Not the best musical ever, and no, I was not blown away by Jefferson Mays (wished he could sing, sorry), but it is very clever and deserves to find an audience. Way too early to talk about Tonys, but I expect the Times and other reviews will easily carry this through the season. The audience I saw it with last week loved it.
I LIKED THAT THE TIMES CALLED IT A FROLICSOME OPERETTA. WE HAVEN'T HAD ONE OF THOSE IN A LONG TIME...AND I BET IF THIS CATCHES ON THERE COULD BE REVIVALS OF SIGMUND ROMBERG AND RUDOLF FRIML OPERETTAS AS WELL AS SHOWS LIKE "LITTLE MARY SUNSHINE". I KNOW THE POST AND THE NEWS WEREN'T KEEN ON THE SHOW, BUT THE TIMES REVIEW SHOULD DEFINITELY CARRY THIS ONE TO THE TONYS!!
Jay...Why does 1 need to be an excellent singer to convey a story? Elaine Stritch can't sing but she can tell a story, Judy Dinch can't sing but she can tell a story, Harvey Firestein can't sing but can tell a story. So to say he can't sing is truly unfair. I thought he was SUPERB at telling his stories in recititive style. And it's never to early to talk about Tonys my dear. I could see a movie a year from the Oscars and tell if someone will be nominated. It's really not that difficult.
with my work schedule lightening , would you guys think it's wise of me to book a ticket for January? I am dying to see the show and unfortunately I am scant breathing room until after Christmas. as a sidebar, is the stage for this show hig any particular seat suggestions for those who have seen it already? Any and all insight greatly appreciated.
Comedy is a tough sell for me. The shows which most critics and a large segment of the public claim to be hysterically funny I generally find only moderately amusing. And I have a limited tolerance for farce, British music-hall and arch patter-songs. I don't share the love for GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE that many people here on this thread and others do, (I liked it - wasn't captivated - found it more pleasantly engaging) but I can't help but admire the considerable craft and thought that went into this. I like what it's trying to do.
By contemporary logic, this should have never made it to Broadway. The Belle-Epoque setting, the reliance on source material known to only a small segment of the theater going public, its talented, mostly little-known cast devoid of cult theater darlings (despite his earlier Broadway career, Mays hasn't elicited the fan obsession of AudraCheyenneNorbertRaulBernadettePattiSuttonNathanRylanceIdinaetc.)or TV personalities, the plushly upholstered, tufted and be-tasselled sets and costumes, and more importantly a literate, well-crafted book, droll lyrics and beautifully orchestrated music by writers who (to my knowledge) have never been represented on Broadway before. Lutvak is a major talent, a writer/performer who has been a fixture on the cabaret circuit for over a decade. I prefer his more contemporary-sounding songs, but his melodies for GENTLEMEN'S GUIDE capture the period flawlessly - they at times remind one of 1914 Kern. By right this show is too offbeat and odd for the Broadway of 2013.
All reasons why it deserves a chance to find an audience and hopefully become a hit.
Limelight Mike, The orchestra section at the Walter Kerr is really small. I would be happy sitting anywhere there. I would imagine the other sections would be close to the stage too. It's a pretty intimate theater by Broadway standards.
A Gentleman’s Guide To Love And Murder is Broadways latest offering for anglophiles seeking comedy. A certain multiply-guv’nered man had us guffawing and chortling in the aisle last season, does this gentleman live up to his lineage? Find out in our full review! Click Here For Full Video Review
At last, a good new Broadway musical. Really good, in fact. Not only is "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" wickedly witty, wonderfully well staged and as pleasing to hear as it is to see, but it brings Jefferson Mays, the quick-change artist of "I Am My Own Wife," back to the New York stage in a major role—nine of them, in fact—for the first time since he starred opposite Claire Danes in the 2007 Roundabout revival of "Pygmalion." If you're tired of apologizing to out-of-town visitors for the shaky state of 21st-century American musical comedy, send them to "A Gentleman's Guide" and rest assured that they'll go home happy.
