This article delves into the creation of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, exploring its journey to Broadway and its eventual Tony Award win. We’ll examine the inspirations, challenges, and creative processes that shaped this unique musical.
From Kind Hearts and Coronets to Broadway
Robert Freedman (RF) and Steven Lutvak (SL) met at NYU’s graduate musical theater writing program in 1981. They initially sought to collaborate and after some false starts, Lutvak recalled a film he had seen in college, Kind Hearts and Coronets.
SL: “I was in college. It was 1978 or ’79 and I wasn’t sleeping, so I turned on my black and white television and two or three channels in, there was this movie and I went, “Oh yeah, that’s Kind Hearts and Coronets; that’s one of my dad’s favorite films.” And I literally bolted upright in bed, smacked my forehead and said, “Oh my god, it’s a musical.”
He obtained a script and felt it possessed the framework of a traditional musical, albeit with a distinctive dark tone. After acquiring the rights, they began adapting Kind Hearts and Coronets into a musical.
However, despite successes at Sundance and award wins, the rights holders ultimately prevented them from proceeding.
Reinventing the Story: Israel Rank and Creative Freedom
Facing a setback, they returned to the original source material: Roy Horniman’s novel, Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal.
RF: “It’s called Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal [by Roy Horniman], which we had read, from the very beginning. And we decided to take out everything from our show which was in the film, but not in the novel – which left plenty because we had already made up a lot of stuff.”
They meticulously removed elements exclusive to the film, relying on a copyright lawyer’s guidance. This constraint paradoxically became liberating.
SL: “And when we had to go back and rewrite the show, it was enormously freeing to us, actually, because we had not only to sidestep what we couldn’t use, but it freed us up to be wilder in our choices.”
They reimagined the identities and deaths of the D’Ysquith family members, diverging from the film’s specifics.
RF: “There are eight people who die in the movie and eight people who die in our show. But there are differences in the occupations and the personality profiles, the identities of the people that get killed…So, we just had fun making up new identities and new ways for them to die! It wasn’t just who they were, but how they died. And I think not being allowed to use the stuff in the movie just liberated us.”
Legal Battles and Creative Vindication
In 2009, just before a La Jolla production, the movie’s rights-holders filed a lawsuit. The thirteen-month legal battle centered on the concept of one actor playing all the murdered family members – a feature present in the film but not the novel. The judge ultimately dismissed the case in 2011, affirming the musical’s distinct identity.
SL: “The judge said, in his decision, “ultimately the movie and the musical are two completely different iterations of the same underlying material. The movie plants its tongue firmly in its cheek and the musical sticks its tongue out.””
The Appeal of Dark Humor and Theatricality
The musical’s success lies in its blend of dark humor and theatrical flair. The creators carefully balanced the odiousness of the D’Ysquiths with Monty’s sympathetic portrayal.
SL: “Well, we were very careful about that; we need to make the D’Ysquiths all odious enough that you didn’t mind seeing them killed off. We needed to write Monty [the protagonist] sympathetically and we needed to cast Monty sympathetically.”
Monty’s circumstances – poverty, denied inheritance, and a mother’s sacrifices – make him an underdog audiences can root for.
RF: “I think there are certain things about his predicament in life that are inherently sympathetic and that anybody can identify with; he’s an underdog and, not only did he grow up poor, but he was denied the kind of life that he should have been born into and should’ve had. His mother sacrificed everything for him and she basically died having suffered a great deal…I think there isn’t anyone who hasn’t fantasized about getting revenge.”
The musical’s humor stems from the creators’ enjoyment of the language, tone, and consistent attitude.
RF: “Steve and I had a tremendous amount of fun writing it and we just wallowed in the language of it and the attitude of it and the tone. We kept making sure that we were keeping everything consistent in tone. And we just cracked each other up writing lyrics. We wrote lyrics together in the same room, which some people can’t conceive of, but that’s exactly how we did it. And so it was fun!”
SL: “As time has gone by, I realize that what we are, in a way, is a very low comedy in a very fancy box. There’s all that faux classical music and it’s all very proper and it’s Edwardian England and the women are all corseted and everything is buttoned up. But, in reality, it’s a low comedy.”
Darko Tresnjak’s direction and Alexander Dodge’s set design, featuring a toy theater concept, enhanced the show’s theatricality. The use of projections allowed for a blend of Edwardian aesthetics and modern elements.
RF: “Darko, at the very beginning, just completely understood what we were going for. And then he met with Alexander Dodge, our set designer, and they came up with this toy theater idea…And I think what Darko did is he not only did that, but through the use of projections, he found a way to make it modern at the same time that it was clearly Edwardian.”
A Tony Award and Lasting Impact
Winning the Tony Award for Best Musical was an astonishing achievement after years of development.
SL: “Even now, I don’t know that I can find the words for it; given the almost eleven years that we had worked on the show, to win that was nothing less than astonishing. Nothing less than astonishing.”
But the most rewarding aspect for Freedman is the audience’s reaction.
RF: “There’s nothing in the world like the feeling…when people react to the show at the end; just the overwhelming excitement of the audience and the fact that I’ve been part of something that I’m sharing with people, with strangers and that they are reacting to it the way that they are with incredible enthusiasm…that feeling from the audience is miraculous and wonderful and moving to me every single time.”
Conclusion: A Testament to Creativity and Perseverance
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder exemplifies the power of creative adaptation, perseverance, and collaborative spirit. Its journey from a film adaptation setback to a Tony Award-winning Broadway hit is a testament to the enduring appeal of dark humor, theatrical innovation, and a story that resonates with audiences. Explore A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder book to dive deeper into the twisted world of Monty Navarro.
