7/14/26: The Scarlet Pimpernel
What: In honor of Bastille Day, 54 Below presents a concert of the score from the cult hit/commercial flop (and the first show I saw on Broadway), The Scarlet Pimpernel: a tale of derring-do, disguise, and romance set against the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.
And? Our host of the evening began with "This show opened on Broadway in 1997. And 1998. And 1999." The crowd laughed knowingly, for many of us were members of The League: the fandom for the show during its initial run, and a big reason why the producers kept trying to rescue the show with new director/choreographer and updated script. The feat of a Broadway show closing and reopening twice, each time in a slightly different version, is, I believe, unprecedented and unrepeated. It really was a wild moment to be a part of. Anyway, the evening was fun, with strong voices. The score really holds up. "Into the Fire" will always be one of my favorite musical theater songs; "Prayer" really is an excellent soliloquy; "Falcon in the Dive" is thrilling and feral. The big excitement for me was getting to see William Michals reprise his performance as Chauvelin -- he originally played the role in the first national tour, which I saw twice in LA. His voice is even better now, and it was a real treat to hear him sing the score in such an intimate setting. Afterwards, I got a chance to speak to him briefly, to tell him that I'd seen him in the tour 26 years ago, and how much it meant to hear him tonight. He correctly identified me as a member of The League and offered to take a photo. It was a great night, and I was so happy to share it with my friend Beth, a fellow longtime fan of the show.
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| Zelda Knapp and William Michals. 2000 photo by Raymond Knapp. 2026 photo by William Michals. |
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