A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder

I typically see big-​name musicals… eventually. That is to say, I’m not a diehard musical fan and/​or expert. However, I couldn’t pass up free tickets to this, so here I am.
I didn’t look up anything about the show before watching, so you can imagine my surprise when it turned out to be «Heathers» but British and in musical form. I very much enjoyed it! If you’re a fan of dark, macabre humor and cross-​dressing, this is the play for you!
While I definitely laughed a lot and was entertained throughout, I would say that some of the humor fell a little flat for me. In particular, I’m not so into the schadenfreude/​slapstick scenes.
All in all, really fun! Definite recommend.

I had a fabulous time attending A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder! Unfortunately, I’ve been struggling with illness for weeks now, but this musical was totally worth emerging from my cave (aka home) and risking coughing continuously (which I managed to control) to see. I knew literally nothing about this musical before seeing it, which was a lot of fun. I had no idea what to expect and was delightfully surprised with every scene.
I really enjoyed the interactive nature of the set as the ensemble would suddenly appear as singing photos on the wall. I also enjoyed how the ridiculous death of each D’Ysquith family member was made even more hilarious by the screen in the background — the bees chasing Henry D’Ysquith and the blood surrounding the body of the Reverend D’Ysquith as he fell to his death.
I was so impressed by all of the acting and singing from the solid performances of Kevin Massey and Adrienne Eller as Monty Navarro and Phoebe D’Ysquith to the more over the top performances of Kristen Beth Williams as Sibella Hallward and John Rapson as every D’Ysquith family member. John Rapson’s portrayals from a formal elderly man to an awkward reverend, a gregarious gay man and even a woman were absolutely hysterical. The amount of time and energy and talent that he must have poured into these performances was outstanding. Though not on Broadway, these actors and performances gave a full Broadway experience.

Saw this on opening night with my roommate (courtesy of Unilocal). To my pleasant surprise, it was British, which meant British comedy. Ok, I’m already a fan!
The storyline was fresh and unexpected and the humor was «high» but not too dry and best of all, not too vulgar. My favorite number was the proposal show and the choreography was impeccable. The two doors with two ladies and one «gentleman» in the middle was great!
The costumes were nice as well :)
Would suggest if you are looking for something light yet still «high comedy.»

I’m a self-​proclaimed musical theater nerd and I’ve been DYING (hehe) to see this show ever since I saw a performance of «I’ve Decided to Marry You» on the 2014 Tony Awards.
I expected to enjoy A Gentleman’s Guide, but I had no idea how funny it was going to be. The innuendos and turns of phrase had me belly laughing. The acting was on point. Lots of respect to John Rapson who played 9(!) characters and was able to make each one distinct.
The score as a whole wasn’t as catchy as some others, so I’m probably not going to be blasting the soundtrack on Spotify and singing along to it in the car. But the script and the performances were fantastic. The choreography/​blocking was great too!
My husband thinks musicals are the cheesiest things on the planet and usually doesn’t appreciate when I drag him along with me. Imagine my surprise when he said he ENJOYED it (I caught him laughing at least 27 times throughout the performance, so I believe him). We talked about it after and he said he liked that it didn’t take itself too seriously. I liked that too.
Thank you Rachel, Unilocal,and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for the tickets. It was a lovely evening!

This show was a lot of fun! As usual, when I saw that Unilocal was offering free tickets to a musical, I jumped, being the quintessential musical fan. I must confess that I knew absolutely nothing about the show going in, since I’m not the most up-​to-​date on recent productions – but then again, that’s why I attend these events!
All around, the acting was the highlight of this show. The actor who played all of the D’Ysquiths did a great job, as did the actor who played Monty Navarro. Like some other Unilocalers, it took me awhile to get into the storyline, but once I did, it was easy to follow and full of twists and turns. I must admit that I wasn’t cracking up the way some others were, but I suppose this is a matter of personal taste when it comes to humor. The props were period-​appropriate and well-​done, as well. I didn’t find the songs quite as catchy as some others, but they were still fun, nonetheless, and complemented the script well.
Overall, I found this performance enjoyable, as did my friend who accompanied me. Thanks to Rachel and the PGH Cultural Trust for the comped tickets, and for getting me out of my comfort zone when it comes to musical theater. Looking forward to more great performances soon!

If you need a good laugh, this is the show for you. The show starts out with a bit of humor but then seems to stall a little bit. Then you work your way up to the ice skating scene which is hysterical. You continue to laugh until you get to the song «Better With a Man» which is pure comedy genius. Toward the end you have the scene at the dining table. Most of us have lived out something similar to that in our own homes. Therefor making it extremely funny.
John Rapson is a HUGE talent!!! He played the whole D’Ysquith family-​women and men. He brought great life to each character and had a quirky laugh that made you laugh even more.
Kevin Massey (Monty) did a great job playing off Rapson, Kristen (Sibella), and Adrienne (Phoebe).
Great singing, acting, and bringing the laughter. I recommend edit to all my friends the minute the performance was over.

Thanks Rachel for hooking us Unilocalers with tickets to the opening of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at the Benedum Theatre. Our tickets were held at Will Call and it was very easy to pick up. The theatre is absolutely beautiful and I don’t think there were any bad seats in the house.
The show itself — full of twists and turns! Lots of beautiful costumes and all of the actors were wonderful in their own way.
I especially loved the scene where Monty was stuck between his two lovers. I thought that was perfectly performed.
There was a happy hour at Sharp Edge but unfortunately, we didn’t make it in time for that. I did see Arlene and said hi but it would have been nice to have seen more of the Unilocalers.

The 2014 Tony awarding best musical has been on my bucket list of shows to see and it did not disappoint. The show keep you laughing in stitches as Monty Navarro (played by Kevin Massey) juggles both love between two women and murder in his quest to become the sole heir of the D’Ysquith estate.
There are various plot twists to keep you on your feet. An outstanding performance was given John Rapson (the role originated by Jefferson Mays on Broadway) as the members of the D’Ysquith family older heirs whom Monty finds ways to «kill them off» so he can inherit the estate. He is very adept at being able to come out on stage as another heir within record time after one of the previous ones meets his end.
The songs find humor in their own
is a riot when Monty torn between the two women he loves tries to keep them apart in «I’ve decided to marry you». Another funny one was when Lord Adalbert was singing «Looking through the barrel of a gun» but I won’t spoil what happens with this one.
The stage is set with a curtain and surrounding the top appears to be the top of the mansion Monty wants to inherit. The set designs flow great with the transition from scene to scene and even a background projector is used in transporting a character to various places.
I am grateful to Rachel as always for giving me the opportunity to see this delightful comedy. It is truly a not to be missed show!

I received free tickets to see this musical through Unilocal and headed down to the Benedum with my wife on a Tuesday night. While neither one of us had heard of this musical before we quickly became excited to see it after reading that it had won the Tony award the previous year. It did not disappoint either as it was one of the best musicals that I have seen recently. There were enough funny parts in it that you were laughing throughout the show. What really made it great though was the set and its integration into the musical. The set consisted of the usual pieces that you would find and then also a large TV like screen. While that screen was mostly static, they ended up using it to great effect in many instances which was pretty awesome.
The bottom line for me is that I would see this musical again in the future. If you enjoy musicals and haven’t seen it yet, I would highly recommend it as it is both funny and entertaining.