I found out about this production rather by accident! I was killing time on April 7 before going to write an exam, and I decided to check in on the Scarlet Pimpernel Message Board, which I don’t do very often any more. And there was a post there about the production in Montréal that was opening that night. I quickly did a web search and found the production’s official site, where I learned it was only playing for four performances. Well, after a bit of thought, and some half-hearted resistance, I decided it would make a lovely Easter gift to myself to rent a car and make the trip to Quebec to see the show in French.
 The Monument National Theatre in Montréal |
Hard to believe that I hadn’t seen this show for three years! When the overture started, for a moment I was transported back to the Minskoff, and it put me in a great mood for the rest of the evening.
This was definitely a smaller-scale version of the show than anything I had seen before. There was some inventive use of the sets (the mermaid on the prow of the ship made me laugh!), though my major complaints on that front would be the footbridge (awfully small and rather awkward for the actors to get around on), and the lack of any sort of guillotine. Perhaps they thought that anything they could get would look fake, but I still think something would have been better than nothing. That said, the chandeliers in the ball scene were impressive, as were all of the costumes – very nicely done!
My major source of curiousity regarding this production was the translations. The dialogue was *very* close to the Broadway production – since I know pretty much every line, it was very easy to follow. Probably the only change was the exclusion of the part in the library where the men lament their French skills – since they were already speaking French, it would have been a little silly! The songs were a little harder for me to make out all the words, but what I did catch sounded very nice, and the cadences fit the music very well. I’d love to have a chance to sit down and read the lyrics sometime.
Part of the reason I didn’t catch all the lyrics was that the sound balance was just a bit off at times. Solo lines of the chorus members tended to get lost, and the orchestra overpowered a lot of the dialogue that led directly into songs. But most of the time, the sound was quite good.
The production was based on version 3 of Pimpernel, meaning it wasn’t the original version, and was the scaled-down version of the new show, but they still ended at the sea coast. However, one interesting twist was the re-introduction of “Only Love”. While flipping through the playbill before the show, I noticed a song called “L’amour” to be sung by Suzanne in Act Two. This was quite a surprise, since Suzanne has *never* had a song. I guessed it must be “Only Love”, and I was right – Suzanne met Marguerite on the footbridge, and tried to convince her that her marriage would endure. Sarah Lafrenière did a lovely rendition of the song, but it seemed very unnecessary, both because it slowed the action, and because it really came out of nowhere – we’d hardly seen Suzanne before this point!
 Me and Martin-Paul Beaulieu after the show |
This brings me to the actors. Anyone playing Percy naturally has a lot to live up to in my mind, but Benôit Godard did a very good job. His voice cracked during Prayer, unfortunately, but everything else he sang was lovely. He was definitely more understated in his foppishness than the other men I’d seen, but it worked. His realization at the wedding dance when Marguerite lied about the note was wonderful, and his Grappin was very convincing. In all, a very nice performance!
Geneviève Nadeau had a beautiful voice as Marguerite, and I’ll Forget You was especially touching. There was perhaps a touch too much melodrama in some of her actions, which suited scenes such as the opening at the Comedie Française, but seemed a little out of place during some of the more intimate moments. That said, her footbridge scene was very well done.
Michel Gionet was very much a charicature as Chauvelin, which I assume is how the part was directed. He’s got a great voice as well, and he made me laugh during the final scene – his stuttering over the guillotine was the best I’d seen since Terrence! Oh, and just a note – Percy didn’t mis-pronounce Chauvelin as Shovelin, but another variation.
I must also make mention of Louis-Philippe Talbot as Armand, who had a very nice voice, and Marc-André Savard as Elton, who was *hysterical*. My personal favourite moment was after Creation of Man, when Chauvelin and his guards are in the palace, and he was all dismayed over their fabrics. Hard to describe, but very funny.
I have to admit I have no idea what was going on in the rescue scene. It appeared the only person that they saved was Marie, and even so, I’m not sure how they managed it! On the other hand, the dancing in the ball scene and Creation of Man was very nice – reminiscent of the Broadway choreography, but better suited to this production.
All told, I truly enjoyed my evening at this production. It just proves to me that the show *does* work on a smaller scale, and demonstrates how new actors can bring new nuances to the roles. Perhaps the most ringing endorsement I can give to it is that I spent 6 hours driving there, and 6 hours back immediately after the show, and it was absolutely worth it!
The cast:
Marguerite |
GENEVIÈVE NADEAU |
Percy/Scarlet Pimpernel |
BENOÎT GODARD |
Chauvelin |
MICHEL GIONET |
Armand |
LOUIS-PHILIPPE TALBOT |
Marie |
ÉLISE BEAUMONT |
Suzanne |
SARAH LAFRENIÈRE |
Ben |
MARTIN-PAUL BEAULIEU |
Ozzy |
RENÉ GOULET |
Hal |
JEAN-SÉBASTIEN OUELLETTE |
Dewhurst |
KARL SAUTHÈRE |
Elton/Marquis de St-Cyr/Pâtre |
MARC-ANDRÉ SAVARD |
Farleigh |
SIMON ST-GERMAIN-L |
Coupeau |
DANIEL BEAUDOIN |
Jessup/Tussaud |
JEAN-MICHEL KOHLI |
Mercier |
SIMON VILLENEUVE |
Prince of Wales/Robespierre |
FÉLIX QUENNEVILLE |
Opera Dancers, Soldiers and Dancers/ British Guests and Servants |
NAYELI DESBROSSES MIREILLE DUBÉ LISA FOURNIER MARIE-FLORENCE GAYET CLAIRE JARRY ARIANE LABELLE-CÔTÉ MARIE-PIER PORTIER TANIA RAKOTONIRINA MÉLANIE RICHER STÉPHANIE RIVET PASCALE SAUVÉ ALICE TO NGUYEN TRAN NANCY WOODBURY |