By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.
In recent years, the lineup of national tours of Broadway plays and musicals has been fairly predictable – and relatively safe. So many of the shows are either popular standards such as “Wicked,” “Annie” or “Beauty and the Beast” or revivals of old hits such as “Sound of Music” or “Music Man.”
Fortunately, there are a few new shows popping up on the area calendar this season including “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” which is running from November 15-20 at the Playhouse on Rodney Square (10th and Market streets, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-0200, www.duponttheatre.com).
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” is a musical comedy, with the book and lyrics by Robert L. Freedman and the music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak. It is based on the 1907 novel “Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal” by Roy Horniman. The show opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre November 17, 2013 and ran until January 17, 2016. The Broadway production won four Tonys at the 68th Tony Awards in June 2014, including “Best Musical.”
The show tells the uproarious story of Monty Navarro, an heir to a family fortune who sets out to jump the line of succession by eliminating the eight pesky relatives who stand in his way. All the while, Monty has to juggle his mistress (she’s after more than just love), his fiancée (she’s his cousin but who’s keeping track?), and the constant threat of landing behind bars. For Monty, it will all be worth it if he can slay his way to his inheritance… and be done in time for tea.
When the curtain goes up for the start of the show, a group dressed in mourning enter and advise “those of you of weaker constitution” to leave the theater, as the show may prove disturbing. In 1909, Lord Montague “Monty” D’Ysquith Navarro, Ninth Earl of Highhurst, is in jail. He says that he is writing his memoirs on the eve of his possible execution, and that his story could be called “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.”
The cast of the national tour features Kevin Massey as Monty, Kristen Beth Williams as Sibella Hallward and Kristen Hahn as Phoebe D’Ysquith.
“I saw ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder’ two times in its first year on Broadway,” said Williams, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Hershey.
“I went the first time because I’m a Tony Awards voter. Then, they invited the voters to come back and see the show again in the spring. It was witty, fun and exciting – not like other shows that were in formulas we had seen before. Everything about the show impressed me – the costumes, the story, the music.
“The set design is like Monty Python meets Downton Abbey. The costumes by Linda Cho won the Tony Award for “Best Costume Design.” She’s so stunning. The music was interesting – classic Loerner and Lowe and also Sondheim-esque.”
Williams was not only impressed – she was enticed by the show.
“When I first saw it, I thought – Sibella, that’s the part I want to play. I was never available for Broadway when it opened because I was in London playing in ‘Top Hat.’ I auditioned for the tour in March 2015.
“This musical has been referred to as ‘the little show that could.’ It took the writers 11 years to get the show to Broadway. When it opened on Broadway, it was a quiet sleeper hit. When it got 10 Tony nominations, it blew up. It’s clever, witty and impeccably put together. It feels really good to work on a new show – qa new original piece of theater.
“Monty is a poor young man who finds out he’s no as poor as he thought – that he’s eighth in line for a large fortune and a title. In order to win the hand of his love Sibella, he starts on a devious murdering path. There are eight deaths and each is more outlandish and cartoonish.
“Audiences love this show because it’s a wonderful departure from everyday life. It takes you into a different world. It’s a chance to escape for two-and-a-half hours and laugh. It’s very funny and very farcical.”
Video link for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” — https://youtu.be/So5xHDuetgQ?t=3.
The show will run from November 15-20 with evening performances Tuesday-Saturday and matinee shows on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Ticket prices range from $40-$90.
Xylo
On November 14, Union Transfer will host the area debut by a talented new act from southern California – XYLØ.
Producer/songwriter Chase Duddy and vocalist Paige Duddy have teamed up become the alternative rock duo XYLØ. Mixing melodic, dark, lustful vocals with an atmospheric blend of indie rock, electronica, and dirty hip-hop beats they have drawn early comparisons to the likes of Lorde and Lana Del Rey.
With the first four tracks they made available online – “America,” “Afterlife,” “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and “L.A. Love Song” — they’ve garnered millions of streams independently.
“A few years ago, Paige and I started messing around with music when she was in early high school,” said Chase. “It was about three years ago that we started messing around with the XYLØ sound.’
The duo first found success with their debut track “America,” a hazy pop ballad about love and freedom that was featured in an online PacSun commercial staring Kendall and Kylie Jenner. The internet lit up in response and the track garnered over 1.6 million listens on Soundcloud, as well as reached #1 on Hypemachine.
“At the time, I was doing music for adverts for different brands,” said Chase. “I was working on one and thought it would be fun to have Paige come on. It was a PacSun commercial staring Kendall and Kylie Jenner. I was really busy that year and had Paige work with me on all the stuff.
Paige said, “After ‘America;’, we got so much good reaction on the internet, it confirmed what we were doing – that it would be silly for us to not continue. So, we buckled down and took it seriously. We went into the studio and put ‘America’ out as a single. It all happened very quickly.”
The two musicians have their own recording gear and lots of inspiration.
“We record all our stuff digitally,” said Chase. “We keep everything in the box and go from there.”
Paige said, “We have tons of songs. We’ve been writing for an album but no release date has even been set. Right now, with the music we’re making and our demographic, an album isn’t necessary.”
XYLØ released the debut EP America in early 2016. The duo recently released its new track “Gossip.” The instrumental version of the track was also featured in the recent Apple keynote for their new AirPods.
“We’re on tour right now and then we’ll be home on December for some headline shows,” said Paige. “We’re doing a new song and music video in December and then our own headlining tour across the states early in 2017.”
Video link for XYLØ — https://youtu.be/XiRMPMZ6BPY?t=4.
The show at Union Transfer, which also features The Naked and Famous and The Chain gang of 1974, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $29.50.
David Berkeley may live in the Southwest – Santa Fe, New Mexico – but he has been a sailor of sorts lately. He and British singer-songwriter Ben Parker have gone nautical with their new project Town Hall. The premise is that they are sailors on the sea in the late 1800s.
Son of Town Hall
On November 14, they will bring Son of Town Hall to the area for a show at Bourbon and Branch (705 North Second Street, Philadelphia, 215-238-0660, bourbonandbranchphilly.com)
“It’s a duo,” said Berkeley, during a phoebe interview last Wednesday from his home in Santa Fe. “The songs are full of harmonies. It’s our first collaboration – our first songs together.
“With the shows on this tour, we wear Victorian clothing and present ourselves as a late 1800s act. The songs were written on a raft as we travelled from England to America. It’s performed very deadpan.
“The songs are moving and powerful. There is a lot of catharsis. The songs follow the narrative of a guy who leaves England for the New World. He’s dazzled by America and it overwhelms him. The resonance comes from those themes from a different era that are relevant today.
When Berkeley forts toured England several years ago, he toured the country with Parker and they became close friends.
“Ben is a great songwriter and he’s played as a side man for a number of really good bands in Europe,” said Berkeley. “We had a great time together on the road and we’ve wanted to do something together for a while. There’s something about the tendencies of performers who are harmony-based – a real emotional effect.
“On this tour, a town crier starts the show. Both guys are on a raft and we pepper the performance with readings about the sea. This is one of our first performances on dry land. Most of the songs are land songs but we wrote them on a raft – men at sea longing foir land. They don’t feel like old folk songs. They feel current. We tried to write lyrics that can work in both worlds.”
The audiences have bought into the nautical/Victorian vibe.
“We have a book – a ship’s log – and people form the audience write in it – including things like co-ordinates of the location and email addresses. The merchandise table is presented as a dry goods store. The people in the audience become players. There are a lot of sing-aloings and some audience members dress up in Victorian clothes.”
Video link for Son of Town Hall – https://youtu.be/SsZ31EgSFrE?t=1.
The show at Bourbon & Branch will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.
Mayday Parade is a rock band that formed in Tallahassee, Florida 10 years ago. The band’s debut EP “Tales Told by Dead Friends” was released in 2006, and sold over 50,000 copies without any label support. Mayday Parade is now on tour – with a stop on November 14 at the Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, www.thefillmorephilly.com) – and the band has delivered a special treat for its fans.
The Florida quintet — Derek Sanders, Alex Garcia, Brooks Betts, Jeremy Lenzo and Jake Bundrick — just released a special anniversary edition of its debut EP “Tales Told By Dead Friends” on November 1. to release on Nov. 11. In addition to being remixed and remastered, the “Tales Told By Dead Friends: Anniversary Edition” will include a brand new studio track titled “The Problem With The Big Picture Is That It’s Hard To See.” The EP will be available as a limited edition 10-inch featuring exclusive glow-in-the-dark deluxe packaging and a 12-page commemorative book.
“For this tour, we’re doing the 10th anniversary edition of the EP,” said Garcia, during a phone interview Wednesday as the band was getting ready for pre-tour rehearsals at its studio in Tallahassee.
“And, we’re playing some other older songs that we don’t usually play in our set. We’re trying to go through the songs and get the set list together right now. It will be a fun tour.
“We’re going to be playing the EP from start-to-finish – including ‘The Problem With The Big Picture Is That It’s Hard To See.’ We’re also going to throw in some other songs – some different songs fans haven’t heard live – to make this special. It’s pretty much a treat for our long-time fans.
“Every year, we always do a big fall tour. This time, it’s something special for our fans. We wanted to do something more intimate so we’re playing small rooms in every city instead of the larger venues where we usually play. We wanted to do something different and change it up. Small rooms allow us to play different songs. We’ll even be playing some a acoustic songs. It will have intimacy.”
Mayday Parade had a busy summer touring across the U.S. on the Main Stage of the Vans Warped Tour 2016. The band has been touring in support of new album “Black Lines,” which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Rock Albums Chart and #1 on the Alternative Albums Chart. Melodically diverse, the collection of 12 hard-hitting tracks blends driving rock riffs with the band signature heartfelt lyrics.
“We releasd ‘Black Lines’ last year and all the touring since then has been based around the album,” said Garcia. “We toutrd the states qa couple times and we’ve toured in the U.K. and Europe. This tour is a break from that.
“This tour will wrap up the cycle. After that, we’ll get home and talk about writing for our next album and going down that process. Everyone is writing individually and getting ideas together.”
Video link for Mayday Parade — https://youtu.be/ODPgSDOgCHY?t=5.
The show at The Foundry, which also features Modern Chemistry, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $22.
