When the newly married Percy (Douglas Sills) and his friends decide to battle the injustice of the French Revolution on their own, Percy - the perfect English gentleman - comes up with an ingenious plan to cover he and his cohorts tracks. They adopt secret identities - both to fight the bloodshed of the Reign of Terror and to divert any attention from themselves. What results is THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, a funny, action-packed, sometimes swishbuckling adventure that is now playing at Sacramento's Community Center Theater.
The intrepid Percy becomes the Pimpernel and his friends are known as The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Do-gooders who rescue the innocent right off the guillotine and thwart their nemesis Chauvelin (William Paul Michals) at every turn.
To hide their do-gooding deeds, Percy and his friends adopt personalities in total contrast to their swashbuckling hero personas. Percy and company seem more interested in fashion than swordplay and tea parties rather than raiding parties. They mask their frequent England to France sojourns as trips to buy cloth for their latest fashion expressions.
Percy's secret identity is kept from even his wife - Maguerite (Amy Bodnar) - and ironically - she is the reason he has become the Pimpernel. Her apparent betrayal of a friend in France led to his execution and now Percy struggles with that knowledge weighing against the love he feels for Maguerite.
It's this revelation that spurs Percy into action and the result is non-stop action, comedy, romance and an adventure you won't soon forget.
Douglas Sills reprises the role he created on Broadway in 1997 for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Amy Bodnar appeared on Broadway in RAGTIME as Evelyn Nesbit, as well as being in the original Los Angeles company in that role. Both seemed right at home in their roles as Percy and Maguerite and you could tell the entire cast was having a fun time on stage.
With music by JEKYLL & HYDE'S Frank Wildhorn, lavish costumes and outstanding sets, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL is one you won't want to miss.
|
The Cast of THE SCARLET
PIMPERNEL
|
| Marguerite - Amy Bodnar |
Chauvelin - William
Paul Michals |
Percy - Douglas Sills |
| Marie - Elizabeth
Ward Land |
Armand - Billy Sharpe |
Tussaud - John Paul
Almon |
| Coupeau - Stephonne
Smith |
Mercier - Russell
Joel Brown |
Ozzy - Harvey Evans |
| Elton - Russell Garrett |
Dewhurst - Ken Land |
Jessup - Stephen Hope |
| Ben - Aaron Paul |
Farleigh - Matthew
Shepard |
Hal - D.B. Bonds |
| Robespierre - David
Cromwell |
Prince of Wales -
David Cromwell |
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THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL performs at the Community Center Theater, 1301 L
Street in Downtown Sacramento through Apr. 23. Tickets are priced at $10
- $60. For ticket information call (916) 557-1999, (916) 264-5181 or (916)
766-BASS, or visit the Broadway Series box office at 1419 H Street.
Next
up for the Broadway Series is TRIUMPH OF LOVE (May 16-21) starring Christopher
Sieber as Agis (from the original Broadway cast), Marcia Mitzman Gaven
as Hesione, Tammy Amerson as Princess Leonide and Gary Beach as Harlequin.
