Douglas Sills
The Man Behind the Elusive Pimpernel
They seek him here. They seek him there. His fans seek him everywhere.
They can find Douglas Sills, star of Broadway�s The Scarlet Pimpernel, at
the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway and 45th street, in the very heart of
the theatre district. Mr. Sills has been in the show since it opened on
the Great White Way in the fall of 1997. In fact, he was nominated
last year for the Best Actor in a Musical Tony Award and won a Theater
World Award for his performance. He, of course, plays Sir Percy Blakeney,
the Englishman who, in order to save innocents from the guillotines
of the French Revolution, must disguise himself as the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Together, the Pimpernel and his league rescue many condemned aristocrats.
However, Percy becomes estranged from his wife, Marguerite St. Just (Rachel
York), who, under the threat of blackmail, has been providing Citizen
Chauvelin (Rex Smith), a leader of the Revolution, with �information.�
Percy manages to reconcile with Marguerite and outwit his nemesis Chauvelin,
ending the story happily.
This heroic character, Percy, is somewhat like the actor who portrays him.
Mr. Sills, who has appeared on numerous television shows (Party of Five
and Sliders are among them), in stage productions, and movies, can relate
to his character because both men are ordinary people thrust into
extraordinary situations. Likewise, Mr. Sills can relate to the themes
in The Scarlet Pimpernel, which he feels are very important. These
themes include one cannot judge a book by its cover and one must trust
his or her instincts.
Regarding Mr. Sills� first getting involved in the theatre, he says that
he �was good at theatre� and he �loved the response.� �But that�s
just a start,� he adds. Mr. Sills feels �very fortunate� about his
current involvement in the theatre. As for his advice to those interested
in going into the theatre and dramatic arts: �Learn to love reading.�
According to recent updates, Mr. Sills will remain in The Scarlet Pimpernel at
least until June. In the meantime, you can hear his great singing
ability on the magnificent Original Broadway Cast Recording of The Scarlet
Pimpernel (Atlantic Records). Hopefully, the producers will decide to
re-record the show because of various changes recently made in the show
(some songs have been deleted, some added, some moved around, plus the
story has changed a bit). If this is done, Mr. Sills will most likely be
among the performers on the recording. More information on this and a
variety of other items can be found on The Scarlet Pimpernel website
at www.thepimpernel.com. There is also a link on this site that will
connect you to the Douglas Sills �unofficial� website, where more
biographical information plus photographs can be found. Douglas Sills
is certainly one of the most talented actors and singers of our time.
His audience adores him now, and he will most assuredly continue to charm
and captivate audiences in the future with his incredible performances.
-Christopher Kuczewski
� 1999, The Prophet, West Islip, NY
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