Show Synopsis:
Percy Blakeney, his fiance Marguerite, and her brother Armand flee to England during the French Revolution, since many aristocrats do not feel safe in France. On their wedding night, Percy discovers that Marguerite betrayed one of his friends to the revolution and caused his execution, and their marriage begins to wane. Percy begins spying and committing crimes for the sake of the revolution as The Scarlet Pimpernel, and enlists Armand into his league, while telling Marguerite nothing. The League saves many people, angering Robespierre, who asks Chauvelin to seek the Blakeneys? help in finding the Scarlet Pimpernel. Armand brings Marguerite?s best friend Marie into the League, but he is captured in France, and Chauvelin swears that Armand will only live if Marguerite helps him find the Pimpernel. Marguerite tells the Pimpernel (Percy in hiding) all of Chauvelin?s plans, and Percy believes their marriage might be saved after all. Marguerite tries to find out information about Armand in disguise but fails and is imprisoned. She and Armand are rescued and she learns that Percy is the Pimpernel. She accidentally lets it slip to Chauvelin, who duels Percy and wins. Percy and the League trick Chauvelin and plant evidence on him of being the Pimpernel so that Robespierre will be suspicious of him. Marguerite and Percy reconcile and head back to England.	

Character:
Percy Blakeney, a young, romantic aristocratic man; appears to be a dunce but is a passionate counterrevolutionary desperately seeking balance and purpose in his life.

Song Context:
Marguerite meets the Pimpernel at a bridge after midnight and tells him about Chauvelin?s bribery and plans. Percy is overjoyed that Marguerite shares his political sentiments after all, and sees hope for their relationship right when he was doubting that they ever knew each other at all.

Fun Facts:
1. This musical was based on the popular novel of the same name by Baroness Emma Orczy. 
2. Douglas Sills, who originated the role of Percy on Broadway, pulled on his childhood impressions of Leslie Howard in the 1934 film adaptation of the novel. 
3. The show underwent many revisions before it closed on Broadway, and in an interview with Talkin? Broadway, Sills described the character of Percy at the end of the process as much more human, much more flawed, more angry, more pouty, more of a child-man that grows into a man. He's meaner, he's a meaner spirit. He's less air-brushed, he's the guy next door. He's pissy sometimes and wakes up ugly and yells at his friends and is mean when he's hurt. He's more emotional - well not more emotional - I didn't mean to say that. He's more "watery" in Zodiac terms.?