In November, 1997, Christine Andreas made a triumphant return to the Broadway stage to originate the role of Marguerite in the Original Broadway Cast of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Christine starred opposite Douglas Sills as her husband, Percy Blakeney (aka The Pimpernel), and Terrence Mann as her former lover, Chauvelin. But in this case, "triumphant" is an understatement. |
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| The
Scarlet Pimpernel - Thoughts on the Musical | Song Listing from The Scarlet Pimpernel |
| Obsession with The Scarlet
Pimpernel~? |
 Terrence Mann, Douglas Sills, and Christine Andreas |
Thoughts on The Scarlet Pimpernelby Kristine M. Kulage The picture on the left says it all. Never in my 7 years of attending and past year of reviewing musical theatre have I encountered a more perfect trio to command a musical. I don't think I'll again encounter a group of leads with their talent, heart, rapport, and chemistry on and off stage. Terrence Mann and Douglas Sills are ever-endearing and certainly forces to be reckoned with, but Christine Andreas, with her grace, beauty, and eloquent voice soared on stage. Her performance was the heart of the musical, the glue which held the passion, drama, adventure, and even comedy together. I was fortunate enough to have seen Christine Andreas play Marguerite all 5 times I saw The Scarlet Pimpernel, and each time I enjoyed her performance more and more. It will never be the same without her. |
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Minskoff stage, Christine forever defined the role of Marguerite in The Scarlet
Pimpernel. Her delicious French accent, enthusiasm, and genuine zest in her
acting brought the theatre to life whenever she appeared on stage. She was the
perfect complement to Douglas Sills' over-the-top performance as Percy. When their
voices blended in songs like "Believe", the sound was heavenly. It was
something that could not be captured on a recording in a way to do the live performance
justice.
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"Vivez!", Marguerite's defining song, was extremely convincing as performed by Christine. It was obvious to the audience that Christine herself possessed the same attitude about life. Vivez! Live!
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 The love story between Percy and Marguerite is endearing. Christine Andreas and Douglas Sills are delightful together, their voices blending beautifully, their characters both caught in a desire and a hesitance to express their love. Douglas was irresistible as Percy and as The Pimpernel; how could Marguerite not love him? |
I found Christine's voice to
be most beautiful in her love ballads, "When I Look at You" and "Only
Love". Not only is "When I Look at You" one of the most beautiful
songs in The Scarlet Pimpernel, but the scene in which Marguerite sings it,
gazing upon the painting of Percy and then upon Percy himself while time stood still, was
probably the most touching and gorgeous scene in the musical.
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Christine's performance was especially touching in the scenes with her brother, Armand (played by Gilles Chiasson). In these scenes, her genuineness accentuated the musical's theme of the importance of home, family, and love. She helped to make The Scarlet Pimpernel one of the true "family" musicals on Broadway. Their duet "You are my Home", which they sang awaiting their death sentence, opened the audience's eyes to the heart of this musical.
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How does a woman choose between Terrence Mann and Douglas Sills? :-) Truly, a hero and heroine can only be as heroic as the villain is evil. Indeed, Terrence Mann was a seductive, manipulative, and mesmerizing villain. The chemistry between Marguerite and Chauvelin made for a heart-wrenching love triangle. In the end, most would argue that Marguerite made the right choice...
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And
we all are Can I trust you? We all are Of who trusts who... |
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Marguerite at Lord Grenville's Ball...Beautiful as ever...and, thanks to Douglas Sills, sometimes fighting to keep a straight face...
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The best thing about The Scarlet Pimpernel is the happy ending, with good triumphing over evil, something which used to be plentiful in musical theatre 30 years ago, but seems to have gone out of fashion in modern musical theatre. The 5 times I saw The Scarlet Pimpernel this summer were some of my very favorite experiences attending musical theatre. The entire cast was stellar, but Christine's performance will always hold a special place in my heart... |
The turning point in The Scarlet Pimpernel is the Footbridge scene where Percy learns that Marguerite has not been deceiving him, that she is indeed the woman he has loved all along. The scene began with Christine's showstopping plea to Percy, "Only Love". Percy follow that with "She was There". These two songs represent Christine Andreas and Douglas Sills at their finest.
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I met Christine
at the Minskoff stage door after every time I saw her perform. She was always eager
to greet her fans, sign autographs, and take photos. I greatly admire performers
like her who take the time to "give back" to their fans. My special thanks to Christine for her delightful performances all 5 times I saw The Scarlet Pimpernel the summer of 1998, for her graciousness, her time, her generosity, the backstage tour, and her offer of help in our time of need. |
But most of all I want to thank her for giving me the opportunity to create her Official Web Site. It has been a joy and an honor and I'm certain it will continue to be. This is my chance to "give something back" to her for all the joy she brought to me and all of her fans. Along with everyone else, I highly await seeing her perform live again, whether in concert or on a Broadway stage.
- Love, Kristine
**To read about the Webmaster's Obsession with The Scarlet Pimpernel, CLICK HERE
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The
Original Broadway Cast Recording of
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FEATURING |
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CLICK HERE to listen to songs on
The Scarlet Pimpernel
ACT I
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ACT II
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