Heads Will Roll
Gayle Bartos-Pool
February 16, 2009
Director Tom Robinson captures the flamboyant Comedie Francaise where the lovely Marguerite St. Just, played with alluring gusto by talented singer, Heather Lundstedt, tells of her coming nuptials with British aristocrat, Percival Blakeney.
But darkness descends all too swiftly when Citizen Chauvelin, Chief agent of the Committee of Public Security, played by the mesmerizing Kelby Thwaits, arrives. He will allow Marguerite to leave Paris, but fear hangs over her head, for she and Chauvelin have a secret past.
Meanwhile, the citizens of Paris revel around a weapon of mass destruction. The object of their adoration, Madame Guillotine, which stands menacingly in the center of the stage. Citizens dance and sing a most delightful ditty while an unfortunate aristocrat is clamped under the stocks and the blade drops just as the stage lights are extinguished.
Off to England we go where there is another costume change into glorious courtier outfits complete with powdered wigs and knee britches. The wedding scene between "Percy" Blakeney, played with aristocratic splendor by multifaceted actor, Brent Schindele, and Marguerite is the stuff of fairy tales, but soon Percy has cause to worry. Could his new wife be a French spy?
Percy´s dilemma comes when news is learned about the death of friends in France due to the revolution. He gathers seven of his aristocrat buddies into his study to ask what should they do. One friend suggests they should merely write a letter.
Percy has other ideas. He believes eight "useless dilettantes" could do more good fighting the French in the shadows. So they are off to France with a stirring song, "Into the Fire," to start an underground effort to free French nobles from Robespierre's Reign of Terror.
Meanwhile, Citizen Chauvelin is assuming more power in France along with the sinister Robespierre, played with darkened glasses by the versatile Don Woodruff, who also plays the Prince of Wales.
Percy disguises himself as a Belgian spy, complete with gray wig and hunched back, in order to infiltrate Chauvelin´s ranks. Chauvelin, not knowing he has been conned, sends the Belgian back to England to spy on the English court.
To further thwart their discovery, Percy and his friends assume an effete pose to convince everyone that they are merely foolish fops. Their song, "The Creation of Man" is a knockout.
Poor Marguerite thinks her dear husband is someone totally different from the man she married. Both she and Percy sing of the change they see in each other. Marguerite faces her own dilemma when her old lover, Chauvelin, comes to England and tries to woo her away from Percy. The duet between Ms. Lundstedt and Thwaits is magical.
But the plot darkens further when Marguerite´s brother, Armand, played by handsome, young David O´Neill, agrees to go back to France to help Percy save more French aristocrats.
Meanwhile, Percy and his "merry men" have to convince the Prince they have nothing to do with the "damned, elusive Pimpernel." They put on even more lace and feathers to achieve that goal, and Percy recites his famous poem, "They Seek Him" which turns into a hilarious song.
The second act opens with an intriguing masquerade ball, where Percy, Marguerite, and Chauvelin each hide behind masks, for each has a secret.
Chauvelin has blackmailed Marguerite with news of her captured brother. She must lure the Pimpernel out into the open. Of course Percy shows up, but manages to stay out of her sight, only to be spotted by Chauvelin, but he assumes the dandy is merely curious as to the Pimpernel´s identity. Actor Schindele captures the giddy guise of the fatuous upper class and plays the foppish Percy with great wit and chicanery.
Marguerite decides she must go back to France to save her brother, but Chauvelin recognizes her in Paris, and she is thrown into prison. Percy, back in the disguise of the Belgian spy, convinces Chauvelin to allow Armand to escape so he will lead them to the Pimpernel´s band waiting on the coast. During the escape Marguerite learns that Percy is indeed, the Scarlet Pimpernel.
The final fight scene on the coast is complete with clanking swords and Madame Guillotine waiting impatiently off to one side. Percy is captured. He is dragged to the waiting blade. Is all lost? As the blade comes down, the lights go out…
The conclusion awaits you from February 12 through April 4, 2009.
From the poignant duets to the rousing ensemble numbers, this tour de force will have your heart pounding as well as singing. The costumes, supplied by The Costume Shoppe, will fill your eyes, and the music by Frank Wildhorn, with book and lyrics by Nan Knighton, will have your toes tapping.
Ticket prices range from $20 - $26 for performances Wednesday through Sunday. Check their website for Evening and Matinee times. www.glendalecentretheatre.com. The theater is located at 324 N. Orange, Glendale, CA. (818) 244-8481.
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