WISH-LIST WEDNESDAY: The Scarlet Pimpernel

Official artwork for The Scarlet Pimpernel on broadway

Try as we might, it seems Frank Wildhorn just can't stay out of my wish list, so let's do another one of his, this time it's one of his early successes, a musical adaptation of "The Scarlet Pimpernel", based on the 1905 Baroness Orczy novel of the same name. Though not as well known as his first musical "Jekyll & Hyde", it was the first of his works to be nominated for the best musical Tony award back in 1998. Set in 1792, during the early stages of the French Revolution, the show centres around the titular figure, an enigmatic, mysterious English upperclassman who rescues aristocrats from being sent to the guillotine amid mass executions in France.

Infamous for its multiple short runs in the space of three years, The Scarlet Pimpernel had its world premiere at the Minskoff Theatre on broadway in 1997, running for around a year before suspending performances due to poor ticket sales; it then reopened at the Minskoff with heavy revisions made to the production, and three of its leads recast, but failed to gain any further traction, and closed again in May 1999. A third, more scaled down production made a final attempt at broadway glory, opening this time at the Neil Simon Theatre after a mini US tour, however it only lasted around four more months, and finally it closed for good in January 2000. Since then, it has gained a cult status in the annals of broadway history, not least because of its unique stop-start early days.

The Scarlet Pimpernel on broadway

In spite of all this, and Wildhorn's relative popularity in the UK, the musical has never been staged professionally on this side of the Atlantic, although amateur groups do stage it occasionally. With the career renaissance of Wildhorn, and recent stagings of Your Lie In April, Bonnie & Clyde and Death Note being well received, perhaps the UK is ready for The Scarlet Pimpernel to finally make an appearance beyond amdram groups...