Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore Soundtrack CD

Composer Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Nan Knighton's The Scarlet Pimpernel began as a 1992 concept album dominated by singer Linda Eder, whose duet with Peabo Bryson on "You Are My Home" was a minor adult contemporary chart entry. Much retooled, a Broadway production opened on November 9, 1997, starring Douglas Sills in the title role, with Christine Andreas as the female lead, Marguerite, and Terrence Mann as the villain, Chauvelin. Reviews were devastating, but a cast album was released in February 1998, and despite posting substantial losses each week, the show remained open and was acquired by a new production company. This company revamped the show, bringing in a new director and replacing Andreas with Rachel York and Mann with Rex Smith, then re-launched it on November 4, 1998. The Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore is an attempt to address changes in the production by revising the cast album. Basically, this is a reissue of the 1998 disc with four tracks by the new co-stars and, oddly enough, two tracks brought back from the 1992 concept album. Fifteen of the 25 tracks from the cast album are retained; of the other ten, five have been dropped, and several songs have been resequenced. (It should be noted that these revisions do not entirely bring the album into line with the revised stage version.) So, what difference do the changes make in an overall assessment of The Scarlet Pimpernel? Not much. It remains a relatively lightweight, derivative effort, borrowing from My Fair Lady, Man of La Mancha, and especially Les Miserables. Smith is an inferior Chauvelin, while York is a slightly superior Marguerite, but still no match for Linda Eder. The Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore is hard to justify from any but an economic standpoint. In their liner notes, Wildhorn and Knighton make much of the show's fans, but the album requires them to buy a new disc just to get four new versions of songs they already may have one or two versions of. As for the show itself, it finally closed, becoming, reportedly, the most expensive flop in Broadway history, only to launch a national tour. ~ William Ruhlmann

The 1998 Broadway Revival Cast recording of The Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore! features Frank Wildhorn and Nan Knighton's songs as performed by Tony Award nominee Douglas Sills, Rex Smith and Linda Eder. Tracks like "Into The Fire," "Madame Guillotine," "They Seek Him Here" and "Where's The Girl" capture the show's drama and romance. The album also

New York, New York; Middle Ear Studios, Miami, Florida.

Recorded at The Hit Factory, Edison Recording Studio & Right Track Recording,

Producers: Frank Wildhorn, Kim Scharnberg, Jason Howland, Karl Richardson.

Personnel: George Terry (guitar); Valerie Von Pechy Whitcup (harp); Michael Roth, Lisa Matricardi, Laura Oatts, Rick Dolan, Britt Swenson, Bogumila Zgraja, Belinda Whitney-Barratt, Naomi Katz, Xin Zhao, Robin Zeh, Cenovia Cummins, Ashley Horne, Charles Libove, David Nadien, Laura Seaton, Avril Brown (violin); Kenneth Burward-Hoy, Crystal Garner, Karen Ritscher, Leslie Tomkins, Debra Shufelt, Ruth Siegler, Maxine Roach (viola); Ted Mook, Sarah Hewitt, Jeanne LeBlanc, Jesse Levy (cello); Andrew Sterman (flute, clarinet); Ed Maina (flute, tenor saxophone); Steve Greenfield (woodwinds); Rodger Lee, Chris Gekker (trumpet); Chris Komer (French horn); Mike Christianson (trombone); Jeremy Roberts (keyboards, programming); Robert Gustafson, Andrew Wilder (keyboards); Mark Walker (drums, cymbals); John Meyers, Benjamin Herman (percussion).

Audio Mixer: Karl Richardson.

Recording information: EdisonRecording Studio, New Yor; Hit Factory, New York, NY; Right Track Recording, NY.

Photographer: Joan Marcus.

Arrangers: Dave Clemmons; Jeremy Roberts.

THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL: ENCORE contains songs recorded by the 1999 cast, as well as two bonus tracks from Peabo Bryson and Linda Eder.

Principal cast includes: Douglas Sills (Sir Percy Blakeney, The Scarlet Pimpernel); Rex Smith (Chauvelin); Rachel York (Marguerite).