(no subject)
For my course on melodrama, I'm researching The Scarlet
Pimpernel and remembering how awesome the story, characters, and musical
by Frank Wildhorn can be. Last night, Ross and I watched an 80s teleplay
version with Ian McKellen as the villainous Chauvelin. In
brief, the Scarlet Pimpernel is a precursor to superheroes; he and his band
of Englishmen save aristocrats from the guillotine during the Reign of
Terror. So that no one will suspect them, they otherwise act like ditsy fops
("If you're out to make a splash, cheri / Do know your haberdashery! /
Buttons, buckles, ruffles, and lace / Represent the human race!"). The
Broadway show, which went through a few versions to stay alive--much like
Spider-Man today--is regarded as a flop. Critics and scholars throw
harsh words at the composer for his pop sensibilities if they even
acknowledge his place in the musical canon at all. When the original play
ran for 4 years in the early 1900s in London, the NY Times critic pronounced
it the worst play in London. Why all the hate? I'm interested in the
melodramatic elements of The Scarlet Pimpernel and how melodrama/pop
culture is generally looked down upon by elitists. I also wonder why the
melodramatic megamusicals of the 1980s (Les Mis, for example) were so
successful in comparison to the ones that came after.
Pimpernel and remembering how awesome the story, characters, and musical
by Frank Wildhorn can be. Last night, Ross and I watched an 80s teleplay
version with Ian McKellen as the villainous Chauvelin. In
brief, the Scarlet Pimpernel is a precursor to superheroes; he and his band
of Englishmen save aristocrats from the guillotine during the Reign of
Terror. So that no one will suspect them, they otherwise act like ditsy fops
("If you're out to make a splash, cheri / Do know your haberdashery! /
Buttons, buckles, ruffles, and lace / Represent the human race!"). The
Broadway show, which went through a few versions to stay alive--much like
Spider-Man today--is regarded as a flop. Critics and scholars throw
harsh words at the composer for his pop sensibilities if they even
acknowledge his place in the musical canon at all. When the original play
ran for 4 years in the early 1900s in London, the NY Times critic pronounced
it the worst play in London. Why all the hate? I'm interested in the
melodramatic elements of The Scarlet Pimpernel and how melodrama/pop
culture is generally looked down upon by elitists. I also wonder why the
melodramatic megamusicals of the 1980s (Les Mis, for example) were so
successful in comparison to the ones that came after.