The Scarlet Pimpernel To The Rescue!

Theater Group: Barley Sheaf Players
Show Title: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Opened: February 29, 2008
Closes: March 22, 2008

Attended: February 29, 2008

Reviewer: Tom Lamphere
Submitted: March 1, 2008

The setting is France, 1794, and the Reign of Terror lead by Citizen Robespierre and the ruthless Citizen Chauvelin is in full swing…or chop if you will as one by one citizens of France are put to death by guillotine. Marguerite St. Just escapes from her native France to England and marries Sir Percy Blakeney, an Englishman who suspects his new bride may have given information to Chauvelin that led to the death of a comrade. Percy decides that he must fight the terror in France and is joined by six other noble Englishman (known as The League) in his quest. However, since they are but a small group of men, and rather useless in terms of physical combat, Percy decides they will fight the new French regime with their wit rather than brawn.

The Scarlett Pimpernel is a lush musical with music by Frank Wildhorn and book and lyrics by Nan Knighton. The story is far from simplistic and the setting not familiar to many theater patrons. Only the bravest of community theaters tackle such a project and The Barley Sheaf Players do so with gusto!

In the role of Marguerite, Tessa Raum is very well cast. Her pleasant soprano voice, although not overpowering, handles the numerous musical numbers very well. She also does a wonderful job of bringing her character to life in a very nuanced performance.

Russ White shines as the evil Chauvelin making the audience loathe him from the moment he takes the stage. His strong baritone voice adds to his performance and is quite memorable!

Playing a character he seems born to play, Jason Kramer becomes the Pimpernel. This is no small feat as the part requires an actor with a powerful yet nuanced voice, exceptional comedic timing and body control and the ability to act as a character leading a double life. Mr. Kramer does a remarkable job in all of these areas!

While it is easy to focus on the three main lead actors, there are many others who give wonderful performances throughout the show. The “League” consisting of Jan Brofka-Berends, Don Mimm, Peter Haas, Tony Braca, Scott Klaum and John Maxwell have several terrific scenes throughout the show many of which help to keep the show moving along.

Long time Barley Sheaf Player Murray Kramer returns to the stage in two roles and puts his unique touch on the dual role of Citizen Robespierre and the Prince of Whales.

The ensemble is quite large and Director Dru Ullery expertly uses every inch of the stage and theater to his advantage. Despite the theater’s somewhat cramped quarters, I never once felt that there were too many people on the stage.

The costumes by Costume Designer Michele Murphy with help from Stevie Tagye are, in a word, fabulous!

The music for this production literally cries out for a large orchestra. Unfortunately, Barley Sheaf’s theater has little space for a large pit and, in fact, the orchestra is off on right of the stage. Prior to the show, I expected the lack of a large orchestra to annoy me throughout the performance. However, I’m happy to say that the small, three piece orchestra lead by Chris Mottes held their own throughout the show! I would have liked to have heard the music a bit louder though.

Although I can’t rank The Scarlet Pimpernel among my favorite musicals, I must say that I did thoroughly enjoy Barley Sheaf’s production. This is a great example of how a community theater can tackle a difficult show with limited resources and end up with an excellent production! A lot of time and energy went into the pre-production on this show and even more is being spent on stage during each performance. I’m glad I was there to see the end result and you’ll be glad too!