A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (June 5th, 2016)

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

June 5th, 2016 (evening performance)

I was so excited to see this show again, after seeing it for the first time on Broadway nearly two years ago. It's one of my favourite shows, and the soundtrack is constantly playing in my flat (hence having all the lyrics memorised - I also have a pretty awesome "Poison in my Pocket" dance, if I do say so myself). GGLAM also features my favourite character in any musical ever, Sibella. She's blonde, she's vain, she's not particularly nice (unless she wants to be), and she loves pink - essentially myself in a nutshell. So, there was no better way to spend the last few hours of my birthday than watching this fantastic show. I'm going to follow my usual format for this review; seat review, then review each actor individually, and any extra comments at the end. Enjoy!

Seat/Venue Review: I sat in C15 of the Dress Circle, and it was $60 (on a special sale, usually those are premium seats) at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto. Excellent value for money, unobstructed view. It was slightly off to one side, but that didn't restrict my view much at all. Lots of leg room, lots of bathrooms - my only complaint was that you have to go all the way to the ground floor for merchandise (because everyone needs a D'Ysquith t-shirt). 

Kristen Beth Williams (Sibella)

Kristen Beth Williams, Adrienne Eller, and Kevin Massey

Absolutely loved her! She was very different from Scarlett Strallen (who was more on the high-pitched, ditzy-blonde side), but I really did like her. She played Sibella as very intelligent and aware, and somewhat on the manipulative side. She very much understood the power she had over Monty, and enjoyed exploiting that power. It was interesting watching her during 'Sibella', where Monty was singing about her faults - she looked a bit like she couldn't believe what he was saying at first, then began to look a bit afraid. I liked this a lot; it's the first time Sibella sees Monty's darker side, as he's usually quite fluffy around her. I guess all in all I really liked the wide range of emotions Kristen portrayed; she made Sibella seem very real, and even if she wasn't necessarily a likeable character, you can still feel sympathy for her (for example, when you can see her going from perky, to angry, to completely defeated during 'Poor Monty') and care what happens to the character. In general, Kristen didn't play the comedic side so much; she was more realistic and 'human' than I thought Sibella could be. Kristen also has a wonderful voice; it's not too shrill, and it really suits the score. Long story short, I couldn't've asked for a better portrayal of my favourite character. 

Adrienne Eller (Phoebe)

I don't usually notice Phoebe that much (I honestly can't remember a thing about Catherine Walker's Phoebe), but I thought Adrienne did an incredible job at making Phoebe noticeable and very likeable. You have to want her to end up with Monty and actually care about the character, or you just get annoyed with her. So kudos to Adrienne for that; it's not an easy thing to do with the way Phoebe is written. One of my favourite things about Adrienne is that she has wonderful comedic timing; her bouncing up and down on the chair during 'I've Decided to Marry You' was such a small detail, but it was the most hysterical thing ever. She's sooo tiny and adorable too, so it just makes all the little giggles and jumping around even funnier. Phoebe is just a tiny ball of energy - like a hamster! Even though she was so small, she projected her emotions and voice perfectly; you could see everything, but it wasn't overdone. I also really liked Adrienne's voice; the first Phoebe I saw was very much on the shrill and squeaky side - Adrienne was still very high-pitched (obviously), but sounded so much more smooth and 'adult' (kind of like Magnolia in Show Boat). She had some unique little 'trills' in certain parts, but it worked. I don't really have any complaints about her; a great, well-thought-out performance, and I'd be very happy to see her as Phoebe again.

Kevin Massey (Monty)

Kevin Massey (Monty)

He was very different from the other Monty I've seen, but not in a bad way. I really loved that you could see him slowly falling out of love with Sibella as he fell in love with Phoebe. By the end, he does love them both, but it's a different kind of love, and Kevin did a great job of establishing the changing relationships between himself and his two love interests. I also liked how he made Monty quite a dark character throughout the show, who perked up when he was around Sibella (and later Phoebe). It made his transition to murderer seem more plausible, yet he still maintained an aura of innocent 'boyishness' (as Mrs Shingle comments). His singing voice wasn't as strong as Jeff Kready's, but he made up for it with very expressive uses of his voice.  It may have been because four shows in two days has to be hard on the voice, but I can't make that judgement call. My only other main issue with him was he didn't really utilise the comedic moments as well as he could have; one of the things I (and my Mum, oddly) remembered most vividly was the 'Poison in my Pocket' 'dance' (the little hip twist on 'pocket'), and Kevin barely did it. He sort of twitched a bit, but the defined movement wasn't there. Because it wasn't clear what he was doing, it wasn't as funny as it could've been. 

John Rapson (D'Ysquith Family)
I don't have too much to say about John Rapson, but that's mostly because he was just all-around incredible! He really embraced the very different characters, giving each a unique personality, voice, and even walk. My favourites had to be Reverend Ezekiel D'Ysquith (his voice and acting were just hysterical) and Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith (that walk! Every time he moved I cracked up). I also really loved how he did Henry (who is my favourite D'Ysquith - aside from Phoebe); Henry is written so fabulously, and John really got all of the intricacies of the character. Just a lot of fun to watch. I guess what I liked most about John in general; every character was suitably funny, but in a unique way, and without making it more obnoxious than was necessary. The only complaint I have about him is that at the high note in Lady Hyacinth's song, he completely missed the start of it, so instead of looking like a smooth (albeit obvious) transition, it just looked clumsy. Other than that little thing, loved him!

Ensemble

John Rapson (The D'Ysquith Family)

Such a small ensemble! There didn't seem to be people missing (based on the cast board), but it was noticeable how few people there were onstage at any given time. I don't think it necessarily detracted from the show, and every one of the ensemble members gave their all, but it did feel a little empty at times. However, despite their small size, the ensemble was a very cohesive group that had perfect synchronisation during certain songs and dances, and all exhibited great voices and interesting and varied acting abilities. Special shout out to Kristen Mengelkoch (Lady Eugenia), who was absolutely hysterical. She and John Rapson played off of each other so well; they knew exactly when to milk the comedy and when to let it go. I really enjoyed watching their characters interact; they had me in stitches every time they spoke to one another. I also liked whoever played the Policeman; his face while he was reading Monty's journal was hilarious. 

Other

No noticeable mistakes or errors (which is both a good and bad thing; I love bloopers, but a smooth show is always nice too). All of the accents were relatively good and fairly consistent; sometimes people would slip into American for a few words, but they always caught themselves quickly. Such thick English accents are definitely difficult to do. 

I really love the set and costumes of this show. Each costume so perfectly suits the character it appears on, and the fits and details are just impeccable. 

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder is an amazing show, and I can't believe it's only playing on one production at the moment (can we get it in London - or at least a UK tour - please?!). I highly, highly recommended this show to anyone who loves blends of comedy and drama, interesting lyrics, and just an all-around good time at the theatre. GGLAM closes in Toronto June 26th, but the tour is continuing into 2017. Make sure you see it!