A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder = L*O*V*E*D it!!!!! I laughed so hard that I snorted (twice) and I am already trying to figure out when and how I can see it again.
First, an "I am an idiot" disclaimer: I have wanted to see this since it started in previews and in all this time, I had no idea it was based on the movie Kind Hearts and Coronets.Even when a friend mentioned it earlier today on my Facebook post saying I was going, my thought to myself was "what does that have to do with anything?!?" It wasn't until before the show when I was telling my friend Deb that I was really surprised that the actor who played all the diff't parts hadn't won the Tony and she said, "Oh, I was wondering if they did it like the movie..." and I said, "what movie?" "Kind Hearts & Coronets" ... Me: I don't think I've seen that... Deb: "Oh, Alec Guinness plays all the family members that get murdered..." and I had a sudden picture in my head of him as the Parson and I said, "OH. I think I =have= seen that, but it's been so long that I don't even remember it!!!" It came back to me as the evening unfolded, to a point where I exclaimed, "OH!" and threw my hands to my face, as I realized what was going to happen, LOL!!! (Another person learns I am apparently a riot to sit next to...)
Second, we sat in the balcony. Before you click "yes, I want to purchase this seat," it gives you a big disclaimer that it's obstructed view. It's not really too bad...there's a little half circle runway protruding from the stage and when people went out on it, we had to lean forward to see what was happening out on it. If that will annoy you, don't sit in the balcony. If not, we paid $50 a seat, which, while it's an "I don't do this often" splurge, it is a great price for a Broadway show, much less the one that just won Best Musical. Also? Most comfortable balcony seats I've encountered in a Broadway theatre yet--I didn't at all feel like my knees were up above my shoulders and there was some leg room, so my knees didn't hurt at the end from not moving for 2-3 hours.
The show itself is wonderful. =Clever=...very, very clever--the dialogue, the lyrics, a lot of the music and the set and effects. (OMG, the bees and the way the Vicar "falls" are just hilarious, as is the weight-lifting scene...and omg, the skating scene was, again, hilarious!!!!!!) It was SO SO SO SO refreshing to have a non-electric, only gently-amplified band/orchestra --omg, my ears didn't hurt once and I'm still having snippets of the songs running through my head. My only quibble with the whole thing is that occasionally the words were so quick and/or the English accents were so broad that I missed things and I don't want to miss a thing. (sorry if I just gave you an Aerosmith earworm...) The chorus was great--the number they top the 2nd Act with about "Why Are All the D'Ysquiths Dying?" was hilarious. I cannot say enough good things about Jefferson Mays (the Alec Guinness role)--omg, he was brilliant all around, and I still don't know how he didn't win the Tony--singing, delivery, physical comedy: he's awesome. Bryce Pinkham, Lisa O'Hare and Lauren Worsham were all wonderful (OMG, lyric voices instead of a lot of the scream-sing you hear on Broadway these days...I wanted to run up on stage and hug them all and thank them (and the producers) for that!!!). All the smaller parts were well done, too, and Joanna Glushak as Lady Eugenia was HiLARious. It's a very small part and she totally stole the scene.
I also have to give the Walter Kerr theater and the woman in charge of the lady's room "Mad Props"--we had to go down the stairs and halfway across the back of the house (and then behind 4 women who cut in front of us and were rude) because the line was so long and it didn't seem possible they could accommodate all of us in 15 minutes and they did. That was astounding, LOL.
I don't think I'm missing anything--seriously. If you get a chance to see it, I can't recommend it enough...
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