To kick off their 100th season, and to take their rightful place in local history, Theatre Harrisburg does away with everyone in their path to execute the Tony Award-winning “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” an uproariously funny operetta with multiple origins: a novel (“Israel Rank,” Roy Horniman), a book with lyrics (Robert L. Freedman), a musical score (Steven Lutvak), and a movie (“Kind Hearts and Coronets.”)
Theatre Harrisburg Director Thomas Hostetter, along with Music Director Justin Hollenberg directing a lucky 13-piece band, invite us to visit the English manor estate of Highhurst during the Edwardian period, 1909. With its red velvet curtains and familiar familial portraits on the walls, the setting itself becomes a character in the story, and an aristocratic goal for our ambitious protagonist.
We meet Monty Navarro (Sean Reynolds) at his writing desk, dipping his pen in an inkwell, writing his memoirs. Well, it’s moreso his confession. Born to a lowly station, after his mother passes, Navarro learns that he is actually descended from royalty–eighth in line to become an earl in the D’ysquith family. The enterprising Navarro then postures himself within the family, discovering himself in a series of uncommon opportunities to kill his predecessors. Although he is a murderous adulterer, Reynolds manages to craft Navarro into a likeable character, becoming the last person anyone would suspect.
The score’s first song sets a tone that is lightheartedly foreboding, quintessentially absurd British comedy. With the Company standing by a grave, singing “A Warning to the Audience,” the cast immediately knocks that imaginary fourth wall to the ground, their British accents sound just thick enough not to need subtitles.
The brisk pace for this 2 1/2 hour play is packed with cheeky chicanery, with one of the wittiest scores I’ve heard in a while. I repeatedly thought, “Did they really just sing that?” I may not have left humming any song, but my husband picked up “Poison in My Pocket” (should I be worried?). Monty’s signature song, and one that Reynolds delivered beautifully both as a solo tenor and with accompaniment from Wesley Hemmann and Anna Clemens.
In my favorite song of the show, “I Don’t Understand the Poor,” Hemmann makes classism a jolly good time, singing through his nose while skipping through a ridiculous jig. Hemmann steals the stage multiple times by playing all nine members of the D’Ysquith family, making each D’Ysquith a silly caricature, with increasing degrees of proportion. Each unusual death scene feels like Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner stumbled onto the set of “Downton Abbey.”
Hemmann’s other standout numbers include the double-entendre-laden “Better with a Man,” “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun,” complete with gun dance, and the matronly drag stylings of “Lady Hyacinth Abroad.” Hemmann also leads the company in “Why Are All the D’Ysquiths Dying?” sung in a lovely harmonic round.
The lighthearted mood breaks character with the steamy love affair between Monty Navarro and the overly self-involved Sibella Hallward (Bernadette Bratina). With a backstory like Charles and Camilla’s (except it’s entertaining), Reynolds and Bratina have natural chemistry together as an onstage couple. Bratina delivers the wistful and pretty “I Don’t Know What I’d Do” and the conceited “Poor Monty.” Her soprano blends superbly with Reynolds and Anna Gibbs (playing Phoebe D’Ysquith) in the funny “I’ve Decided to Marry You,” and gives off some serious operatic soprano blendings with Gibbs in “That Horrible Woman.”
Dozens of roles are filled by only a handful of quick-change character actors, wearing many hats (and scarves and shoes and ties and jackets and…) Michael Beckstein, Clemens, Pam Eusi, Hostetter, Gregg Mauroni, Becky Mease, Tim Servinsky, Jr., and Martha Traverse. An extra round of applause to Hostetter and Mauroni for taking on new roles at the eleventh hour.
If the pacing onstage feels swift, imagine how frantic it must be backstage. Bravo to dressers Leslie Kocher, Amy Boeshore, Gaye Hicks, Jane Hess, Kaitlyn Perbetsky, Tessa Phyillaier, Izzy Hamlett, Ann Ariano, and to Costume Designer Paul Foltz for seamlessly pulling off (and pulling on) such an opulent wardrobe. I can’t imagine the organization it takes, nor the number of piles of clothing strategically arranged thither and thus backstage.
Ever professional, the actors triumphed over last-minute actor substitutions, minor microphone glitches, squeaky floorboards, and even some very funny bloopers that I still wonder whether they might be part of the show…? I’ll have to attend another performance to find out. Even when you think the play is over and everyone is taking their bows, the comedy carries through to the end, well after the curtain closes and the proverbial credits are scrolling.
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” runs through Sept. 21 at the Krevsky Center, 513 Hurlock St., Harrisburg. For more information on show times and tickets, visit https://theatreharrisburg.com/a-gentlemans-guide-to-love-and-murder/.
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