Pimpernel is Wonderful
Spectacle, but Not Memorable
Minneapolis Star Tribune
"The Scarlet Pimpernel" is a tough one. Not that this lighthearted romp is complex or inscrutable. Hardly. It's simple love and gallantry with a delightful character, the English dandy, at its center. It dazzles with spectacle, fantastic voices, over-the-top performances, sumptuous sets and costumes that spare no expense. In many ways this is just what you want in a Broadway show.
But much like its title character, "Pimpernel" is a Twinkie -- a delicious trifle. Don't make a meal of this.
"Pimpernel" was a disappointment in its first incarnation on Broadway in 1997, before director/choreographer Robert Longbottom took over. He restaged it to improved notices the following year, with Douglas Sills retaining his title role. The show that opened a 16-performance run at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Tuesday night is Longbottom's production, with Sills joined by Amy Bodnar and William Paul Michals in lead roles.
Based on Baroness Emmuska Orczy's 1905 novel, "The Scarlet Pimpernel" tells a story of romance, deception, family bonds and betrayal set during the French Revolution. Sills plays Percy/Pimpernel, a flighty British nobleman who marries a French cabaret singer. Intrigue enters because the singer previously courted Chauvelin, a coldblooded operative in the revolution. The Pimpernel travels to France to save aristocrats from the guillotine, frustrating Chauvelin and all the while hiding his identity from his wife, lest she compromise him.
While all three deliver the goods, Sills soars in a role every actor in musical theater dreams of -- full of songs, campy humor, a giddy personality, just enough dance and adventurous heroics. Michals brings a rich baritone voice and swarthy menace to Chauvelin, a villain frustrated at nearly every turn. As Marguerite, Bodnar gets lost occasionally in all this swashbuckling testosterone, but her voice carries her, and in this venue your voice is your passport.
This is a visually appealing show, thanks to costumer Jane Greenwood and set designer Andrew Jackness. On a few occasions, using a scrim to mute and blend the actors into a backdrop, they create tableaux that evoke Matisse. Lighting designer Natasha Katz completes the technical triumvirate, accenting a strong production that Longbottom directs with a vigorous pace. Frank Wildhorn is the hottest thing in musical theater these days, with his "Jekyll and Hyde," "Pimpernel" and "Civil War" running. "Pimpernel" is lush, but there's a sameness to its score that precludes any signature breakouts. You leave thinking, "that was nice," but there's no single tune that will keep you awake all night.
That's the rub with this show. It's marvelous to look at; Sills delivers a fantastic performance, and the music is delightful. And the producers could rightly argue that that's all they promised -- golden sponge cake and rich cream filling. But while Twinkies are tasty, they're not terribly nourishing.
-Graydon Royce, The Minneapolis Star Tribune
March 9, 2000
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