” she said. She has her degree in musical theater and loves the fact that she can be married, with a son, have a day job (she does photography) and also act in shows.
“I can do it all and be close to family and do what I love,” Welch said.
Welch plays in the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday cast, along with another local talent, Danny Inkley, who plays Dubhdara, Grace O’Malley’s father.
The Hale Centre Theatre will present more than 60 consecutive performances of “The Pirate Queen” during its run through April 2. No children under the age of 5 are permitted in the theater.
