CASSIDY McCLEARY as Sibella and Whitney Ackerman as Monty in “Love and Murder.”

By Thom deMartino
Orange County Tribune

Family.
Can’t live with ‘em, can’t do away with ‘em, amirite?
Or can you…?

A delightfully dark yet colorful new musical comedy is playing for a limited run at the Golden West College Mainstage Theater, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder.”

Directed by Martie Ramm, with book and lyrics by Robert L. Freedman & music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak, “Gentleman” is the story of the young Montague “Monty” Navarro (living in Edwardian England) and the sudden revelation that his whole life has been a lie, that he’s actually been swindled out of his birthright…and how he might get it back.

Just after his mother’s funeral, Monty is approached by the mysterious Miss Shingle (Megan Cherry), who asks him what he knows about his mother’s family: it seems she’d been disinherited for marrying for love without her family’s approval, and that both he and his mother had been exiled this entire time. It even comes to light that he is ninth in line for the Earldom of Highhurst … if only he didn’t have those pesky eight estranged family members standing in his way.

When Monty writes to the head of the family – the 8th Earl of Highhurst – he finds himself and his claims of birthright rejected and his mother’s memory insulted by the Lord Adalbert D’Ysquith (Jay Harbison, who portrays the D’Ysquith clan through the performance.) This final affront is the catalyst for his plans for vengeance and his descent into creative homicide.

But young man is not without love – or lust, anyway – as he continues an affair with the beautiful, soon-to-be-married Sibella (Cassidy McCleary), whose desire to climb the social ladder also provides Monty the impetus for his lethal ascent. But almost tempering him is the compassionate Phoebe D’Ysquith (Catherine Dosier), a distant cousin whom the calculating Monty finds himself increasingly captivated by. (Thank heavens she’s not in the line of succession.)

Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but as Monty ascends the social ladder – racking up cadavers with every rung – the hungrier the audience becomes for more. But as the story begins with him in prison, writing his memoirs, will he really get away with it… or will the final, extinguished D’Ysquith breath be his own?

The really remarkable bit about this show – besides the chemistry between the players, and Jay Harbison’s kaleidoscopic range – is how lively and lighthearted it is, considering the darkness of the subject.

Director Ramm keeps a steady, staccato pace to the show, and the audience will be thrilled to be tagging along for the ride. Bits like the back-and-forth door scene with Ackerman, McCleary and Dosier really showcase the comic skills and timing of the actors.

Ackerman keeps it delightfully upbeat: his immense vocal talents aside, his affable Monty is an endearing antihero that the audience can’t help rooting for – and asides to the viewer draw you in, like a co-conspirator. His musical numbers such as ‘Poison In My Pocket” and “Sibella” are standout, while “Stop! Wait! What!?” is raucous fun.

McCleary’s deceptively shallow Sibella is breathtaking and enchanting, and her own pieces, such as “I Don’t Know What I’d Do” and “That Horrible Woman” (a thrilling performance with Dosier’s remarkable Phoebe) are excellent.

For Dosier, the character of gentle Phoebe is a distinct pivot from other recent Golden West productions where she has made her mark (such as the excellent and searing “Eight Seconds”), and she makes full use of this opportunity to put her equally formidable, sonorous talents on full display.

Megan Cherry is, as always, a delight as the inciting Miss Shingle, and Saffron Brauer stands out in her dual roles, particularly as the acerbic Lady Eugenia.

But while it may be Ackerman’s devilish charm that drives the story, the soul is all Jay Harbison. A staple of the Mainstage Theater (whom this reviewer has had the pleasure of reviewing in myriad productions at Golden West), “Gentleman” really affords him the chance to demonstrate his considerable character skills, with pronounced mannerisms and affectations for each of the doomed D’Ysquiths.

The humor of the increasingly diabolical ways that the family members meet their ends is only amplified by Harbison’s colorful and distinct performances for each. While no actor may want to figuratively “die” on stage, never has an audience been so eager and so thrilled to see an actor perish repeatedly.

A hilarious, fast-paced production with unforgettable performances and musical numbers (and only playing for one more weekend!), “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” is a delightful distraction, no matter how dark (or light) your sense of humor.

Just don’t get any ideas.

“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”: Whitney Ackerman, Jay Harbison, Cassidy McCleary & Catherine Dosier star in this captivating comedy about an aspiring heir and the family members who stand in the way of his destiny. Now playing through May 3, at the Golden West College Mainstage Theater, 15751 Gothard St., Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Tickets available through the box office at 714-895-8150, x1 or at http://www.gwctheater.com.