On Friday night, we made it to our final eligible performance for the season – “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” at the Little Theatre of Norfolk.  Walking into the theater, we were greeted with a very classy looking curtain, hanging from what appeared to be a wooden frame, specially carved with some suspicious looking (and maybe plot-relevant) figures along the top of the frame.  This attention to detail and cleverness in set design was a theme of the night, with some really well designed scenery, and many (and very quickly executed) scene changes throughout the show – a huge shout out to set designer Jessica Lahm and her team!  We especially loved the scenes where the various artifacts around Highhurst Castle came alive, and seeing the surprises that the set has in store – very “artfully” done.

As the show begins, the cast comes out for the first time to give the audience a musical warning that this show is not for the faint of heart.  It was during this song that we realized we were going to be in for a real treat over the next couple of hours – the ensemble instantly impressed, with our favorite ensemble number of the evening being “Why Are All the D’Ysquiths Dying”.  Something about how the Little Theatre of Norfolk is able to get the sound of a live band to mix with their consistently strong ensemble voices and waft down into the audience is especially splendid, in this case a tribute to musical director Joseph Bray.   Amy Harbin’s choreography (which we also enjoyed in “Urinetown” earlier this season) was very effective and extremely entertaining.  She successfully created chaos and hilarity on stage when necessary (such as in “Lady Hyacinth Abroad”), while also designing movement in such a way that you can see Monty’s (the main character’s) development throughout the play, from nervous about his task at hand to increasingly confident.  And director Alicia Wolters got incredible facial expressions and buy-in from her ensemble – it didn’t matter which member of the ensemble you chose to watch closely throughout the night, as each of them were bringing it and likely to get a smile out of you.

Of course, a great ensemble needs great leading and supporting performances to make the show soar, and this play did not disappoint.  Andrew Dulce showed off his impressive voice and arsenal of acting skills as Monty – you have to somehow subtly act like you are lying to just about everyone in this role, where the audience knows you are lying, but the characters around you do not.  That is a tough line to toe, since of course, acting in itself is like lying, where the audience knows you are not in fact the character but the characters around you think of you as that character.  This double-lie can be hard to show on stage without over-acting it, and Dulce did it perfectly.  

Opposite Dulce, as every member of the D’Ysquith family (something like nine total roles throughout the evening), was Steven Meeks.  Meeks was so funny, as most members of the family represent a version of a rich person with some sort of specific despicable flaw or trait.  He was fantastic throughout, melding into each separate character with very little time to catch his breath between being on stage and the many costume changes.  And the demanding role didn’t get in the way of his vocal performance, impressing with his singing while putting on various accents.  Our favorite small group number was “Poison in My Pocket”, where we watched Meeks “ice skate” across the stage with Anna Super (who we really enjoyed with fellow ensemble member Tré Porchia in LTVB’s “Escape to Margaritaville”) as Miss Barley, dueting to their own little tune, while Monty sung over them, pondering what to do with the aforementioned toxin.

Jessi DiPette, reprising her role of Sibella (which she also played in LTVB’s version of “Gentleman’s Guide” earlier this season), again impressed with her vocals and acting – somehow, one look from DiPette just draws the audience into a scene, and her chemistry with Dulce keeps the audience there.  On the night that we saw the play, it just so happened that Ashe O’Leary (who we loved earlier this season in LTN’s “Radium Girls”) was stepping into the role of Phoebe (usually played by Sophia Stopyra), and they were fantastic, nailing the operatic sound and the earnest acting of the role.  And Maya Garcia as the mysterious Miss Shingle really stood out, stealing the audience’s attention in every scene she was in, as everyone wondered – what exactly are her motives?  Garcia got this across perfectly.

And with that, LTN has closed out the 2023-24 season!  Our nomination committee will have an incredibly difficult task over the next week or so deciding who will be nominated in each category of our awards, but keep an eye out for those nominations, which will come out soon after “Gentleman’s Guide” finishes its run on June 23^rd!