Lorraine always knows what's opening. She hears what's going to be hot. Her ear on the ground picks up the buzz. She literally walks around with the Sunday theater section of the New York Times. If Lorraine had been born in a previous century, she might have been in Ford's Theater the night Lincoln was shot.
Of course, over the years, we have seen the best and the worst that Broadway has to offer. If it's a revival, Lorraine probably saw the original and will make the requisite notes of comparison.
"He was good but no Jerry Orbach."
If the show stinks, I will always verbally abuse Lorraine all the way home and vow never to let her do that to me again.
And I always do.
So, living three thousand miles away, I still love to book in advance a theater soiree with Lorraine (and, frequently another college chum Dennis, who is also no theater slouch himself). I knew I was coming to town this month and I called Lorraine. Whatcha got for me?
"Oh, there's this new musical opening. It's got some buzz."
For some reason, the name of the show went in one ear and out the other. I said fine. Make sure I get an aisle seat because old Broadway houses and leg room were built originally for Doc, Sleepy, and Dopey. How much? I sent my check for the ticket and was once again pleased that Lorraine also knows how to work all the Broadway discount promotions. I was going to the theater.
Friends kept asking me what I was seeing. I said I had no clue. And I didn't.
Truth be told, I didn't really know where I was going until Lorraine handed me the ticket in our pre-theater dinner with Dennis at the E and E Grill House. I scanned the information.
"A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder."
Oh.
"It's got some buzz. It's probably pretty short but it's a one-man show."
Dennis interceded.
"No, it's a musical. I think it runs two and a half hours and there are other people in the cast."
Uh oh. I pondered how far off Lorraine was on this. What the hell am I in for?
Well, it was terrific. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable shows I've seen in a long time.
And Dennis was right. And so was Lorraine. A little.
"A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" is a musical and it runs two and a half hours. While it does have multiple people on stage, one might call it a one-man show as the star, one Jefferson Mays, gives a tour de force...make that tour de farce...performance. I had no idea what to expect. And I was blown away by the fun of it all.
To show you how confused I was prior to the show, I thought the main character was the star of the show. I hadn't checked the Playbill. I was too busy trying to figure out how to stick my leg out into the aisle for maximum comfort. The musical, set in London of 1909, tells the tale of suave Monty Navarro who is the heir to the fortune of the D'Ysquith family. So I figured this guy was the Jefferson Mays everybody was talking about.
Wrong.
The hero has to figure out how to get rid of the eight D'Ysquith family members that are ahead of him in succession. All eight of them are played by the same actor, the aforementioned Mays.
Oh.
It took me two D'Ysquiths to figure that out.
For the first fifteen minutes, I was thoroughly addled. But enjoying myself.
Mays does so many quick costume changes in this show that the Tony Award for this production should go to the backstage dresser. Because one minute he's a gay beekeeper and the next he's a tipsy vicar or an old lady on her way to darkest Africa. Meanwhile, the grisly ends that all these D'Ysquiths meet are insanely funny and almost Looney Tune-like as if the show was really directed by Chuck Jones or Friz Freleng. All along the way, there are wonderfully punny and funny songs with deliciously dark titles.
"I Don't Understand the Poor."
"Poison In My Pocket."
"Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun."
"That Horrible Woman."
"Why Are All The D'Ysquiths Dying?"
There's one extended number where Monty juggles two loves in hiding through an intricate series of door openings and closings. It's straight from a 1953 Bugs Bunny cartoon and it's hilarious.
Everything about this show is so immensely clever that I devoured the Playbill when I got home. Who are all these people involved? I recognized none of the names. Even the snarkiness extended to the cast bios. One of the actresses pointed to her IMDB.com listing if you wanted to know her credits. Ha.
I was genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed a show that I had no expectations of. And ever thankful of some New York friends like Lorraine and Dennis who are always willing to point me in the right direction.
Where are we going next, guys?
Dinner last night: Had a very late lunch so just a sandwich.
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