Theater Review - A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Continuing the theater reviews, next up is A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, winner of the 2014 Tony award for "Best Original Musical."
The entirety of this show is based around the premise that the main character, Monty Navaro, learns that his mother was a disowned member of the D'Ysquith family, a family of wealth and importance, which makes him a member of the family as well. This also means that Monty is ninth in line to be the Earl of Highhurst. With this new found information, Monty sets about attempting to murder the eight other members of the D'Ysquith family that stand between him and his title.
The whole thing is played for laughs though, with Monty addressing the audience directly explaining how each of the murders was to be accomplished and the difficulties that sometimes come with murdering eight people who are all related and never getting caught. It's a concept that is so bizarre it can't help but be funny,with everything on stage having an air of overblown uppityness about it, exaggerated for comedic effect. You can probably tell due to the fact it's about and earldom, with a family name like D'Ysquith, but if you need more convincing, know that there is an entire song called "I don't Understand the Poor." where paintings and suits of armor come to life to sing backup for the current Earl of Highhurst.
The music fits this same tone. Instead of giving the show the feel of a contemporary musical (It did first premiere on Broadway in 2013) the music instead intentionally harkens back to a Guilbert and Sullivan feel, complete with very fast paced lyrics and high soprano notes.
Added to this, Monty there is a subplot where Monty is seeking the affection of two different women. One, a woman he was courting before he found out about his connection to the D'Ysquiths, who had refused to marry him and instead married someone far richer, only to find herself bored in the marriage. The other, was a woman who was married to one of the people Monty killed in he quest to ascend the family tree all the way to being Earl.
But what may be the most impressive bit from the show is how it is ultimately cast. One actor is given the role of the entire D'Ysquith family. That means that one person plays no less than eight different characters throughout the show, including the female members of the family that stand between Monty and Highhurst. (This also means that the actor dies at eight times every performance.) This casting decision results in an amazing flurry of quick costume changes and different acting styles for one actor for the duration of the entire show. It's always amazing to see one character walk off and a completely different character to walk on the sate a mere seven seconds later in a costume that should be impossible to put on in that amount of time.It's fitting that even though this actor never plays the main character, or spends the most time on stage (Monty almost never leaves the stage for the entire show) he still gets the final bow at curtain call.
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder is on tour around the country right now, and if you get a chance you need to make time to go see it. This is the kind of show that can show you just how weird but magical, strange but wonderful live theater can be.
The entirety of this show is based around the premise that the main character, Monty Navaro, learns that his mother was a disowned member of the D'Ysquith family, a family of wealth and importance, which makes him a member of the family as well. This also means that Monty is ninth in line to be the Earl of Highhurst. With this new found information, Monty sets about attempting to murder the eight other members of the D'Ysquith family that stand between him and his title.
The whole thing is played for laughs though, with Monty addressing the audience directly explaining how each of the murders was to be accomplished and the difficulties that sometimes come with murdering eight people who are all related and never getting caught. It's a concept that is so bizarre it can't help but be funny,with everything on stage having an air of overblown uppityness about it, exaggerated for comedic effect. You can probably tell due to the fact it's about and earldom, with a family name like D'Ysquith, but if you need more convincing, know that there is an entire song called "I don't Understand the Poor." where paintings and suits of armor come to life to sing backup for the current Earl of Highhurst.
The music fits this same tone. Instead of giving the show the feel of a contemporary musical (It did first premiere on Broadway in 2013) the music instead intentionally harkens back to a Guilbert and Sullivan feel, complete with very fast paced lyrics and high soprano notes.
Added to this, Monty there is a subplot where Monty is seeking the affection of two different women. One, a woman he was courting before he found out about his connection to the D'Ysquiths, who had refused to marry him and instead married someone far richer, only to find herself bored in the marriage. The other, was a woman who was married to one of the people Monty killed in he quest to ascend the family tree all the way to being Earl.
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder is on tour around the country right now, and if you get a chance you need to make time to go see it. This is the kind of show that can show you just how weird but magical, strange but wonderful live theater can be.
Comments
Post a Comment