This is Part 2 of a two part roundtable discussion. If you haven't already done so, you should read Part 1.

clockwise from the left: Nancy, Stephen Hope, Kel, Colleen Rosati, Liz Honig

NR: We talked about Shari's page and about Peter doing the website. We didn't talk about Kelly, Sal and me and why we're here. So, Kelly, what is it that you do for the show?

KH: I run the "kinder, gentler" Scarlet Pimpernel Message Board.

NR: Well, you started with your page (Kelda Blakeney's Palace) first.

KH: I started with my page because a lot of my friends had a web page so I thought I should have one too and learn how to do it. I just had it sitting there and there was nothing on it. Then I saw Pimpernel and I joined the League and I started putting up the pictures from when I went. So, I thought I might as well just make a Pimpernel page. I think it really started to take off with the Pimpernel-isms. So much stuff was being said that was just too hysterical to just let it go away. So many people who didn't see the first show would email me and say, "Thank you for putting that up there because now we're in on the joke." They loved the ad libs especially. Then Diane Terusa started the Message Board because the Playbill Online Message Board crashed. That was in the summer of `98. Then she went back to school and she asked me to take it over. I became a little bit of a witch with the delete button and kind of whipped it into shape. (laughs)

NR: Well, explain that. I don't know if everybody realizes...Some people think you delete just for fun because you get a malicious thrill out of it, but you agonize over that.

KH: I do agonize over it. It's hard sometimes to draw the line and where is the "censorship thing" that everybody pulls up when they're mad that you deleted something that they did? All I want is for everybody to be nice to each other because when I joined this group I thought they were the nicest bunch of people I've ever had the pleasure of talking to. I don't want it to turn into a bunch of back-biting and sniping, so if pushing delete when somebody says something nasty, before it turns into a big war ...if the price I have to pay to keep everybody in a good mood is that a few get mad at me, I'll do it.

SP: I agree. Peter and I tried very hard to keep the League list nice. We try to put in an obvious appearance as the administrators on the list and explain what's allowed and what isn't allowed, and that there will be consequences for people who treat others badly. I think that's helped a lot.

PW: Yes, certainly. We do put a lot of thought and heartache into deciding how far we let people go, what kind of things we should overlook and what kind of things do we come down hard on. Part of that, we let the League itself tell us. If Shari and I get a lot of complaints about something, we'll take care of it right away. That does make it easier, but we still have to be careful about all of it. And then there are the times we don't have that kind of response, so there's no obvious choice and we have to make a judgement call on our own.

KH: And you do it. You stick to your guns.

SP: When I was involved with starting the League, and I think Peter will support me on this, what we wanted was a supportive, kind gathering of people because that's so much what the show is about - people supporting others.

KH: You two have a much harder job than I do because when somebody writes it and sends it, it's already in almost 600 mailboxes. I can catch something on the board at four in the morning that nobody's seen. I can't tell you how many times I've deleted something ridiculous at four in the morning, before everybody else jumps on it. But it's four in the morning, nobody's seen it. You can't take something back that's already in everyone's mailbox.

SP: Yes, but anyone can post on your message board, Kelly, and they can be anonymous. At least with the League, we have an email address. We can take them off and they won't be able to get back on, although we haven't actually done that yet.

PW: No, we haven't.

SP: But, we have held out that threat and we would do it if it was necessary.

NR: The board can get out of hand, and there have been a few posts that have been really horrifying, and I don't think most people are aware of them.

KH: There's been a lot of stuff that you would not believe. I take it down before it becomes a battle.

NR: I just wanted everyone to know that because it's not an easy decision. Sometimes it's easy. Sometimes you get a solicitor who posts something totally unrelated on there, and it's a no-brainer, but a lot of them are not that black and white, and it is tough to make the decisions. Now, Sal, your contribution has primarily been at the TKTS line. Can you talk about that a bit?

SI: After Kirby Hall's SP get together to raise money for BC/EFA, everyone was sending me e-mails telling me SP was going to close. I thought there was no way this show was gonna close. It is too good a show. So I thought of a grass roots marketing idea of going to where the people buying tickets would be - TKTS! By 2:30 in the afternoon there would be 400 ticket buyers standing in line. With a little info flyer and two pieces of Werther's Butterscotch, I would hand out and talk to anyone who would listen. It just took a little time but it made a world of difference. I think that more than anything, the best part is knowing you were able to make a difference.

NR: And you made a tremendous difference.

NR: Just to give a little background on the interviews I do, because I've gotten many inquiries asking, "Are you a writer?" No. I'm not a writer. Actually, I'd never written anything in my entire life except for school essays and I hated those. I know VJ, the webmaster of Talkin' Broadway and last summer when MSG bought the show, I sent him an email saying, "Guess what? The Internet fans actually made an impact this time. This is really interesting. You should have someone write an article on it." He said, "Why don't you write it?" I said, "I can't write" but he talked me into it and I wrote that little piece for his " On the Rialto." It really surprised me and VJ because it was good. (laughs) I thought, "Well, this is cool. This is lightning striking once in my lifetime." Then he asked me to do a review of the show, which I agonized over. I finally did that and it came out pretty well. (Nancy's review of SP2) At the same time, Peter asked me to help proofread for the SP site, which was OK, but not all that creative. So, we kind of came up with the idea of doing a couple of interviews here or there.

PW: I think it started with Douglas' interview for VJ (For Talkin' Broadway's "Spotlight On" feature).

NR: Well, actually what happened was that we were trying to get permission. MSG didn't really know me. They were thinking about the idea when VJ asked me to interview Douglas. So, that helped MSG say OK.

PW: What happened with MSG is that once I had signed on as official webmaster with them, they came to me and one of the things that they wanted was a way for the fans to communicate with the performers. They asked me if it was possible to have some kind of message board where the performers would post and answer questions directly from the fans on the site. I mulled that over and I was very hesitant because I didn't want to ask the cast to have to check the message board regularly. I knew that some of them would not do that at all and some of them would be happy to. I was afraid that fans would complain if their favorite performer wasn't participating. That just didn't feel right to me.

NR: This actually worked out better, because first of all, it wasn't just the three leads. We started with them, and that was fine. The challenge with them...at the time, Douglas was being interviewed constantly, but by people who didn't know him, didn't know the show, and they asked him the same questions over and over again. We all heard his "Leslie Howard story" fifty times. So, I was able to approach him with a different perspective.

The reaction from the other people in the cast was wonderful. Other than possibly "Wildhorn Side" or a local newspaper, no one cared to ask any of them any questions. They were so grateful to me afterwards. They were so thrilled. Many of them came up to me afterwards and said, "People I haven't seen in years found that interview and read it, and called me up." That was fun. It's wonderful having the submitted questions. I can't think of everything and it would be boring if I didn't have them.

PW: That idea came from MSG. With the Douglas interview for Talkin' Broadway, everything kind of came together. You and I came up with this idea for Center Stage. People submit questions, you run the interview, and then we post it to the site.

KH: You know, if this show taught me anything, it's that everybody on Broadway is special. They're all talented. It's not just the stars. Before, when I went to a show, I was only interested in who was starring, and I didn't realize there were all these random people in the background. Now, I read all the bios and I look at everybody. I don't just look at the stars anymore.

NR: And the people who are behind the scenes.

SP: And the understudies.

NR: Yes, the understudies and the standbys. Every interview - I've met the most wonderful people. And Kelly will tell you the name, since she created it. We now have a new function in life since the show closed on May 30th. We are the...

KH: "The Amazing Traveling Ex-Pimpernel Cast Member Booster Club."

SP: Oh, I really wish I lived closer so I could participate in that.

KH: It's a lot of fun.

NR: We've seen Stephen Hope in Camelot. We've seen Michael Halling in Showboat. We've seen Bryan Batt in Forbidden Broadway out in East Hampton, and we're going to see Mark McGrath in Company. We've met all of these people through the show. We didn't know any of them before. I used to think that professional actors were very vain, conceited people. I haven't found that at all. They're extremely down to earth people.

So, the relationships go on, which brings up an interesting question. Why are we still here? We saw a show that we liked. Most people who see a show that they like, see it twice, or maybe even three times. But, here we are, over a year and a half after seeing it the first time, and we're still here. The original leads that we saw the first time are gone. The original show that we saw the first time is gone, but we're still here. In fact, all of us are donating many hours of our free time to this show...just because. No one asked us to do that, but we all enjoy it and we're willing to do it. So, why?

SP: It's always been the story that I loved. I always thought it was beautiful, from the time that I read the novel, and saw the Anthony Andrews film. The musical itself is such a beautiful story with such beautiful ideas - the intellectual triumphing over brutality. I just think that is so gorgeous. And the idea of the second chance that Marguerite and Percy have. Being able to mess up and make it right. It's just wonderful, wonderful stuff. It's uplifting, not depressing. It's funny, not gruesome. I've always felt very close to the story so it was very hard for me to escape from the show. I've just always loved it so much. I don't think that I had a choice. I think I was already "condemned" to a life of Pimpernel.

NR: So, Peter, how about you? Why are you still here?

PW: Going into it I didn't know much about the story. Since then I have come to love that. But, for me, the two big things I have to say are the music and the people. As far as the music is concerned, I don't know how Frank Wildhorn does what he does. He is incredible, amazing... I need a three page list of adjectives here and I can't come up with them. His music just grabs you and it won't let go, so maybe that's why I'm still here, but the other part of it is all of the people, and in that I include people in the show and the various behind-the-scenes folks I've had dealings with, plus the entire League. Everyone involved is like a family, and to be part of that, and to be able to contribute to that... I don't know how I could give it up, so I'm still here.

SP: The friendships that I've made through the League have been so special to me and so supportive over the last year and a half that it's another tie that binds.

Peter

NR: Sal?

SI: I think everybody has this need to belong to something. I belong to a group of incredible people. The world has become so technical, it seems the individual person has almost forgotten how to interact one on one. I have never seen the interaction between fans and performers like I've seen with the three Wildhorn shows. I've been involved in rock for ever and a day and that doesn't even come close to this. It only goes to show that the actors need that interaction as much as their fans - well, most of the actors. So, actors and fans alike, I have made so many great friends. As long as I stay involved, I will keep making more friends. To me, that is what life is all about!!!!

NR: How about you, Kelly?

KH: I can't imagine not having Pimpernel to see and not having these friends. I love the story. I didn't know anything about it when I went, but now I take so much joy in searching the books down on other continents, having them sent to my house so I can read them, wrapping them in towels because I'm so afraid of having them get damaged, carrying them to the Minskoff and having Rachel York say, "Oh, my God. Can I touch it?"

SP: Which book was it?

KH: The Gallant Pimpernel Omnibus.

SP: (gasp from Shari and laughter from everyone else)

KH: She seriously did. Her jaw was on the floor and she just wanted to touch it.

SP: Because she knew how rare that book is.

KH: Yeah. She really loved the book. That endeared me to her. She really loved the story and I loved that about her. I love the story, I love the people - just like all of you have said. When I bring someone to see it, I really, really want them to like it. I really want this show to succeed. I want it to come back to New York and have it get great reviews, and have it run forever. I don't want people to think of it as a fluke. I don't want people to think of it as the "Energizer Bunny" that's still running and it shouldn't still be here, but it is by some fluke of nature. I want it to be here because everybody thinks it should be.

SP: Did you see the most fabulous line that was in the Dallas paper review of the show? "For sheer escapist entertainment, only The Lion King has topped The Scarlet Pimpernel over the last three Broadway seasons."

KH: It's so underrated. I don't think you have to go to the theater and always see an "event show" like Cabaret. Yeah, Cabaret was great - I loved it, but not everything has to be a big event, and not everything has to be "important" and it doesn't have to be about the one person who's in it. If you go and you have a good time, what's wrong with that? There's nothing wrong with it.

NR: Hmm, why am I still here? My reasons evolved. In the beginning, I liked the music and I thought it was a fun show. It kind of haunted me. I really wanted to go back and see if it was as good as I thought it was. Actually the third time I saw it was the first night that Douglas hit Terry Mann with that "all that black" line, and I know it was the first time because Terry jumped out of his skin and there was no way he could have faked that reaction. I watched Douglas play with that scene. Terry let him, even though he had a lot more Broadway stage experience than Douglas had, and I watched Terry let him play with it. When Douglas was done "playing," he "gave the ball back" to Terry and Terry went on. That just amazed me. At the time, the show wasn't going to stay open very long, so I decided that I was seeing a very unique performer do a very unique role. I don't know if he'll ever be this good again and I don't know if he's ever been this good before, but in this role, he was this good. I wanted to continue to see that because as far as I was concerned, it might never happen again. Keep in mind that the show was going to close very soon, so I thought I would see it a couple more times.

KH: Oh, I know. How surprised were we when we were sitting in the Minskoff after Labor Day of `98 watching The Scarlet Pimpernel!

NR: That's right. It kept running and I got to know people in the League. Then that became the reason. Then the interviews became a reason because I was meeting so many fascinating people, and the group of people that I met grew bigger and bigger, and the experiences grew bigger and bigger. I found that the whole experience is bigger than any of those one things. Douglas is now gone but I'm still interested in the show. Many of the people that I've gotten to know are now gone, but I'm still interested in the show, and I'm also interested in whatever they're doing, so my whole sphere has grown, unbelievably.

KH: And we're not saving any money yet.

NR: No, we're not. We thought we'd save money in the summer but we're seeing other people in other productions. But, the experience has been absolutely mind-boggling. I don't think I could explain it if I sat here and talked for an hour, and I can't imagine not doing it. It's just so much fun.

SP: I wish I had been able to see the show more often or participate in the person-to-person League events that I just wasn't able to be there for. I wish I could have met the cast. I just couldn't do that sort of thing. I did everything basically on the Internet, and it's been such a wonderful experience. It's really special how the cast has embraced the League.

KH: It's all Wildhorn shows - it's Jekyll & Hyde, it's Pimpernel, it was Civil War when it was here. I don't know of any other show with a fan group where the cast would come and hang out with the fans, where we could plan something and have them all come.

SP: I think the League's biggest impact wasn't on ticket sales but on the morale of the cast members. Really, tickets that we have sold might have helped but the effect wouldn't have been that great.

NR: Nan said that the producers saw the great response. She would go to the message board that you two were talking about and find things and send them to the producers.

SP: She got back to me once. In the very beginning of `98 I had posted something saying why I loved the show. I guess I nailed what she had been trying to communicate and she posted that finally someone had seen the show and did something other than criticize it, because it had been brutalized by the critics so recently.

NR: Well, the critics didn't like it, but they're a very tiny minority and whenever I walked out of that house, the audience loved it. It was so rare to find anyone in the audience who wasn't completely grinning when they walked out the door. They were constantly saying, "Wow, that was much better than I thought. If we come back we can bring so-and-so."

Now, to wrap this up, let's talk about the future, how we can continue to support the show. Going into June, I know a couple of us were nervous. We've all sat through various debates about different performers and a lot of the times, that gets very nasty, unfortunately.

SP: I was afraid that a lot of the League wouldn't be prepared to accept anyone but Douglas.

NR: Exactly, that's what we were all concerned about. So far, it doesn't seem to be the case and I hope that continues. I think it was possible to like both Terry and Rex (Smith), and Christine (Andreas) and Rachel.

KH: And I liked Douglas, and Bryan (Batt) and George (Dvorsky). This is such a great character. I'm sure that Ron (Bohmer) is going to be great.

SP: I've been really cheering Ron on since I first heard he was cast. Like Pimpernel, he has such a supportive fan group, which says something about his talent and his personality. He's a really nice guy.

NR: And Carolee has a huge following. She's going to bring in people who would never, ever consider seeing a Wildhorn show. That's going to be really interesting. Hopefully, they will come in and say, "That wasn't so bad" as opposed to "That was really awful, but I loved Carolee."

SP: I always feel kind of skittish when people say, "No one can be Percy but Douglas Sills." Look at how many great Percys there have been - Leslie Howard and Anthony Andrews who were both fabulous. I don't know if any of you had seen Marius Goring in the TV series, but he was fabulous in another way. I know so many talented actors that I go to school with, or I've worked with in the past, and I think it's a little bit of an injustice to say that no one can play the part or bring something great to it. I can't wait to see more performers. I feel so privileged that I got to see four different Chauvelins.

KH: Going back to the whole thing about everybody being nice, we all have to remember that for each performer in this show, there is somebody who thinks that this person is the greatest person alive, and you can't just step all over everybody else. Everybody has their own opinions. I understand that you don't want to concede some points, but be nice.

SP: There's nothing wrong with having your own personal favorite, as long as you don't insist on them being everyone else's personal favorite.

KH: Exactly, and have an open mind about other people's personal favorites.

NR: Plus, they can have two completely different interpretations and they can both be good.

KH: That's right. I dearly loved Christine and I dearly loved Rachel. They both brought something different to the role. I don't see the need to say, "Well, I loved Christine and nobody else can do it but her." That's foolish because you're not opening yourself up to what this person could be bringing and you could be missing something.

NR: I have to admit that I never saw George because in those days I was avoiding Percy standbys like the plague, and I've heard wonderful things about him and now I'm sorry I missed him.

KH: George rocks!

SP: George has the most gorgeous voice and he sang the heck out of that part. It was amazing.

NR: Well, Bryan convinced me that someone else could do Percy and I would like it. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him, and ended up seeing him five times (which was more than his mother saw him.)

SP: I really wanted to see Bryan.

NR: He was wonderful. It was a very different take than Douglas in many ways, and it was really fun to see that someone else could do this part and do it well.

SP: That's part of what I'm looking at SP3 for. I have an expectation, and it may or may not come true, that this production of Scarlet Pimpernel will legitimize the show in many people's eyes. Not, of course, the League, who are already convinced that it's a legitimate show, but for the general audience who will be coming in and seeing the show, and realizing that it's got more substance than they recall, that it's not just a star vehicle for Douglas Sills, but that it's actually a show. It's such a well put-together fun, adventure of a show, and if people are ready to accept a show being a fun show, then, they just found it. I hope it will get a lot more respect this time around.

KH: Yeah, `cause we're still here, dammit.

NR: I hope so. So, does anyone else have anything else to say?

SP: Viva La Pimpernel!

NR: That's great. Thanks a lot guys.

PW: Thank you.

SP: Thank you. This has been fun.