Photo Flash: Jefferson Mays Marks 6,000th Death in 'GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE' with Funeral Procession

To mark the occasion of Jefferson Mays' 6,000th death in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, the production held a funeral procession down West 48th Street, as cast members and fans, all dressed in mourning attire, followed Mr. Mays, lying in state inside a glass-sided horse-drawn hearse, to the Walter Kerr Theatre stage door. Scroll down for photos!

When the procession arrived at the theater, co-star Bryce Pinkham made the following remarks: "We are gathered here today to pay our respects to a man who has not only slayed his audiences nightly but also has died more times than any actors in a single role in the history of Broadway. Today's matinee performance will mark Jefferson Mays' 6,000th death in A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER. The most remarkable thing about our dear friend Jefferson is not how willing he is to lay his life on the line for his craft, but rather how eagerly he springs back to life to do it all over again. Please join me in honoring the noblest victim I've ever had the pleasure of harming: Jefferson Mays."

When Mr. Mays emerged from the hearse, he addressed the crowd with the following, "Marina Abromovic once said, 'You can't choreograph death, but you can choreograph a funeral.' Well, I think we've proven this day that, at GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE, we can do both. I've often fantasized of attending my own funeral, and God bless [producer] Joey Parnes. I turned to him one day and said, 'A hearse. A hearse. My kingdom for a hearse,' and lo and behold it happened. I shall make these remarks brief. 6,000 deaths only sounds like a lot. When you get to experience your final breath amidst such a wonderful company of fellow actors and musicians and crewmembers and producers, it is an unmitigated joy and I look forward to doing it several more times, at least. So please join me in the Walter Kerr for death number six-thousand-and-one in just a few minutes."

Jefferson Mays, playing eight members of the doomed D'Ysquith clan, is knocked off eight times in each performance, or 64 times each week. Next week, on Thursday, October 22, A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER will enter its third year on Broadway.

As was recently announced, A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER will play its final performance on Broadway on Sunday, January 17, 2016. GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE opened at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre to overwhelming critical acclaim on Sunday, November 17, 2013. The musical's First National Tour launched in Chicago earlier this month, with upcoming stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington DC, and Toronto, among many other markets.

A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER features a book by Robert L. Freedman, music by Steven Lutvak, and lyrics by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak. Darko Tresnjak directs and Peggy Hickey choreographs. The design team for A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER includes Alexander Dodge (Scenic Design), Linda Cho (Costume Design), Philip S. Rosenberg (Lighting Design), Dan Moses Schreier(Sound Design), Aaron Rhyne (Projections Design), and Charles LaPointe (Wig Design). Orchestrations are by Jonathan Tunick and Vocal Arrangements are by Dianne Adams McDowell and Steven Lutvak. Paul Staroba 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.