A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder – Location, Tickets, Reviews
The astounding Jefferson Mays dies eight times onstage in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, now playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre. He plays every member of the D’Ysquith family, a turn of the century set of royals who stand between the ambitious Monty Navarro (Bryce Pinkham) and earldom. In a blur of costume changes, Mays somehow paints each D’Ysquith with distinct lines. Most actors dream of truly disappearing into one role in their lifetimes; Mays, more magician than actor, flawlessly disappears into eight in less than three hours.
Critics generally liked Gentleman’s Guide when it played out of town at Hartford Stage and San Diego’s Old Globe (Charles Isherwood of the New York Times was “smiling from ear to ear”), and they seem to like it now (Isherwood gleefully reviewed it again) but we don’t think there’s much to admire here aside from Mays. The score is monotonous (Really, another waltz?), the lyrics boring, and the remainder of the cast seems barred from sharing in Mays’ mischievous fun. If you’re willing to look past these weaknesses – and eager to have Jefferson Mays knock your socks off – you might want to take a chance, but we think your theater dollars are better spent elsewhere.
LOCATION
Walter Kerr Theatre
219 W 48th Street
New York City
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RUNNING TIME
2 hours and 20 minutes, 1 intermission
TICKETS
$35.00 -$250.00 (click here for tickets)
DATES
Open Run
NEWS & REVIEWS
Reviews (NYC Production)
New York Times
Bumping Off Kin, a Song in Your Heart
New York Post
No Love for ‘Murder’
TimeOut New York
This Edwardian lark slays us with arch-silliness
Huffington Post
While more and more Broadway theaters are holding jukebox musicals or musical adaptations of hit-movies, the Walter Kerr Theatre has something that is fresh, hysterical, and bloody brilliant.
Variety
This witty and adorably worked new musical stars the endlessly inventive Jefferson Mays in multiple roles, all of them murder victims
TheaterMania
Jefferson Mays gets murdered eight separate times in this smart and silly new musical comedy.
New York Magazine
Jefferson Mays is Eight Entertainingly Dead People in ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.’
Hollywood Reporter
“Gentleman’s Guide is…propelled by a rollicking story, humor of the most delectable amorality and the cleverest lyrics assembled in quite some time.”
Newsday
‘Gentleman’s Guide’ review: genuinely charming
Reviews (Hartford Stage and Old Globe Productions)
New York Times
Murder So Refined, It Deserves to be Repeated, and Repeated
Variety
Style is of the essence in the deliciously dark, elegant and playful musical comedy about a distant heir who facilitates the demise of eight icky kin who stand in his way to a Downton Abbey-sized fortune
LA Times
Dying Enlivens ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’
CAST & CREW
(partial list)
Book by Robert L. Friedman
Music by Steven Lutvak
Lyrics by Robert L. Friedman & Steven Lutvak
Directed by Darko Tresnjak
Featuring Jefferson Mays, Bryce Pinkham, Lisa O’Hare, Lauren Worsham, Jane Carr, Pamela Bob, Joanna Glushak, Jeff Kready, Eddie Korbich, Mark Ledbetter, Jennifer Smith, Price Waldman & Catherine Walker