Taking place in England during the time of the Crusades, Blondel centers around its medieval minstrel title character. A chorus of monks provide narration at various points throughout the piece, beginning with the first number, "Monks' Introduction".
Blondel's ambition in life is to write a pop hit. With the help of his back-up group the Blondettes, he proudly shows his girlfriend Fiona his new song written for King Richard. The song, "I'm A Monarchist", doesn't overly impress Fiona who feels that since it's already 1189 the monarchy probably isn't going to last much longer.
Fiona herself is a servant of the palace, and has been so for twenty years since the age of three. She goes to the Ministry Of Feudal Affairs, headed by Prince John, to ask for her freedom. John says that she can only be released from servitude by paying a fee. Fiona tells John that she has no money and Blondel is poorer, countering that there shouldn't be a fee at all. John explains that that simply is the way things work around the court, without providing a good answer for why they work that way.
Blondel tries to show his song to King Richard, but Richard only hears a few bars before making the announcement that he is about to head off on a crusade. Richard reluctantly leaves John in charge during his absence. Blondel shows the song to John, and John informs Blondel that from now on all the songs should be about him, not the king. However, John offers Blondel a job as his songwriter. Blondel turns him down, much to Fiona's dismay. She remains angry at him for turning down a decent job which could have supported them, and Blondel decides to set off in search of Richard. Fiona eventually decides to follow him.
Meanwhile, John has decided that he wants to stay in power permanently. He hires an Assassin to kill Richard, instructing the Assassin to follow Blondel as Blondel should lead him to the King. Although the Assassin doesn't know Richard by sight, he does know Blondel, so the plan is not foiled.
Blondel searches France, Spain, and Italy in his quest for Richard, but meets with no success. The Assassin has wearily been following Blondel all this time. Blondel is about to give up and return to England when Fiona finds him. She tells him that Richard is imprisoned in Austria. Blondel perks up upon hearing this, and the couple sets off for Austria.
When they arrive in Austria, Fiona pleads with the Duke of Austria to let Richard go. Blondel is whistling his tune as he unknowingly passes by Richard's cell, and Richard recognises the song.
The rescuers and Richard try to escape, but the Duke catches them. Fiona, knowing the Assassin is lurking about trying to kill a king, tricks the Duke into the Assassin's view. Confusing the Duke for Richard because the Duke is wearing a royal crown like Richard's, the Assassin kills him (but later finds out that he has merely given him a "flesh wound"). Fiona, Blondel, and Richard rush back to England just in time to stop John's coronation ceremony and to restore Richard to his rightful place as king.
The show is largely comical. "Running Back For More" and the lushly romantic "Least Of My Troubles" are two of the more serious moments, and also the most beautiful songs. Both the Monks' Chorus (who provide narration to the story) and the Blondettes always sing in unison and harmony. Fiona is the strongest character, challenging authority and figuring out how to make everything turn out right -- rather ahead of her time for 1189. The song "No Rhyme For Richard" is quite clever. John says that nothing rhymes with Richard, while the song itself does provide several rhymes. After the Richard motif, words that rhyme with John are listed, and the list goes dizzily on and on... "Blondel In Europe" is a fun pop number, as is the over-the-top "I'm I Monarchist" -- especially due to the back-up of the Blondettes.
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