A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER National Tour Opens Tonight in Chicago

The First National Tour of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, begins performances tonight, September 30, at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre. John Rapson plays the role of the eight D'Ysquith heirs and Kevin Massey portrays Monty Navarro.

The GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE tour will also feature Kristen Beth Williams (Sibella Hallward),Adrienne Eller (Phoebe D'Ysquith), and Mary VanArsdel (Miss Shingle). The Tour also includes Christopher Behmke, Sarah Ellis, Matt Leisy, Megan Loomis, Dani Marcus,Lesley McKinnell, Kristen Mengelkoch, David Scott Purdy, Chuck Ragsdale, and Ben Roseberry.

A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER features a book and lyrics by Robert L. Freedmanand music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak. Direction is by Darko Tresnjak, with choreography by Peggy Hickey. The design team includes Alexander Dodge (Scenic Design), Linda Cho(Costume Design), Philip S. Rosenberg (Lighting Design), Dan Moses Schreier (Sound Design), Aaron Rhyne (Projections Design), Charles LaPointe (Wig Design), and Brian Strumwasser (Make-Up Design). Orchestrations are by Jonathan Tunick and Vocal Arrangements are by Dianne Adams McDowell and Steven Lutvak. Paul Staroba serves as Music Supervisor, and Larry Goldberg serves as Music Director.

GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE tells the uproarious story of Monty Navarro, a distant heir to a family fortune who sets out to jump the line of succession, by any means necessary. All the while, he's got to juggle his mistress (she's after more than just love), his fiancée (she's his cousin but who's keeping track?), and the constant threat of landing behind bars! Of course, it will all be worth it if he can slay his way to his inheritance... and be done in time for tea.

GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE opened at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre to overwhelming critical acclaim in November 2013. The most celebrated musical of the 2013-14 Broadway season, GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE received ten 2014 Tony Award nominations, eventually winning four awards: Best Musical, Direction of a Musical, Book of a Musical, and Best Costume Design. In addition, it won the Best Musical prizes from the Drama League, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle, and received a 2015 Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Show Album.

GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE First National Tour Schedule:

Chicago, IL (Bank of America Theatre) Sept. 29 - Oct. 11, 2015

Durham, NC (Durham PAC) Oct. 13 - 18, 2015

Tampa, FL (Straz Center for the Performing Arts) Oct. 20 - 25, 2015

Lincoln, NE (Lied Center for Performing Arts) Oct. 29 - Nov. 1, 2015

Cleveland, OH (Playhouse Square) Nov. 3 - 15, 2015

Pittsburgh, PA (Benedum Theater) Nov. 17 - 22, 2015

San Francisco, CA (SHN Golden Gate Theatre) Dec. 1 - 27, 2015

Minneapolis, MN (State Theatre) Jan. 5 - 10, 2016

Washington, DC (Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater) Jan. 13 - 30, 2016

Des Moines, IA (Des Moines Civic Center) Feb. 2 - 7, 2016

Memphis, TN (The Orpheum Theatre) Feb. 9 - 14, 2016

Denver, CO (The Buell Theatre) Feb. 16 - 28, 2016

Salt Lake City, UT (Kingsbury Hall) Mar. 1 - 6, 2016

Las Vegas, NV (The Smith Center for the Performing Arts) Mar. 8 - 13, 2016

Tempe, AZ (ASU Gammage( Mar. 15 - 20, 2016

Los Angeles, CA (Ahmanson Theatre) Mar. 22 - May 1, 2016

Houston, TX (Hobby Center for the Performing Arts) May 4 - 15, 2016

Toronto, Ontario (Princess of Wales Theatre) May 23 - June 26, 2016

Seattle, WA (The 5th Avenue Theatre) July 12 - 31, 2016

For more information on Gentleman's Guide, visit www.AGentlemansGuideBroadway.com.