Indeed, said Robert L. Freedman, who wrote the book for this Tony Award-winning musical, the theme of revenge is one of the key secrets to its popular success.
“I think its human nature to get back at someone who has done you wrong,” he said. “Most of us don’t exercise that option, so there’s a vicarious thrill in watching someone else do it, and possibly get away with it.”
The show opened this week at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati, where it runs until Sunday, Jan. 8.
Based on a relatively obscure 1907 novel, “Gentleman’s Guide” tells the story of Monty, a penniless young man living in an English slum with his washerwoman mother. After his mother dies, Monty discovers she was actually a distant heiress to a vast aristocratic fortune but was disinherited when she eloped with a lowly musician (Monty’s father). Rebuffed by his true family when he identifies himself, and hopelessly in love with a girl presently being wooed by one his relatives who’s closer in the line of succession, Monty decides to arrange a series of “accidents” for the eight people who stand between him and the title.
Freedman said that Steven Lutvak, his collaborator who wrote the musical score, discovered the story first and brought it to Freedman, thinking it’d be a great musical. Freedman quickly agreed.
“There’s a lot of physical comedy, which appeals to a wide range of ages and audiences,” he said. “Most importantly, you really root for (Monty). He’s an underdog. Everyone he kills is really odious. The murders are silly, there’s no real gore and the victims are all played by the same guy, so it’s fun to see him keep popping back up. There’s a sexy love triangle in the middle of it. There’s a lot going on. It’s a lot of fun.”
Besides the vengeance angle, Freedman said the show is also socially relevant.
“We like to think there’s no royalty in America,” he said. “But we’ve seen a top one percent emerge along with the narrowing of the middle class. (Original author) Roy Horniman ran in the same circles as Oscar Wilde, so it has that similar wit and skewering of the upper classes. The same things that made it topical then make it topical today.”
Yet despite all these positives, Freedman said he and Lutvak struggled to get it produced.
“We workshopped it and got a lot of positive feedback from people who didn’t want to produce it,” he chuckled. “It wasn’t a typical show. There was no recognizable title or star. Some people thought it was too highbrow to catch on.”
Freedman and Lutvak were finally able to stage the show in Hartford, Conn. Rave reviews attracted interest from producers at last. Word of mouth built, and the ultimate result was four Tony Award wins, including Freedman for Best Book. Even so, Freedman said they were wary of taking the show on the road.
“It’s always a risk, because of cast changes and other things,” he said. “But we’re delighted with how much wider audiences and critics have embraced the show. For a writer, there’s nothing more satisfying to hear an audience laugh at what cracked you up in the privacy of your room.”
How to go
What: “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder”
Where: Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Cincinnati
When: Opened on Tuesday, Jan. 3, and runs until Sunday, Jan. 8. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Cost: $30 and up
More info: 513-621-2787 or www.cincinnatiarts.org
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