The Scarlet Pimpernel (musical) The Scarlet Pimpernel (musical) The Scarlet Pimpernel is a musical with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics and book by Nan Knighton, based on the novel of the same name by Baroness Orczy. The show is set in England and France during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the spy fiction and the superhero genres, where a hero hides under a mild-mannered alias. The musical ran on Broadway from 1997 through January 2000 in several theatres, in several revised versions. It also had a US National tour. "The Scarlet Pimpernel" started as
Emma Orczy unofficial organisation aimed at encouraging women to persuade men to volunteer for active service in the armed forces. Her aim was to enlist 100,000 women who would pledge "to persuade every man I know to offer his service to his country". Some 20,000 women joined her organisation. Orczy was also strongly opposed to the Soviet Union. She died in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire on 12 November 1947. Asked how to say her name, Orczy told "The Literary Digest": "Or-tsey. "Emmuska"—a diminutive meaning "little Emma"—accent on the first syllable, the "s" equivalent to our "sh"; thus, "EM-moosh-ka"." Emma Orczy Baroness Emma Magdolna Rozália