Review: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder is a thoroughly enjoyable delight of an old-fashioned operetta.

If the idea of watching a musical about an Edwardian Englishman—a deadly sociopath murdering his relatives to become an Earl seems noncommercial, you’d be wrong. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder is sharp and witty. Nominated for 10 Tony Awards it went on to win among others, the well-deserved Best Musical in 2014.

The script and lyrics of Gentleman’s Guide are filled with witty turns of phrase and wordplay, and will be a delight to any English Lit graduate, fan of the penny dreadful, or any other early English crime novels or television programs.

The plot is familiar. Monty Navarro (Kevin Massey), a young man, down on his luck and nearly penniless, learns upon his mother’s death, that he is eighth in line to become Earl of the highborn family of D’Ysquiths. There is a love triangle and murder, lots of murder, along the way.

Navarro doesn’t start out murderous. His heart is broken by his social climbing girlfriend, Sibella Hallward (Kristen Beth Williams) who plans to marry another—a wealthy suitor, and is further crushed when his heartfelt letter to the Earl of D’Ysquith is met with contempt and threats of prosecution by the Earl’s son. Murderer though he may be, it’s hard not to like Navarro, who remains affable throughout.

The coup of Gentleman’s Guide is that all of the D’Ysquiths that stand in Navarro’s way are played by the same actor. John Rapson is a tour de force, showing great aplomb in playing eight of the murdered family members with complete distinction. On the whole, each character is worse than the last—all stuck up aristocrats who “don’t understand the poor. And they’re constantly turning out more!” Rapson is arguably, the best part of the production.

The score by Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman is thoroughly enjoyable, and is beautifully sung by the entire cast. Particular praise goes out to Adrienne Eller who plays Phoebe D’Ysquith whose superb acting is coupled with a sweet voice and genuine charm. Admittedly, the love triangle isn’t as rich, or entertaining as the murder, but Navarro’s two love interests play to their strengths, working within the plot they’re given.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder is one of the most entertaining and inspired musicals I’ve seen on stage in recent memory. Get your tickets before Navarro takes his murderous spree on to the next city.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder is on stage now at the Princess of Wales theatre and plays through June 26, 2016. For tickets, visit Mirvish.com