Review: GENTLEMEN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER at Starlight Theatre

"A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder" is a delightful current work that leans heavily on the British Music Hall tradition of broad comedy and clever plot twists. "The Gentlemen's Guide" won the 2014 Tony Award for best new musical play. Imagine a game of "Clue" writ large. "Gentlemen's Guide" is pure cleverness and fun.

"The Gentlemen's Guide" opens on a young man named Monty Navarro (Kevin Massey). He is writing his memoir in a prison cell while awaiting a jury verdict. Monty is accused of murder. The remarkable versatile set resembles something one might see on a British music hall stage. It is told in flashback. Our stereotypical cartoonish characters would feel comfortable with Dudley Do-right.

The flashback opens at Monty's Mother funeral. She has died after a lifetime of hard physical work. Among the mourners is Monty's childhood governess, Miss Shingle (Mary VanArsdel). Miss Shingle has a secret that will shake Monty's world. Mother Isabel is not the impoverished waif that she seemed. Isabel is the disinherited daughter of rich and aristocratic D'Ysquith family. Isabel's claim to family riches seems substantiated by papers in her estate.

Monty is eighth in line to inherit the family fortune and castle. Delighted at this revelation, Monty writes to the family, identifies himself, and asks for recognition and employment. Monty's claim is rejected. The D'Ysquith family claim to never have heard of Isabel. If Monty presses his case, the family will take legal action against him.

If his family is not disposed to help him out of good will, perhaps the eight cousins in front of Monty in the line of succession might be made to go away. All eight characters are embodied in a single actor, the comic and estimable John Rapson. A plot is born. Monty explains the plan to his friend and love interest Sibella Harward (Kristen Beth Williams).

One by one, Monty arranges the outlandish demise of his family members. One falls off the belfry of the family chapel. Another cousin who is vacationing with his mistress is unfortunate enough to fall through the ice of a skating pond. A third is stung to death by his pet bees and we watch him running back and forth across the stage pursued by his bees. Monty meets and falls for his young cousin, Phoebe (Adrienne Eller).

Uncle Asquith, the owner of the family brokerage, takes Monty in, and he does well at business. But he dies of a heart ailment before he can properly announce his intentions for young Monty. As Monty methodically and ruthlessly eliminates the competition, his goal of family fortune comes closer and closer to being true.

Young Monty finally achieves the family earldom he has coveted. A local police inspector investigates the sudden and unusual activity around the D'Ysquith family cemetery plot. And He arrests Monty. Surprisingly, Monty is accused of murdering the one family member who actually dies of natural causes.

The final resolution will be left to Audience members. I don't want to spoil the surprise and give away the joke. "Gentlemen's Guide" is madcap, loony, a cartoon of a show and one long laugh-line played by many of the original Broadway actors. This production is a hoot. The comic dancing plays well on the huge Starlight stage.

"Gentlemen's Guide to Lover and Murder" runs through Sunday August 14 at Starlight Theater.

Photo made available by Starlight Theatre

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