The Scarlet Pimpernel (musical)
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a musical with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics and book by Nan Knighton. It’s based on the 1905 novel by Baroness Orczy. The story is set in England and Paris during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. A clever English nobleman, Sir Percy Blakeney, hides a secret life as the masked hero the Scarlet Pimpernel, rescuing people from the guillotine. His wife, Marguerite St. Just, doesn’t know his secret at first, and their marriage is strained.
Percy forms a rescue group, the League, to save innocents while the French hunt for the Pimpernel. Marguerite is pulled into danger when Chauvelin, a relentless French agent, pressures her to reveal the Pimpernel’s identity. Armand, Marguerite’s brother, is in danger, and the couple’s love is tested.
The story builds to a daring rescue near the coast. In the end, Percy and his friends fake his death to fool Chauvelin, who is outsmarted. The Pimpernel survives, Chauvelin is defeated, and Percy and Marguerite reaffirm their love. The show has had several Broadway openings and tours, plus international productions and concerts.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:21 (CET).