PCPA's Presents A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, which took the 2014 Tony Awards by storm with 10 nominations - winning four, including Best Musical, will play in the Marian Theatre April 25 through May 12 and in the Solvang Festival Theater June 13 - 30.

Monty Navarro, a distant heir to a family fortune, sets out to jump the line of succession by "eliminating" the eight relatives who stand in his way to becoming the ninth Earl of Highhurst. In the midst of Monty's macabre plotting, he also finds himself juggling the affections of two beautiful ladies - one, his very married mistress and, the other, a distant cousin. The show is supported by a beautifully crafted score that is both elegant and hilarious.

The conceit of the play is delightfully unique: all of Monty Navarro's victims are played by one actor! We see the same person "die" over and over and over and in rather hilarious ways. Director Brad Carroll said, "Subconsciously, we know that can't really be happening so, in a way, it makes it okay for us to root for the killer, especially when he is played by George Walker." Meanwhile, for Andy Philpot*, playing all of the eight victims, it becomes a tour de force. For him, the show backstage might almost be more interesting than the show onstage because of his lightning-fast quick changes. "I think audiences will be amazed when he leaves the stage as one character and returns 10 seconds later as a completely different human being," Carroll said.

The Edwardian Era backdrop for the show lends itself to a romantic golden age style with the appearance of manners and class on the surface and a not so pretty reality underneath. Carroll said, "Think early Downton Abbey as a musical sitcom. Or, Oscar Wilde meets Agatha Christie, meets Gilbert and Sullivan, meets British Music Hall, with a dash of Monty Python."

Under Carroll's direction, the Choreographer is Katie Fuchs-Wackowski, Music Director is Ilana Atkins, Fight Choreographer is Peter S. Hadres, Scenic Designer is Jason Bolen, Costume Designer is Eddy L. Barrows, Lighting Designer is Jennifer 'Z' Zornow, Sound Designer is Elisabeth Weidner, and Voice & Dialect Coach is Kitty Balay.

In addition to George Walker and Andrew Philpot*, the cast also includes Emily Trask*, Yusef Seevers, Erik Stein*, Amani Dorn*, Guest Artist Jacqueline Hildebrand, and Acting Intern Skye Privat.

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder is based on the 1907 novel, Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal, by Roy Horniman, which was also the source for the 1949 film, Kind Hearts and Coronets, starring Alec Guinness. The musical premiered in Hartford, Connecticut in October of 2012 in a joint production with the Hartford Stage and the Old Globe Theatre. It opened at The Old Globe in March 2013 before moving to Broadway on November 7, 2013 where it ran until January 17, 2016. The first national tour was launched in September 2015 with a second tour opening on September 27, 2017.

As well as its Tony awards, Gentleman's Guide also won awards from Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League. In 2015, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Visit A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder web page for more information
http://www.pcpa.org/GentlemansGuide.html

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