By Hannah Hacking Brown
When weather prevented another reviewer from going to The Scarlet Pimpernel at The Egyptian Theatre in Park City, I was more than thrilled to step in and make the hour-long drive for Front Row Reviewers. My husband had never seen it, a friend of his was in the show, and I adore the play’s composer, Frank Wildhorn, even though his more recent works are almost exclusively performed in Asia. This work, based on the novel of the same title by Baroness Orczy, is one of my absolute favorite musicals of all time. Superhero fans may be surprised to learn that it is considered a major precursor to the genre and Marvel co-creator Stan Lee called the title role “the first character who could be called a superhero.” Written by Nan Knighton and Wildhorn, the musical first ran on Broadway from 1997 to 2000 and toured the US from 2000 to 2001 and has been performed numerous times at various locations since (including in Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea). The musical was even nominated for 3 Tony Awards. The Scarlet Pimpernel is my favorite of his shows (followed closely by his musical adaptation of the manga and anime Death Note). In fact, The Scarlet Pimpernel is one of my all-time favorite musicals in general.
On the night of his wedding, Sir Percy Blakeney (Cameron Kapetanov), an English aristocrat in the time of the French revolution, receives painful proof of the involvement of his new bride, French actress Marguerite St. Just (Becky Jeanne Knowles), in the execution of his friend, the Marquis de St. Cyr. This news shakes him to the core and motivates him to become The Scarlet Pimpernel. This swashbuckling hero swoops into Paris with his seven men to disrupt the utterly out-of-control revolution with tricks and diversions to save as many lives as they can. In the process, they outwit Marguerite’s ex, the cruel Citizen Chauvelin (Quinn Kapetanov), and his boss, the infamous Robespierre (Tim Behunin) at every turn, while throwing everyone off their trail by being the most foppish, flamboyant “nincompoops” they can possibly be in England.
This show featured a powerful lineup of actors. Knowles played the best Marguerite I’ve seen in person. From her accent to her command of the stage, she truly rose to the occasion.
The role of Percy Blakeney calls for an impressive emotional range, and C. Kapetanov hit every moment flawlessly. His face said as much or more than his words did.
Q. Kapetanov’s Chauvelin was a delight to watch. He nailed the passion, the rage, the irritation, and everything in between. I think the Kapetanovs are brothers, but I didn’t realize it until intermission when I looked at their headshots and names. They managed to distinguish themselves onstage to the point that they looked nothing alike, but their photos look like they could be twins.
The three were backed by an incredible team of actors playing beautifully off of each other. Garret Rushforth held his own at Percy’s right hand as Dewhurst, and he was my favorite to watch during the sword fight in the rescue sequence (and he really rocked that bird hat for “Creation of Man”).
Sam Young (playing Ozzy) and Dylan Floyd Panter (playing Elton) killed it with my favorite of Percy’s men. Elton wields a butterfly net and Ozzy enjoys the flamboyant cover-up side of their work as much as the swashbuckling heroism.
A couple of standout ensemble members were Mak Milord with a strong stage presence and powerful sass, and Samatha Paredes and Bailey Higgins, both incredibly strong dancers who both drew my eye in every ensemble number.
A lot rides on the director of any show. For The Scarlet Pimpernel in particular, the director holds the only power to make it a show I wouldn’t enjoy. I can safely say Morgan Parry took that responsibility in stride and put together a show I’ll remember fondly for years. The choreographer, Kaylee Nelson, also blew it out of the water, packing the fairly small stage with impressive ensemble numbers.
The music of The Scarlet Pimpernel has been a regular soundtrack in my life, and as much as I may love the original Broadway recording, there’s really nothing like hearing the songs live. Music director Kelli Morris really brought out the best in this already talented cast. Q. Kapetanov’s rendition of “Falcon In The Dive” was the best I’ve had the opportunity to hear live, and the harmonies in the group numbers were truly to die for.
The set was both beautiful and cleverly designed, considering this production was always intended to be performed at both his venue and The Ziegfeld Theater in Ogden. The bulk of the set was a reversible two-story build with one side using a metal and wood theme used for scenes in France and the other a white and gold theme for scenes in England with a fold out section on the bottom for Percy’s office. The set was complemented by a small projection screen on either side of the stage and a larger projection screen that covered the back of the stage to serve as a backdrop for small scenes. Projection design was done by Caleb Parry.
The costumes (designed by Stephanie Colyar) were mostly stunning, period-appropriate dresses and suits, alongside a set of matching soldier uniforms, fun maid uniforms, and tart dresses for the “Storybook Reprise” scene. Most of the actors also wore period-appropriate wigs (designed by Byron Batista) for the whole show, which was a touch I absolutely loved.
The lighting was well-designed (done by Carson Sabin), and I particularly enjoyed the sinister lighting in red from below during both “Falcon In The Dive” (Chauvelin’s song about his need to catch the Pimpernel) and “The Riddle” (Chauvelin, Marguerite, and Percy’s song about navigating their relationships and inability to trust each other). As usual, the best thing I can say about sound in a show is that I didn’t notice it, which was the case for this show’s sound (designed by Knowles and operated by Gerard Howells). There was no mic static or cutting and the tracks were balanced right with the mics.
All-in-all, this was an excellent production of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and I absolutely recommend it for anyone and everyone. There is some innuendo, though it would likely fly over any children’s heads, so I feel comfortable recommending it for all ages. Truly, this show has something for everyone.
Zeigfeld Theater presents The Scarlet Pimpernel by Nan Knighton and Frank Wildhorn, based on the novel by Baroness Orczy.
The Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main Street, Park City UT 84060
March 30-April 1 at 8:00 PM, and April 2 at 6:00PM
Tickets: $19-35
Contact: 855-745-7469, boxoffice@parkcityshows.com
Egyptian Theatre website,
Ziegfeld Theater website
Egyptian Theatre Facebook page,
Ziegfeld Theater Facebook Page
The Scarlet Pimpernel Facebook Event
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