Category Archives: Scarlet Pimpernel
Look, Ma! I’m on YouTube!
There’s very little video footage of the work I’ve been doing, but here’s a video (with very little footage of me. What? I’m nothing if not consistent.) Enjoy some of my best ensemble work!
Mercury Summer Stock 2010
0:05
0:56
1:29
Pimpernel Reviewed (4)
BY FAR MY FAVORITE
Silly ‘Pimpernel’ Gets Sillier Yet
Just over 100 years ago, Baroness Orczy wrote the novel “The Scarlet Pimpernel.” The title character is a swashbuckling adventurer whose band of gallant Englishmen cross the English Channel to save scores of Frenchmen from getting their heads chopped off following the French Revolution. Mercury Summer Stock has chosen to present the 1997 Broadway musical version of “The Scarlet Pimpernel” at their summer home, the Brooks Theatre at the Cleveland Play House. Why the group has chosen this as the season closer is anybody’s guess.
If gallantry and suspense is what you’re after, you’re not going to find it here. While the Pimpernel has become an enduring character of romance and high adventure, Nan Knighton’s book has reduced him to a rather boring English nobleman with followers out of comic books who couldn’t find their way to the English Channel, much less fight off the French, who, by the way, are equally as dumb.
But don’t blame Mercury for these problems. They have problems of their own.
There is no set, not even a trace. But there are costumes. Margaret Ruble has created a colorful array of early 18th-century French and English garb that adds some spark. But the sets, the only thing that held the Broadway show together, do not exist.
Director Pierre-Jacques Brault has little to work with. And even if he did, I can’t imagine what it would look like, for he has taken the silly story and made it even sillier.
The moment the rusty looking, crumbling guillotine is brought out you become suspicious. Chairs are lined up on both sides of the stage as the entire cast looks on. The blade tumbles down and chops off the first head.
We switch back and forth from France to England, where Lord Percy Blakeney assembles a half dozen clumsy volunteers. Their mission: save the French noblemen. It’s right here when you believe the creators are kidding. Is this a spoof? Well, it wasn’t intended to be.
Besides the sloppy adventure, we have a love story. Percy, whose family crest is the Pimpernel, has just married Marguerite, a beautiful French maiden who just might be a spy.
Of course, she’s not a spy, for she helps Percy defeat Chauvelin, the leader of the revolution.
Frank Wildhorn’s score is nothing to write home about, though Mercury has cast some excellent voices.
Jennifer Myor does some wonderful things with her soprano, and, though she’s given little to do as Marguerite, she really can sing.
Brian Marshall, as Percy, is another whose voice overcomes his boring role. Though he is no dashing adventurer, he does a lot with some rather untidy songs.
Shane Patrick O’Neill, as the evil Chauvelin, has also been given little to do, although he plays evil quite well.
As a comedy, this musical version of “The Scarlet Pimpernel” offers at least a little to the audience. We are faced mostly with caricatures rather than actual people, and maybe that is how this director sees the whole thing.
The lack of chemistry between Percy and Marguerite could be the result of casting for voice rather than type. Believable characters in the entire production are nowhere to be found.
The show never catches fire. The songs, dances and sword play are a drab mix. This, along with actors who appear to realize they are in a troubled production, serves only to make matters worse.
Pimpernel Reviewed (3)
Mercury’s ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’ isn’t Great, but it isn’t Miserable
It is impossible to not compare “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” on stage at the Brooks Theatre, with “Les Misérables,” seemingly on stage everywhere else.
Both musicals come from similar source material — novels written in the late 19th century, set during the bloody French revolution, and featuring an undercover hero sacrificing himself for the greater good. But the tenor of their titles is just the start of their disparities.
The literary roots of “Les Miz” are intellectual, weighty and gothic, and they carry over to its overly dramatic staging, score and lyrics. Its characters are complex and seek spiritual redemption as well as revolution. Its hero, a former convict, breaks parole and risks the wrath of his archenemy by assuming the identity of a factory owner in order to do good in the world.
“Pimp” springs forth from a pulp adventure novel with sequels that could have been prequels to the Harlequin Romance series. Its hero, a British aristocrat named Percy Blakeney, risks losing his wife and card-carrying privileges to the Heterosexual Man’s Club by assuming effeminate airs so as not to let on to his archenemy, Chauvelin, that he is actually the swashbuckling Scarlet Pimpernel.
While “Les Miz” takes itself oh so seriously, with every moment monumental and every song an anthem, “Pimp” carries on with a bit of a wink and a nod, and most of the songs by Frank Wildhorn and Nan Knighton are romantic and melodic.
Yes, “The Scarlet Pimpernel” is “Les Misérables” with a limp wrist.
“Pimp” is also an oddity, for there is not quite enough winking and nodding to render it a bona fide comedy or a parody of productions like “Les Miz.”
It is hard to laugh at something that does not consistently laugh at itself.
It is also hard to take this musical in earnest because of its occasional moments of hilarity. In the production number “The Creation of Man,” for example, Percy convinces his mates to be fellow foppish revolutionaries, and they adorn the tools of their trade: silks, scarves and dresses. The rest of the musical numbers are rather somber affairs.
It is, perhaps, these disparities that led “Les Miz” to a Tony Award for Best Musical in 1987, while “Pimp” was merely nominated in 1998, along with a musical about conjoined twins, losing to Disney’s “The Lion King.”
In the Mercury Summer Stock production of “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” director Pierre-Jacques Brault doesn’t so much balance the incongruous elements of this play as embrace them all. This makes for an entertaining evening.
The drama is the job of the talented and exceedingly intense ensemble members, who are in chairs on the bare stage during the entire production unless called upon to march in unison without going anywhere (a patented “Les Miz” move). They also play secondary roles in support of the wonderful Shane Patrick O’Neill as the bad guy, Chauvelin. O’Neill’s dark and sinister antagonist is spot on, complete with a bold and beautiful baritone.
The romance is left to Jennifer Myor as Percy’s French wife, Marguerite, who does not know about her husband’s heroics. Myor is featured in 13 songs and has the lungs, charisma and skill to make each one memorable. The orchestra consists only of string instruments plus a French horn which, under the fine direction of Eddie Carney, accentuates the romantic flavor of this production.
The comedy falls to Brian Marshall, as Percy/the Pimpernel, and Ryan Bergeron, as the only genuinely gay blade in the band of merry men. Bergeron hams it up, and he does so exceedingly well, although his comrades are fairly nondescript. They neither complement nor sufficiently offset Bergeron’s flamboyance and are not nearly as interesting.
Marshall, by design, does all the winking and nodding in this play, and he has excellent comic timing. However, his delicate features and sweet tenor lend themselves more to Percy’s alter ego than to his swashbuckler side. This works, for the play’s curious lack of action scenes results in more swish than swash, but greater balance from Marshall would result in more comic juxtapositions.
There is only one piece of stage combat in this play, when the Pimpernel and Chauvelin cross swords, but it appears as if neither really wants to hurt the other. Similarly, the ominous guillotine, which looms large in several scenes as a symbol of the French Reign of Terror, looks as if it were borrowed from the amateur magician working the Finkleman bar mitzvah.
While not much attention is given to these elements, the same cannot be said for the costuming. The rentals and the period costumes built by Margaret Ruble are spectacular.
All this suggests that Brault has placed priority on delivering a show that looks and sounds grand, despite the implicit imperfections in the play itself. Mercury Summer Stock has identified this play’s strengths and successfully matched them with their own.
“The Scarlet Pimpernel” continues through Aug. 21 in The Cleveland Play House’s Brooks Theatre, 8500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. For tickets, $10 to $15, call 216-771-5862 or visit www.mercury-summer-stock.ticketleap.com.
Scarlet Pimpernel Reviewed (2)
Super Fop
The Pansy Has a Fist of Steel in The Scarlet Pimpernel
Christine Howey – Cleveland Scene
There’s a fascinating thought at the center of the Clark Kent/Superman myth, that even the most bland-looking person could be harboring a dashing hero inside. That means the nose-picking, phantom-farting schlub sitting next to you might be able to save the world in a different guise.
Yeah, probably not. But still, it’s fun to imagine, and that’s why musicals such as The Scarlet Pimpernel, now offered by Mercury Summer Stock at the Cleveland Play House, have such allure. While this production displays many strengths — from some strong ensemble voices to imaginative staging — it’s a spotty effort overall, sometimes lacking the tight cohesive quality that we’ve come to expect from this fine company of young actors.
Based on the adventure novel of the same name, this play revolves around Percy Blakeney, a foppish British nobleman married to the lovely French woman Marguerite. It’s all set during the Reign of Terror in 18th century France, when Robespierre and his pals from the Revolution were working the guillotine harder than the corned beef slicer at Corky and Lenny’s.
With blood running in Parisian streets, Percy learns that his wife betrayed a French friend who then promptly lost his head. So Percy decides to form a band of brothers from his upper-crust friends to cross the channel and help innocent people avoid the blade.
Under the leadership of the outwardly effete Percy, these fellows try to deflect suspicion by affecting a similar swish and a fondness for lace (explicated amusingly in “The Creation of Man,” with lines such as: “Embroider those lapels/Be kind to the beasts in pastels!”). And Percy dubs himself the Scarlet Pimpernel, leaving the image of that small red flower at the scenes of his rescues.
Even though the music by Frank Wildhorn and the lyrics by Nan Knighton skew more to soft pop, there is enough tunefulness in the score to sustain the show. What is needed is a delicate balancing act of tone, so that the show’s campy aspects add buzz to the storyline.
Unfortunately, this balance is not always in evidence in the first act. Percy’s posse, although singing well as a group, never quite delineates the difference between being pampered noblemen and their sissy counterparts, so their flamboyant disguises are less amusing than they might be. And their forays to save souls at the Place de la Bastille, enacted in “The Rescue Ballet,” is slapdash and confusing.
As Percy, the excellent actor Brian Marshall shows perfect timing in his comical scenes — particularly when interacting with Robespierre’s evil lieutenant Chauvelin, who was a past lover of Marguerite. But when portraying the heroic Pimpernel, Marshall oddly shifts into neutral, his face goes pasty and soft, and he seems to be floating in limbo. This leaves a void at the center of the play that’s hard to fill.
Marshall sings well when the songs are in his powerful mid-range, but the notes thin out at the higher and lower margins. The same is occasionally true of Jennifer Myor, who plays Marguerite. Her solo “When I Look At You” is effective, but she too often sings with her eyes closed, or almost so, not allowing the audience to share her character’s emotions.
In the villain role of Chauvelin, Shane Patrick O’Neill strikes a lean and fearsome figure and sings his songs with contained fury. Still, his character would resonate more fully if he could react to a stronger chemistry between Percy and Marguerite. Lacking any significant sexual tension, we have to take the married couple’s attraction to each other pretty much on faith.
Among the secondary characters, Ryan Bergeron as Percy’s ally Elton almost snaps a couple bones in an intense effort to go limp-wristed, which can be alternately funny and tiresome. Jeffery Grover is wasted in two tiny roles, and Kate Leigh Michalski as Marguerite’s pal Marie finds many of her lines swallowed up by unfortunate acoustics. As Marguerite’s young brother Armand, Jonathan Ramos is appropriately enthusiastic and naive.
Director Pierre-Jacques Brault has designed a stripped-down look for this show, using the bare brick walls of the Brooks Theatre stage and simple wooden chairs for scenery. Keeping most of the cast onstage, Brault is able to pace the scenes quickly, which definitely helps.
Mercury Summer Stock is a ray of sunlight every summer in Cleveland. And even when they don’t hit the bull’s-eye, their productions have a spirit and freshness that’s always worth a look.
Scarlet Pimpernel Reviewed!
SCARLET PIMPERNEL a Pleasant Surprise at Mercury Summerstock
What happens when a small budget summer stock theatre, with one professional actor in its company, which performs on a postage stamp-sized stage, decides to produce a grand musical requiring numerous period correct costumes, a large male chorus that can sing, dance and act proficiently, a score that requires a grand orchestra sound, leads with very strong near opera quality singing voices, quality farce characterizations, French and English accents, and lots of scene changes? In the case of Mercury Summerstock, you get a very creditable production.
‘THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL,’ with music by Frank Wildhorn (‘JEKYLL & HYDE’ and ‘THE CIVIL WAR’) and lyrics and book by Nan Knighton (‘SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER’), is 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. It concerns an audacious hero and his followers who use “tricks and games” against the cruel “citizen leaders.” They leave in their wake their calling card, the red, star-shaped wildflower known as the scarlet pimpernel.
The musical has a strange history. It originally opened in 1997. The production developed a cult following and, 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. So, new producers, rewriting, a new theatre, and two new leads (Rex Smith and Rachel York), stretched out the run until May 30, 1999.
The Mercury production, directed by Pierre-Jacque Brault, generally pleases. It moves along at a good pace. The singing, especially the male chorus, is excellent. The characterizations are appropriately broad, developing the right swash-buckling and farce feeling. The massive number of costumes are period correct, thanks to the designer Margaret Ruble. The orchestra plays well, backing up rather than enveloping the singers. The choreography is excellent and generally well done, especially considering the minute size of the stage and the required number of performers.
Creative use of chairs to set up stage divisions and new settings is employed. Accents waver, but all in all it’s a good show, especially taking into account that this is mainly an amateur cast who put the show together in ten rehearsals.
Jennifer Myor as Marguerite, the female lead, has a fine singing voice and develops her character well. Brian Marshall, the only Equity member in the cast, had some vocal problems at the start, but warmed up well as the show continued. His characterization was enjoyably funny. Shane Patrick O’Neill, who possesses an excellent singing voice, was properly villainous in the role of Chauvelin. Ryan Bergeron, as Elton, one of the merry band of Pimpernel henchmen, who play affected dandies to cover their real identities, is delightful, as are most of the rest of the male chorus.
Show highlights included: “Into the Fire,” “When I Look at You,” “Where’s The Girl?,” “The Creation of Man,” “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” and “She Was There.”
CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: Mercury Summerstock’s ‘THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, while not perfect, is an excellent production of a very difficult show that should please most theatre-goers. You won’t confuse this with the touring production of ‘PHANTOM OF THE OPERA’ now at the Allen Theatre, but at one-fifth the cost per ticket, “The Pimp” is well worth attending.
Pictures – Scarlet Pimpernel
A few production photos, courtesy of Eric Skarl of FineArts Photography
Only Love
Brian Marshall as Percy, the Scarlet Pimpernel and Jen Myor as Marguerite St. Just
Storybook
The Cast
The Creation of Man
(from left to right) Trey Gilpin, Jason Leupold, Christopher Aldrich, Brian Marshall, Curtis Young, Ryan Thompson, and Ryan Bergeron)
Scarlet Pimpernel on NPR
Click here to visit WCPN and listen to “Around Noon” featuring a sneak preview of Pimpernel. (Skip to the 29:30-minute mark)
Dee Perry looks at the past, present and future of The Allen Theater at PlayhouseSquare as The Phantom of the Opera makes its last stand before the Allen gets a new look. Plus a performance from Mercury Summer Stock Theater’s production of The Scarlet Pimpernel. And we share an interview with Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary prior to this week’s PBS tribute- Peter, Paul & Mary: Carry It On: A Musical Legacy.
Scarlet Pimpernel opens at Mercury Summerstock
Mercury Summerstock presents The Scarlet Pimpernel
Music by Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics and book by Nan Knighton
Based on the novel by Baroness Orczy
Director: Pierre-Jacques Brault
Music Director: Eddie Carney
August 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, and 21 at 7:30pm
at the Brooks Theater at the Cleveland Playhouse
8500 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106
Brief Synopsis
Sir Percy Blakeney marries Marguerite St. Just before he realizes that his new wife has betrayed his friend, the Marquis de St. Cyr, to the guillotine by denouncing him to the show’s villain (and Marguerite’s former lover) Chauvelin. To make amends for his friend’s death, Percy assumes the identity of “the Scarlet Pimpernel.” Along with his band of merry men, the Bounders, he travels back and forth between France, saving others from St. Cyr’s fate, while in England feigning foppishness as a disguise.
Tickets: $15 regular admission, $12 students and seniors
For reservations and information please call (216)771-5862 or through TicketLeap
Cast:
| Percy Blakeney | Brian Marshall |
| Marguerite St. Just | Jennifer Myor |
| Chauvelin | Shane O’Neill |
| Marie | Kate Leigh Michalski |
| Armand St. Just | Jonathan Ramos |
| St. Cyr/Robespierre | Dan DiCello |
| St. Cyr/Robespierre (7/11-14) | Tim Allen |
| Ozzy | Curtis L. Young |
| Elton | Ryan Bergeron |
| Farleigh | Christopher Aldrich |
| Dewhurst | Trey Gilpin |
| Hal | Ryan Thompson |
| Ben | Jason Leupold |
| Prince of Wales/Tussaud | Jeffrey Grover |
| Jessup | Jayk Baechle |
| Servants/Ensemble | Madeline Beer |
| Tasha Brandt | |
| Meghan Grover | |
| Sarah Saddler |
