Gallery Players closes 2019 with a frenzied, funny ride through the 2014 Tony winner A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder by Robert L. Freedman (book and lyrics) and Steven Lutvak (music and lyrics), directed by Tim Browning.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder follows Monty Navarro (Jay Rittberger) on a tip from family friend Miss Shingle (a very funny Susan Gellman) after his mother’s funeral, which results in a murderous journey to pull himself up by his bootstraps, bringing himself into the upper echelons of society and extracting revenge on the D’Ysquith family (Chris Johnson).
The production orbits around Rittberger’s perfectly calibrated performance – his Monty is a delightful study in poor impulse control and a life with emotions close to the surface. On stage for every scene, his charm keeps us on the edge of our seats and invested in this horrible person. His voice soars on songs like “Sibella” and “Foolish to Think,” and blends with everyone else in this top-notch cast.
Johnson also shoulders the play as a succession of wild caricatures Monty dispatches on the way to the top. His chemistry with Rittberger crackles on numbers like “Better With A Man” and “Poison in my Pocket” and he makes the roof shake on his tour de force, “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun.”
Marrett Laney brings a hilarious, antic energy to Monty’s inconsistent lover Sibella. She polishes her knives on sharp, sardonic numbers like “I Don’t Know What I’d Do.” Shauna Davis is the other side of the love triangle as Phoebe and her chemistry with Rittberger and Laney fuels instant earworms like “Inside Out,” “I’ve Decided to Marry You,” and “That Horrible Woman.” Allan Finkelstein’s taut musical direction propels these wild set pieces.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is long – the show I saw ran a full two and a half hours with one intermission – and occasionally feels repetitive. But Browning’s visceral direction and a stellar cast highlight the charm and fun, and the high points are some of the finest classic comedy on a Columbus stage.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder runs through December 22 with performances on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.. For tickets and more info, visit columbusjcc.org.