My adoration for Douglas Sills was born instantly, intensely, and irrevocably the moment he set foot onstage as the lead character in ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ in the 90’s. In that show he gave the performance of a lifetime, cementing his stature as a powerhouse in front of an audience, as much as he had proven himself to be behind the camera. His turn as Percy, alternately swashbuckling and fanciful, filled with foppish flourishes and pivoting into deadly-earnest drama at the drop of a feathered hat, was the sort of revelatory showcase that seals a history-making moment on Broadway. I still remember that theatrical season, mostly due to Sills and his indelible creation. Decades later, we would have the privilege and joy of seeing him back on a big Broadway stage with his scene-stealing role in ‘War Paint’ with Patti LuPone (who infamously once flashed him on a dare) and Christine Ebersole (hello Big and Little Edie). Lately, he’s been giving hearts a tug on the Broadway-infused fabulousness that is ‘The Gilded Age‘, where his pseudo-French chef proved one of the downstairs highlights of the first season. I can’t wait to see where he takes us next – until then he is the Dazzler of the Day.
