A dozen years ago, San Diegans got their first taste of Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak’s delightful musical comedy “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” which played at the Old Globe in 2013 before heading to Broadway, where it won four Tony Awards, including one for Freedman’s book.
Now it’s back, in a well-staged new production that opened Saturday at North Coast Repertory Theatre. Although scaled down in cast and production size to fit the 194-seat Solana Beach theater, this rollicking comedy has lost none of it rapier wit and sass.
Freedman, who was in the opening-night audience on Saturday, based his script on a 1907 satiric novel about a penniless orphaned London man who discovers he’s ninth in line to inherit a lordship, so he schemes to murder all eight of the distant relations standing in his way. Sounds grim, but not in hands of Freedman and Litvak, whose musical has just one actor playing all of doomed D’Ysqith family members.
Director Noelle Marion keeps the laughs flowing in this lilting production, which is well-cast, nicely sung and stunningly costumed by Elisa Benzoni. Marion crafts wildly comic characters onstage, but she also grounds them enough in reality to make the audience care about them, even at their worst.
Andrew Polec, who theater-goers will recognize as the Old Globe’s Grinch for the past four years, stars here as the murderer, Monty Navarro. With Polec’s innocent saucer-like eyes, mischievous grin and boyish disposition, it’s easy to root for the determined Monty as he methodically and ingeniously picks off the spoiled D’Ysqiths one by one.
Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper delivers a tour de force performance as the many D’Ysquiths, including a tipsy reverend, social-climbing matron, bee-loving country dweller, gun-loving warmonger, terrible stage actress and more. While he’s funny in all the roles, he doesn’t push his characters into broad farce, particularly the soft-spoken financier who is kind to Monty.
Lauren Weinberg and Katy Tang are both excellent singers and performers as the two very different women in Monty’s life, glamorous ex-girlfriend (but still lover) Sibella and the humble and warm Phoebe D’Ysquith, respectively. Completing the cast in multiple roles are Jean Kauffman, Shinah Hey, Andrew Hey and Michael Cavinder.
Pianist Daniel Lincoln leads the four-member backstage band in the musical’s toe-tapping score, Luke Harvey Jacobs created the choreography and Marty Burnett designed the retro 1800s-style theater scenery. Matthew Novotny designed lighting, Chris Luessman designed sound and Peter Herman’s hair and wig designs are superb.
“Gentleman’s Guide” runs two hours, 30 minutes, but its brisk pacing makes it feel shorter. This musical is smart, naughty and studded with unexpected surprises in a very well-made production at North Coast Rep. solana
‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’
When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Plus 2 p.m. Aug. 6 and 13. Through Aug. 17
Where: North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach
Tickets: $62-$84
Phone: 858-481-1055
Online: northcoastrep.org
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