A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER at North Coast Repertory Theatre
North Coast Repertory Theatre closes its season with “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” the bloodthirsty Broadway hit that turns serial killing into an elegant and humorous art form. Set in Edwardian England, this musical comedy follows Monty Navarro, a penniless charmer who discovers he’s ninth in line to a lofty earldom and decides, quite logically, really, that a little light homicide might expedite his inheritance.
Directed with wit by Noelle Marion, the show combines elegance, flair, and a healthy dose of farce to serve up a frothy Edwardian romp with a high body count and even higher comic timing. Marion keeps the mayhem light, the pacing brisk, and the comedy high.
Andrew Polec stars as Monty, and his performance is delightful. He has an excellent singing voice, making the most of both traditional melodies and comedic, fast-paced patter songs. His Monty is sweet, loving, and calculating, but in a way that feels more mischief than menace. There is a song in his heart even if he has murder on his mind, which makes it easy to root for him. Polec balances innocence and guile with charm to spare, and his scenes crackle with cunning and big-hearted longing
Andrew Polec as Monty in North Coast Repertory Theatre’s
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.” (Aaron Rumley)
Of course, it helps that the doomed D’Ysquith family members, all played by Nicholas Mongiardo-Coope, are categorically awful. Which makes their increasingly ridiculous demises not just tolerable but deeply satisfying. As every single D’Ysquith who stands between Monty and the title of Lord Highhurst, Mongiardo-Coope runs a gamut of crazy personalities, from a bee-obsessed country cousin, a terrible actress, a mincing minister, to a gun-happy boorish nobleman.
Photo Credit: The cast of North Coast Repertory Theatre’s “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.” (Aaron Rumley)
Monty’s romantic life is just as complicated as his homicidal one. Lauren Weinberg is magnetic as Sibella, Monty’s glamorous on-again/off-again lover who’s just as scheming as he is, only with better dresses. Sibella knows how the world works, and she works it masterfully. Katy Tang is lovely and luminous as Phoebe D’Ysquith, Monty’s sweet-natured cousin and the emotional foil to Sibella’s ambition. Both women are wonderful vocalists and skillful actors, and together they create one of the show’s funniest moments in the door-slamming three-part number “I’ve Decided to Marry You,” where Monty juggles a literal and metaphorical balancing act.
With a very strong ensemble, which includes Michael Cavinder, Andrew Hey, Shinah Hey, and Jean Kauffman, all of whom play a multitude of characters.
Director Noelle Marion keeps the show fast and fizzy, crafting a tone that feels both theatrical and somehow grounded, even though the death count hits eight before the curtain call. Marion leans into the musical’s winking absurdity without losing its narrative thread, and her work is matched by the show's design team.
Scenic designer Marty Burnett conjures up everything from stately manors to icy lakes with clever set pieces and transitions, giving the show easy fluidity in a compact stage space. Luke Harvey Jacobs’ choreography is crisp, clever, and tailored to the ensemble’s talents, keeping the action buoyant and storytelling clear.
Elisa Benzoni’s lavish period costumes add layers of visual wit (especially helpful when Mongiardo-Cooper is changing genders, classes, and social rank at warp speed), and Daniel Lincoln leads a small but mighty pit orchestra through Steven Lutvak’s score with flair.
With music that’s part patter-song, part operetta, and all smart, this is musical theatre that is delightfully devious. It's witty, wicked, and weirdly wholesome, with songs like “I Don’t Understand the Poor” and “Better With a Man” that are equal parts Gilbert & Sullivan, Oscar Wilde, and sharp-edged parody. You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, you’ll question your own ethics for rooting so hard for a guy with eight murders to his name.
Yes, this show is about murder, but it’s really a social satire featuring class vengeance, and the joys of committing felonies in full musical harmony. It’s also fun. If you've ever rooted for a villain who just wants what’s rightfully his (and again, his cousins are all terrible), Monty Navarro is your man. Monty isn’t murdering for sport; he’s doing it for love, and revenge, and, okay, a title. But mostly love (of murder and the title.)
How To Get Tickets
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” is playing at North Coast Rep through August 17th. For ticket and showtime information, go to www.northcoastrep.org