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The Scarlet Pimpernel (musical)

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The Scarlet Pimpernel
Original Cast Recording
MusicFrank Wildhorn
LyricsNan Knighton
BookNan Knighton
BasisBaroness Orczy's novel
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Productions1997 Broadway[1]

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a musical by composer Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Nan Knighton, based on the novel of the same name by Baroness Orczy. The show is set in England and France during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the spy fiction and the superhero genres, where a hero hides under a mild-mannered alias.

The musical debuted on Broadway in 1997. It started as a workshop with Carolee Carmello as Marguerite directed by Nick Corley.

Productions

The Scarlet Pimpernel opened at the Minskoff Theater on October 7 1997, directed by Peter H. Hunt, with Douglas Sills in the lead role of Sir Percy, Christine Andreas playing Marguerite, and Terrence Mann in the role of the villain, Citizen Chauvelin. In June shortly before the Tony Awards were announced, the show was slated to close. The show's fans known as "The League" decided it should have another try. In October of 1998 it reopened at the Minskoff with Sills, Rex Smith and Rachel York; After a brief tour in the sumer of 1999, it reopened as "Scarlet Pimpernel 3.0 starring Ron Bohmer, 

Marc Kudisch and Carolee Carmello and closed on 2 January 2000. The National Tour ran from 20 February 2000 to 1 April 2001.  The touring version starred Sills who was replaced by Robert Patteri and finally Ron Bohmer.

The musical has enjoyed numerous regional U.S. productions and has been produced in Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada and Mexico, as well as Malta, among others.

Recordings

Commercial recordings

Concept Album (1992)
Features Chuck Wagner as Percy, Linda Eder as Marguerite and David Clemmons as Chauvelin. Orchestrations on this album are more contemporary versions than are found in other recordings of the show. Songs that are exclusive to this release are: "Home Again," "Marguerite" (Substituted later for "Where's The Girl?"), "Now When The Rain Falls," "Our Separate Ways" and "There Never Was A Time."
Original Broadway Cast Album (1998)
Features Douglas Sills as Percy, Christine Andreas as Marguerite and Terrence Mann as Chauvelin. This recording has songs from the first version of the Broadway production which had some major alterations later on.
Encore! Album (1999)
Features the same cast as the OBC Album. This recording was created to reflect the changes in the production when the first version didn't live up to expectations on broadway. Only four songs were re-recorded for this album. Rex Smith recorded "Where's The Girl" and "Falcon In The Dive." While Rachel York sings "Storybook" and "I'll Forget You." Also included are two songs from the concept album, "You Are My Home" and "Only Love."
German Highlights (2003)
Features Christoph Goetten as Percy, Ann-Christin Elverum as Marguerite and Christopher Murray as Chauvelin.
See: http://www.castalbums.org/recordings/5205
Austrian Highlights (2007)
See: http://www.castalbums.org/recordings/7787.

Demo/Promotional recordings

Pre-Broadway Demo (1996)
Features Chuck Wagner as Percy, Linda Eder as Marguerite and Michael Lanning as Chauvelin. Similar to the concept recording above but with a few new songs and orchestrations that aren't in the contemporary style that the concept recording featured. Rob Evan and others also sang on this demo. The one song exclusive to this release is "High Time."
See: http://www.castalbums.org/recordings/6619

Plot

Sir Percy Blakeney, a wealthy English aristocrat, has married the beautiful French actress Marguerite St. Just. However, on the night of their wedding, Percy learns that his wife betrayed his friend the Marquis de St. Cyr to the Revolutionary government, ultimately leading to the Marquis' execution by the guillotine. The Blakeneys' marriage grows cold and Percy determines to make amends for his friend's death by saving other innocents from the guillotine. Thus, he takes on the identity of "the Scarlet Pimpernel" and convinces some of his friends (subsequently called "bounders") to join him in his daring rescue attempts. The band pretend to be inane fops, effectively throwing off any suspicions about the identity of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Soon, the French agent Chauvelin is sent to England with orders to discover the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. He enlists the aid of Marguerite, threatening to have her brother Armand, also a member of the League, guillotined if she refuses.

Marguerite manages to have a conversation with the Scarlet Pimpernel, who remains hidden in the shadows, keeping his identity concealed. She tells him of Chauvelin's plans and explains that she betrayed the Marquis de St. Cyr under coercion. The Scarlet Pimpernel, Percy, sets out for France in order to save Armand. Still unaware of the Pimpernel's identity, Marguerite does the same. Disguised as a tart, Marguerite attempts to uncover information about her brother, but is quickly recognized and apprehended by Chauvelin. Marguerite finds her brother Armand in prison, but Chauvelin allows the two to escape, knowing that Armand will head for the hide-out of the Scarlet Pimpernel. They find him in a town on the French coast, where Marguerite learns her husband's true identity. Chauvelin confronts the Scarlet Pimpernel but is outwitted once again. Percy, Marguerite, and Armand escape safely to England.

Characters

  • Marguerite St.Just**
  • Percy Blakeney** (Grappin & The Scarlet Pimpernel)
  • Chauvelin**
  • Armand St.Just**
  • Marie Grosholtz**
  • St. Cyr*
  • Tussaud
  • Mercier (aid to Chauvelin)
  • Coupeau (aid to Chauvelin)
  • Jessup (Butler to Percy)
  • Ozzy* (Bounder)
  • Dewhurst* (Bounder)
  • Elton* (Bounder)
  • Farleigh* (Bounder)
  • Hal* (Bounder)
  • Ben* (Bounder)
  • Prince of Wales*
  • Robespierre
  • Sentry (Royal Palace)
  • SATB Chorus - Cupids of the Comedie Francaise, Soldiers, Prisoners, Paris Street Mob, Royal Ball Guests, Six Girl Servants at the Blakeney Estate

(**) five principal vocal parts
(*) eight sub-principal vocal parts

Songs


However, changes were made to the songlist after a number of previews on Broadway. A revised song list is:

Awards and nominations

1998 Tony Award nominations

1998 Drama Desk Award nominations

  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Douglas Sills
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music - Frank Wildhorn

1998 Theatre World Award

Notes and references

  1. ^ Ibdb considers the three versions as one run.
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