The bad guy’s about to win, temporarily. And John Jenkins is elated.

Bob Gauthier, aka Chauvelin, clenches his left fist behind his back, right hand swinging a sword with revolutionary fury. His foil, British-born hero Sir Percival Blakeney, played by Christopher Benoit, swings and misses.

Metal clangs against metal. The bipartisan masses roar. Then Chauvelin’s final blow dislodges the sword from Blakeney’s grasp. Percy’s wishy-washy wife, Marguerite St. Just (actress Kristen Thomas), swoons.

Next stop for Blakeney: The guillotine.

Jenkins jumps in place as he surveys the pivotal scene in “The Scarlet Pimpernel” from his location offstage at Lewiston Middle School. He shakes his fist, giggling so gleefully that you’d swear he just watched his student win Olympic gold.

“Fun, fun, fun,” Jenkins said. “I love it. I’m a proud papa. They’re my kids.”

Mayor, state senator, motivational speaker, world martial arts champion.

You can add theater fight coordinator to Jenkins’ volume of accomplishments.

Friday night’s fight

This week, Jenkins finishes instructing Gauthier, Benoit, Thomas and Community Little Theatre director Richard Martin in the fine art of sword fighting.

How’d he do? And what becomes of our vanquished protagonist? Well, you can check out the local production of “Pimpernel” and find out for yourself. The musical begins Friday (curtain, 8 p.m.) and continues through Sunday, Aug. 29, at the Lewiston Middle School.

Put it this way: Jenkins took two guys perhaps unfit to wield fly swatters and gave em the mettle to wave metal.

Uh, well …

“He’s a great teacher,” Gauthier said. “I can’t say the same for his students.”

Before spending six to eight hours under his tutelage in a studio, decked out in full fencing regalia, Gauthier told Jenkins he’d never held a weapon or been in a fight in his life.

If you’re seeking an equivalent experience, teach great-grandma to use the Internet or make 4-year-old Jimmy dig his own night crawlers prior to his first fishing trip.

“These aren’t real weapons, but they’re sharp enough that people can get hurt if they don’t know what they’re doing. I work on making them comfortable, showing them how safe it is,” Jenkins said.

“They’re great students. Outstanding. We hit it at the first rehearsal, which speaks to the quality and caliber of the performers. Once they get the confidence, they’re performers. They sell it.”

John Jenkins, selling self-assurance. Imagine that.

Combat zones

Best known to some for his stint in public service, Jenkins deserves a better label than “former politician.”

While he sells real estate for a living now, Jenkins’ true calling is planting seeds of positive thought where it matters most, especially schools and prisons.

“Not bragging,” he said, stretching his thumb as far away from his forefinger as it will go, “but I have a stack this thick of testimonials from students, correctional facilities, workers comp, judicial people. Not to get religious, but it’s been a blessing. I know it’s a gift.”

Jenkins often is on the road with his program, “Inspired 2 B GREAT.” He’s writing a book by the same title, one he says teaches “life-navigation skills” as well as leadership principles.

Stuff that negates the need for fighting, in other words.

During the Lewiston-based filming of the boxing movie “Shadow Glories” in 2000, Jenkins coordinated a fight scene. Hooked, he copyrighted his own performance combat-choreography business name: Creative Combat.

Jenkins had dabbled in dance and theater as a psychology student at Bates College, and he’s an expert in countless self-defense disciplines. Ask him what else qualifies him to teach dueling actors and Jenkins flashes his calling-card smile.

“I’m a survivor of politics, young man,” he said.

Kalle Oakes is staff columnist. He may be reached by e-mail at [email protected].