Review: ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’ at Laguna Playhouse
- Raj Walia
- Sep 24
- 2 min read
In the art-centric town of Laguna Beach, with its beautiful and rugged coastline, the Laguna Playhouse is staging a fun rendition of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” the 2014 Tony Award winner for best musical, written by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak.
Dynamically directed by Noelle Marion, the story centers on Monty, unsuspecting heir to the D’Ysquith family fortune. That is, if he can just get rid of all the other heirs in line before him.
Andrew Polec is well cast as Monty—tall, blond and with a great big smile that he shows off repeatedly as he plots and stumbles his way through the family hierarchy of heirs to the fortune. Polec is able to engage the audience and keep them with him as the scenes play out.
And all the other D’Ysquith family men (and some of its women) are played by Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper, who miraculously brings out the core personality of each unique and eccentric family member.
Cooper portrays each full tilt in distinct costumes (designed by Eliza Benzoni) as, one by one, they swirl around the stage with Monty (choreography by Luke Harvey Jacobs), inevitably meeting their demise within the framework of their own worlds.
And then there’s Monty’s smile again! One rung higher on the ladder to becoming likely heir.
But Monty is not alone in this world, having a hot-blooded love affair with the beautiful Sibella (Lauren Weinberg). Though Sibella is married, on her own track to acquiring wealth, she and Monty are irresistibly drawn to each other, an undercurrent that plays through the scenes as he moves up the chain of heirs apparent.
Until, that is, Monty meets a female cousin, Phoebe D’Ysquith (Katy Tang), who falls for him, unaware of his scheming calculations to reach his goal. Of course, the two women in Monty’s life don’t know of each other and, with Monty in the middle, the three inevitably find themselves in a room with multiple doors (set design by Marty Burnett) that Monty flies around closing and opening as each woman demands his attention.
With live orchestra (conducted by Anthony Zediker), song, dance, immersive scenic design and costuming that carries a lot of weight, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” is more entertaining than macabre—you’ll root for Monty even as he attempts to slay his way to the top.
“A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder” continues through Oct. 5 at Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach, with shows Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. For tickets and information, call the box office at 949-497-2787 or visit LagunaPlayhouse.com. Run time is 2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission.