Megan Elizabeth West as Sibella, Jarod Glou as Monty Navarro, and Laura Hepp Saunders as Phoebe. Photo by Tina Bruley.
There should always be a place in the wide canon of musical theater for shows that are fun. They are not tear-jerking aor deep explorations of social and political issues. They are, instead, light-hearted productions filled with well-written lyrics. Robert L. Freedman’s “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” currently playing at the Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre in Frederick, is that kind of a night out.
Kiska’s production…particularly shines with the talent of the ten-member cast and staging.
Justin Kiska directs this production of Freedman’s 2013 Tony-award winning musical comedy. It tells the story of Monty Navarro who discovers that he is, to his surprise, an heir to the D’Ysquith fortune and in line to become an earl—ninth in line, to be exact. Monty is also in love with Ms. Sibella Hallward, but she will not marry him because he is poor. Navarro sees opportunity, through murder, to have love and the wealth of the D’Ysquiths by getting rid of eight of his relatives. Yet murder and love are not quite so simple.
In the lead as Navarro, Jarod Glou shows strong vocal chops with this delightful and complicated score. Bob Gudauskas plays nine characters and his facial expressions are laugh-out-loud funny. Actors like Will Spaeth and Raquel Luciano, serving double-duty as wait staff and appearing on stage, juggle their roles with aplomb. Spaeth, in particular, has a great dry wit that he brings to one of the final scenes as the Chief Inspector who comes for Monty. Megan Elizabeth West, a music teacher in Berkley County, WV, shows tremendous range as Sibella.
“Gentleman’s Guide” won Tonys for book, direction, and costume design, as well as best musical amidst a nearly two-and-a-half year run on Broadway and two national tours. Kiska’s production, for which he also did lighting and set design (and served as the pre-show emcee), particularly shines with the talent of the ten-member cast and staging. The show makes great use of its straightforward set design and nicely juxtaposes its cast on stage throughout the evening.
Dinner theatre itself is a retrograde and value-based proposition this millennial critic had never experienced. Barksdale Theater in Richmond was the first to open in the United States in 1953. The popularity of dinner theatre increased in the 1960s, peaking in the 1970s when there were 147 different professional dinner theatres in operation nationwide. The New York Times published an article entitled, “Dinner Theatres are Booming: Are They The Way ‘Broadway’ Will Survive?” Since that time, crime in urban centers (which previously deterred people from going out to theater) has decreased; Broadway has flourished into a billion dollar business; and many of these places where you can get second helpings of roast beef and a lighthearted production have closed.
Yet Way Off Broadway—one of three in Maryland producing a variety of shows each season that this author could find—plays to nearly full houses each weekend, offering dinner and a show for less than $50 per person to its full-season subscribers. It is a testament to the Kiska family (in addition to Justin’s multi-hyphenate role, Bill Kiska served as Costume Designer for this show and Deb Kiska runs the theatre’s finances), its patrons from across Maryland ( guest at a nearby table had travelled 75 minutes from Upper Marlboro), and the dedicated staff like Artistic Director Jordan B. Stocksdale and Assistant Kitchen Manager Suzetta Harrison. Stay tuned for the upcoming 30th Anniversary Season, which includes “Tootsie,” an Agatha Christie murder mystery, and the annual Christmas show. You will leave with a smile on your face, a show in your head, and free parking outside the theater.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 30 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” runs through October 21, 2023 at the Way Off Broadway Dinner Theater, 5 Willowdale Drive, Frederick, MD 21702. Tickets can be purchased directly from the Box Office by calling (301) 662-6600. Tickets are not available online, due to the fact that the theater has the ability to adjust their table arrangements with each performance to accommodate the different reservation sizes. The price of a ticket includes the dinner buffet (with the salad and dessert courses being delivered directly to your table), show, taxes, and a $2.00 per ticket processing fee. There are no COVID-19 restrictions, although the buffet is now served “cafeteria style,” with staff putting food on your plate.
Theater Casual is the requested dress. No shorts or hats in the theater for mainstage performances. WOB reserves the right not to seat any guest who is dressed inappropriately. Lastly, the theatre notes that the wait staff–many of whom double as actors on stage–work mainly based on gratuities, which they can only accept via cash and not credit card.
