Riverside Theatre is knocking ’em dead with a brightly polished and darkly funny production of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” Broadway’s Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 2014.
Set in the London of 1907, the story begins in the prison cell where Montague “Monty” Navarro awaits the verdict in his trial for multiple murders. It soon flashes back to his late mother’s wake in their humble flat.
His mother’s long-ago friend arrives with a fantastic tale: Monty’s mother was outcast from her aristocratic family when she chose to marry his socially unsuitable Castilian father. Turns out that she was – and he is – an heir to the vast D’Ysquith fortunes, and he is eighth in line for the title of the Earl of Highhurst.
Monty quickly realizes that he can ascend to that position of wealth and prestige, only if all the relatives of ahead of him in the bloodline were … no longer in the picture.
His attempts to be recognized as a rightful member of the family begin when he visits Highhurst Castle. There, the D’Ysquith ancestors come to life in a group portrait to reproach the young upstart in song for trying to breathe their rarified air.
But before taking any drastic measures, Monty first petitions the current Earl of Highhurst to be a recognized member of the D’Ysquith family. When this request is summarily rebuked, he seeks an audience with the family’s religious mentor, the rickety old Reverend Lord Ezekial, who escorts him to the top of the estate’s church tower and explains that he cannot intercede in the refusal to acknowledge Monty.
As the Reverend teeters precariously on the edge of the windblown tower time freezes, Monty realizes that he will be one step closer to the earldom simply by doing nothing to prevent a precipitous fall. The Reverend’s plunge is rendered in a marvelous bit of stage trickery – one that had a recent sedate matinee audience sit up and take notice as they caught on laughingly to the mayhem in store, as Monty determines to make his way up the food chain.
What follows is a series of increasingly inventive and outrageous homicides, as the D’Ysquiths are picked off one by one, whether by ice-skating “accident,” bee stings, poisoning, or what have you.
If there is such a thing as a comical decapitation, this ‘Gentleman’s Guide’ has found it.
Framed portraits of the eight relatives ahead of Monty in the line of succession outline the proscenium of the Riverside stage, to help us keep score as he proceeds to dispatch his unsavory relatives in a variety of mordantly funny ways.
Eventually, the number and frequency of D’Ysquith deaths arouses the suspicion of Scotland Yard, and Monty’s plan begins to unravel.
Greatly amplifying the humor is the fact that all members of the D’Ysquith family are played by a single actor. Dan De Luca adroitly negotiates lightning-fast changes of costumes and wigs, and manages to give each family member a distinctive voice and individual mannerisms, be they male or female.
It’s a Herculean effort, and De Luca deserves all manner of credit for how deftly and distinctly he realizes this gallery of characters. (Jefferson Mays, who originated and played the roles throughout the entirety of the Broadway production, won a Best Actor Tony Award for doing so in 2014.)
Concurrent with all this foul play is Monty’s ongoing love affair with Sibella Hallward, which begins before his fortunes rise. She returns his affection but cannot fathom a future with an impoverished man of so few prospects. They continue their romance, even after she marries a man of greater wealth and position.
Complicating matters is Monty’s eventual interest in Phoebe D’Ysquith, the sister of one of his victims, who would make a fitting wife once he becomes Earl of Highhurst. This trio sings one of the show’s best numbers, “I’ve Decided to Marry You,” as Monty frantically works to keep the two women from learning of one another’s presence in adjoining rooms.
It’s a highlight of Steven Lutvak’s score, with lyrics co-written by Robert L. Freedman, who also wrote the show’s extremely witty book.
Musically, the songs adhere close to the show’s milieu, combining elements of operetta and the British music hall. If its style may sound a bit quaint to modern ears, it’s entirely appropriate and sits perfectly on the story being told.
Music director Jeffrey Campos has everyone singing in the style as if they’d grown up together in Edwardian London, as well as conducting the orchestra in the pit.
The performances, too, are expertly etched. In addition to De Luca’s tour de force, Jake Levy as Monty, Mary Kate Moore as Sibella and Lauren Medina as Phoebe all sing gorgeously and bring all the comic shadings their characters require. Special shout-outs to Shawna Hamic as Lady Eugenia and Tregoney Shepherd as Miss Shingle, both of whom shine hilariously in supporting roles.
Director Hunter Foster brings all the pieces together in a delightful, unified package. Technically, the show features all the outstanding elements audiences have come to expect from the Riverside team. Particularly lovely are Kurt Alger’s costumes, based on the originals designed by Lindo Cho.
The novel on which the musical’s story is based was also the source for a celebrated 1949 British film “Kind Hearts and Coronets,” in which Alec Guinness similarly played all the dispatched relatives. An updated movie version starring Glen Powell, “How to Make a Killing,” is scheduled for release next month.
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” runs through Feb. 1 at Riverside Theatre, 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach. Tickets are available online at RiversideTheatre.com or by calling the box office at 772-231-6990.
Photos provided
