Reviewed by George Basler
A serial killer is on the loose at the Cider Mill Stage in Endicott, leaving a large body pile in his wake. But don’t call the cops. It’s all done with a wink and a nod as BLAST (Bold Local Artists of the Southern Tier) presents the musical comedy A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder through this coming weekend.
The production, which inaugurates BLAST’s fourth season at the Cider Mill, promises fun and delivers much of the time. But it also sputters at certain points during a somewhat uneven second act.
The show follows the murderous adventures of Monty Navarro (Chris VanDerwerker), a penniless young man who discovers he’s eighth in line to inherit the fortune of the D’Ysquith family. The family disinherited his recently deceased mother years ago after she had the audacity to (gasp!) marry below her station.
Monty decides to even the score by bumping off D’Ysquith family members ahead of him in the line of succession. Despite his murderous intentions, you root for the young man, because the family members are as unattractive collection of fools, bores and snobs that you’ll ever come across.
Monty also dispatches them in cleverly humorous ways while balancing romantic interludes with self-absorbed Sibella Hallward (Anna Rizzotti) and the sweetly upright Phoebe D’Ysquith (Amanda Blake).
The musical, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2014, has a local connection. The late Steven Lutvak, who wrote the show’s lively music, was a Binghamton University graduate.
While Monty is the show’s leading character, the D’Ysquith family shines the most in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. The gimmick that one actor portrays every one of the ill-fated family members. In the BLAST production, that’s Jan DeAngelo, who makes the most of the acting showcase.
DeAngelo gives a tour-de-force comic performance as he plays everyone from a dour clergyman to an insipid lothario to an aging war hero to a self-centered “lady bountiful” looking for a cause. He gets to play the last character in drag with a stunning fright wig.
Physical comedy is the order of the day, and BLAST Artistic Director Rob Egan does a masterful job in staging the humorous “homicides.” He also successfully catches the musical’s exaggerated tone without descending into annoyingly “camp” tropes.
One of the strong points in the BLAST production is the ensemble members’ first-rate performances of Lutvak’s jaunty score. The musical numbers and patter songs echo Gilbert & Sullivan and the tunes of English musical halls. (No rock music here.)
Credit goes to Egan and Music Director Sonny DeWitt for their staging. Two standouts are “I Don’t Understand the Poor,” a satirical ditty that skewers pomposity and class snobbery, and “Lady Hyacinth Abroad,” which takes equally satirical shots at British imperialism during the Victorian age.
There is one caveat, however. The song lyrics and dialogue weren’t always clear. Whether this was the fault of the Cider Mill’s sound system, or the actors having difficulty with their English accents, it proved to be distracting.
Despite some quibbles, Act I is sparkling entertaining. So, it’s somewhat disappointing that Act II slumps a bit in its pacing. The book by Robert L. Freeman, who co-wrote the song lyrics, loses some of its snap and becomes too convoluted for its own good, with a baroque series of incidents that include an attempted poisoning, a loaded gun that doesn’t go off, a murder trial, a love triangle and a series of surprising revelations.
The show’s antics begin to wear a bit thin.
Not that Act II is without its strong points, VanDerwerker has a disarming appeal as Monty and shows off a nice touch with farcical comedy when his two lady loves show up at the same time at his London flat.
Rizzotti and Blake sing beautifully and have their own comedic moments as Monty’s two girlfriends. Christine Ryder is an absolute hoot as Lady Eugenia, the caustic wife of Lord Adalbert, the last surviving D’Ysquith family member. The couple throws a dinner party for Monty, and his two loves, that turns into a meal from hell.
In the end, the high points of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder outweigh any shortcomings. The BLAST production is filled with humorous sight gags and inspired silliness. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
DeWitt’s inventive sets and Shannon DeAngelo’s colorful period costumes enhance the enjoyment. You’ll have a good time. Who knew murder could be such good clean fun.
IF YOU GO: BLAST (Bold Local Artists of the Southern Tier) will conclude its two-weekend presentation of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder this coming weekend, Oct. 4-6, at the Cider Mill Stage, 2 Nanticoke Ave., Endicott. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $32, including fees. Advance tickets can be ordered on the Cider Mill Stage’s website, www.cidermillstage.com, or call 607-3231-9630.
