De Roode Pimpernel

In the heat of September 1792, Paris swells with a restless tide of citizens gathered at the western barricades. The guillotine has already claimed countless lives, its blade a stark reminder that the old aristocracy is being torn apart by a people hungry for liberty. Amid the clamor, a desperate exodus begins as nobles, draped in impossible disguises, scramble to slip past the vigilant citizen soldiers and escape the revolutionary storm.

Overseeing the chaos is Sergeant Bibot, a sharp‑eyed sentinel whose instinct for spotting a pretended lady or a disguised duke borders on the legendary. He treats each capture as a darkly comic performance, briefly releasing a caught aristocrat only to have his comrades haul the fool back to the waiting blade. For listeners, the opening promises a lively blend of historical tension and sly humor, as the cat‑and‑mouse games on the barricades reveal the absurdity and danger of trying to outwit a nation in revolt.