Shoreline Productions open their run of The Scarlet Pimpernel at Shanklin Theatre on 28 May with one of the more genuinely theatrical musicals in the amateur and semi-professional repertoire. The Frank Wildhorn and Nan Knighton score is demanding, the French Revolution backdrop requires period staging, and the central mystery of who the Pimpernel actually is gives the audience something to stay invested in across two hours and two acts.
Shoreline Productions have a track record with this kind of production at Shanklin Theatre, and they bring a level of ambition to the staging that a theatre of this size does not always sustain. The score includes "Into The Fire" and "You Are My Home", both of which require the kind of vocal range that makes the casting the first thing that determines whether the show works. Opening night audiences tend to be forgiving; the quality is there.
Tickets around £23; book through Shanklin Theatre. Good for adults and families. The run continues through 31 May. More arts events on the Isle of Wight across the spring calendar.