'Gentleman's Guide' approaches murders in witty way

Oh Man-seok, left, as Henry D'Ysquith and Seo Kyung-su as Monty Navarro in a scene from the musical "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" / Courtesy of Shownote

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The Korean premiere of the Broadway musical "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder," a black comedy full of deaths, but not bloody at all, opened at the Hongik Daehangno Art Center in central Seoul.

Set in the early 1900s, the musical captures one of the favorite times of Korean theatergoers ― London in the Victorian era. The show begins with a group of mourners warning any faint-hearted audience members of the upcoming disturbances.

Young but poor Monty Navarro discovers at his mother's funeral that she was a member of the famous aristocratic D'Ysquith family, who was expelled from the clan for her elopement with a Spanish musical actor, and he is the ninth in line to inherit the family's noble title.

To impress his socially ambitious lover Sibella Hallward and avenge his mother's miserable life, Monty embarks on a journey to take his rightful place in the family ― by eliminating those who are ahead of him in order to become earl.

"Gentleman's Guide" differentiates from other classical musicals from here. Monty's methods of murder are rather extraordinary and he doesn't get any blood on his hands. He pulls his hands away from Reverend Ezekial D'Ysquith on top of a windy cathedral tower, while cutting a hole in the ice where Asquith D'Ysquith Jr. skates with his mistress. For beekeeper cousin Henry D'Ysquith, Monty prepares a bee-attracting lavender perfume.

Yoo Yeon-seok, center, as Monty Navarro in scene from the musical "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" / Courtesy of Shownote

Kim Dong-wan of Shinhwa, Yoo Yeon-seok and Seo Kyung-su alternate the role of the ambitious Monty Navarro, while veteran actors Oh Man-seok, Han Ji-sang and Lee Kyu-hyung take on multiple personalities of the D'Ysquith family.

The three Montys portray the murderous character in an elegant yet convincing way, but the true hero of the show is the actor who plays all the D'Ysquith Family members, going through unbelievably quick changes of costume, voice and acting style to play nine eccentric characters.

The family members include Lady Hyacinth D'Ysquith, a self-proclaimed philanthropist. Monty sends her to travel to remote areas and the actor of D'Ysquith wittily portrays the vain woman in different regions.

This clever parody of English Gothic thriller is also filled with ear-catching musical numbers. In the second act, Monty becomes literally caught between his two love interests ― Sibella and the lovable lady Phoebe D'Ysquith ― and the trio's "I've Decided to Marry You" delightfully and comically describes the situation in which Phoebe wants to marry Monty whereas married Sibella is still in an affair with the nobleman-to-be.

Their love triangle takes an unconventional turn when Monty is jailed soon after becoming the ninth earl of Highhurst.

The Korean production imagined the stage as the memoir of Monty, unraveling stories from the diary and drawers of memory. The diary contents and the stage backdrops are mostly realized through video projections, overcoming the difficulties of changes from Monty's humble house and the luxurious Highhurst Castle to a cathedral bell tower and the outdoor skating rink smoothly.

“Gentleman's Guide” runs through Jan. 27.