Theatre Review: A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

(I  actually wrote this for my acting class)

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder

Freedman and Lutvak’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Gentleman’s Guide), a new musical to Broadway this fall season, is a refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable take on the classic murder comedy. Before going to see it, I refrained from reading any reviews or synopses as to be completely surprised and unprepared for whatever lay ahead of me in the darkened Walter Kerr Theater. Prior to the rise of the curtain, all I knew about the show was the fact that one man played eight different roles and that it was set in 1901 Britain, and all I expected was a lot of death, as indicated by the title. I got all that, and much, much more, ultimately coming away still grinning.

As the title suggests, Gentleman’s Guide is filled with nobility, brutal homicide, and, yes, even love. When Montague "Monty" Navarro's mother dies, a family friend surprises him with the news that he is, in fact, of the D'Ysquith family, a distinguished line of aristocracy his mother was disowned from for marrying his Castilian father. Not only is he a D'Ysquith, he's ninth in line for Highhurst Castle, and after the tragic death of the eighth in line that may or may not have been his fault, he decides to eliminate all of the heirs standing in his way--all, of course, alongside a witty song and dance number.

Being a Broadway production, every single one of the actors were highly trained and incredibly enjoyable to watch, including the versatile and coordinated ensemble that followed the leads throughout the production, but there is one performer that stands out above the rest—the multitalented and quick-changing Jefferson Mays. The performance of Jefferson Mays as the part of literally the entire D'Ysquith family, save Monty, (and yes, that includes the women) was, quite simply, astonishing. Although the characters were not written to be as diverse as one would like them to be, he portrayed each member of the D'Ysquith family with equal vigor and comedic prowess.  For someone whose characters die sixty-four times a week (eight heirs, eight nights a week), Mays manages to cleanly and precisely execute each quick change with impressive speed and efficiency—dying from an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot wound as flamboyant and busty Lady Salome D’Ysquith Pumphrey and then speedily rushing back on as cool, collected, and professional Asquith D’Ysquith, Sr. without so much as thirty-two bars of music to do so. Another performance that deserves to be highlighted is British actress and Broadway newcomer Lisa O’Hare in the role of Monty’s fickle and seductive mistress Sibella Hallward, who is consistently decked out in a spectrum of pink attire. O’Hare captured marvelously the fine line between being in an affair and being in a relationship with thinly veiled jealousy along with a flippant attitude towards the feelings she knows she has towards our murderous protagonist. Her chemistry with Monty, the cherubic Bryce Pinkham, never seemed forced or put on. And Sibella isn’t just some skirt-toting gold-digger, a surprising twist at the end puts her in a crucial role as Monty’s savior and Phoebe’s (his wife as of the second act) collaborator. The character proves herself to be a strong and capable woman, and O’Hare pulls off this development flawlessly.

With a stationary yet intricate frame reminiscent of the Victorian setting and a warm light cast over the entire stage, the set of Gentleman’s Guide was simple enough as to not distract from the performers but elaborate enough to provide intrigue for the audience and draw us into the scene in a more realistic way. There were various box sets and backdrops that came and went with various settings, each one well made and appropriate for the time period. I especially appreciated the balance between historical accuracy and comedic value in the costumes. Although dancing was minimal, the blocking and movement was done with precision only Broadway actors can achieve. Movement was especially impressive in the first song of the second act, “Why Are All The D’Ysquiths Dying?” and, my favorite song, “I’ve Decided to Marry You”, a highly coordinated fugue between Monty and the two lead women (Lisa O’Hare and Lauren Worsham). The music was clever and enjoyable, but it was nothing special, and up in the mezzanine I caught every word (kudos to the sound designers for their wonderful amplification). I came away humming one of the songs, a good sign for a musical, but I didn’t automatically go searching for a soundtrack. Many of the songs were predictable and reminiscent of Gilbert and Sullivan patter; Whether or not this was on purpose is beyond me. The director, Darko Tresnjak, does incredibly well with the material he was given; the characters all interact with one another with a passion and engagement under his guidance. Looking back, I wonder if there is something he could have done to make the show a bit more memorable, but overall it was a job well done.

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder was a thoroughly enjoyable show. To be honest, it's not the best I've seen. It's not on my list of favorites, but it was just so lovely that I'll forever remember it as just a fun show. Sometimes, I think that people expect every musical to be deep and meaningful and leave the audience with some sort of moral, which is fine as well, and then criticize works that are just entertaining and silly for their lack of substance. Gentleman's Guide is reminiscent of more traditional musical theatre, like Cole Porter's Anything Goes or even more recent works such as The Drowsy Chaperone, a musical that plays off the older, vaudeville style of theatre; there's not much substance, but it's incredibly fun to watch. And that's exactly what Gentleman's Guide was—fun. There were parts where I was doubling over in laughter, like the innuendo-filled duet between oblivious Monty and the blatantly homosexual Henry D'Ysquith "Better With a Man" and the hysterical murder of the young Asquith D’Ysquith. Jr. and his secret girlfriend Ms. Barley “Poison In My Pocket” and what's the point of entertainment if not to entertain? 

Overall, Gentleman’s Guide was an entertaining evening that I won’t forget anytime soon. As expected, it was pulled off with the professional ability of some of the best actors in the country and the technical prowess of Broadway personnel. I enjoyed the show immensely.