SET in Paris and London during 1794, the familiar tale of the secret English hero, Sir Percy Blakeney and his merry band of supporters, has been wonderfully adapted for musical stage by Nan Knighton (lyrics) and Frank Wildhorn (music).
This is a demanding production for many reasons; most notably the vocal quality required to deliver the numbers, the numerous sets and the costuming necessary to create the opulence of the period.
Barnstormers have evidently enjoyed putting this production together -
their enthusiasm was obvious and infectious. Their powerful opening
chorus number quickly gained the audience's support with super
choreography and a big visual impact.
Andy Lingfield, playing Sir Percy Blakeney (the Pimpernel), was
wonderfully adaptable, combining foppishness with sincerity and sang
with great clarity and emotion - a very controlled performance of a
complex role. Along with his henchmen, he was certainly able "to
convince the whole of England that we're nincompoops".
Kristen Callaway, as Marguerite St Just, (Percy's wife) was equally
impressive with her vocal quality and clearly showed the pain she felt
due to her husband's neglect. She sounded especially good in When I
Look at You and the You Are My Home duet with Percy was quite lovely.
There were no weak links in this production - the attention to
characterization was excellent. James Klech as the evil Chauvelin
particularly, held his poise throughout and was the perfect villain
with a great voice.
The large cast coped extremely well with not having their musical
director in front of them - the band was located backstage and actors
relied upon TV monitors for their cues.
The multiple scene changes that could have been problematic had been
well designed. The slick changes were subtle with scenery flown in,
minimal furnishings used to keep the stage relatively clear for
movement and excellent lighting to denote areas. Excellent stage
management.
The opening of Act II deserved its applause. The costuming, complete
with wigs and accessories, was quite superb. Coordinating beautifully,
and creating such a feeling of splendour and opulence, summarised the
high standards set by the design team for every aspect of the
production. I could quite happily have sat through every night of the
run and found new things to marvel at each time.
Director, Paul Longhurst will no doubt be eager to see how his
production will translate onto the stage at The Minack Theatre,
Cornwall at the end of August - best wishes for another successful run.
