Line #51 Theatre/AGentlemansGuideToLoveAndMurder


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a_gentlemans_guide.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Why are all the D'Ysquiths dying?]]
3
4	A musical based on the book ''Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal'' (which previously inspired the film ''Film/KindHeartsAndCoronets''). The show opened on Broadway in 2013 and went on to win several prizes at the 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
5
6	Monty Navarro, the young Earl of Highhurst, is writing his memoirs while awaiting his death sentence. Monty was not always well off; in fact he spent most of his life in poverty. However, upon the death of his mother he discovers that she was part of the wealthy and powerful D'Ysquith family, led by Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith, but that she had been disinherited after eloping with his father. When his newly discovered relatives refuse to help or acknowledge him, the family's rejection of him and his mother inspires Monty to murder the eight people standing between him and the Earldom:
7
8	* Dottery drunken [[TheVicar Reverend Lord Ezekial D'Ysquith]]
9	* Foppish dandy [[UpperClassTwit Asquith D'Ysquith, Jr.]]
10	* Fey beekeeper [[CampGay Henry D'Ysquith]]
11	* Charity Matron [[GrandeDame Lady Hyacinth D'Ysquith]]
12	* Actress [[LargeHam Lady Salome D'Ysquith Pumphrey]]
13	* Banker [[QuintessentialBritishGentleman Lord Asquith D'Ysquith, Sr.]]
14	* The beefy [[TheBrute Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith]]
15	* And finally, [[GreatWhiteHunter Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith, Earl of Highhurst]]
16
17	BlackComedy and wordplay ensue.
18
19	!!The musical includes examples of:
20	* AdaptationTitleChange: ''A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder'' is adapted from the novel ''Israel Rank: the Autobiography of a Criminal''.
21	* AllMusicalsAreAdaptations: Based on the 1904 novel ''Israel Rank: the Autobiography of a Criminal'', which was previously the basis for ''Film/KindHeartsAndCoronets''.
22	* AntiHero: Monty is trying to improve his life and avenge his mother, but he's still a murderer.
23	* AristocratsAreEvil: Established immediately by Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith's intro song "I Don't Understand the Poor".
24	* AsYouKnow - "You're a D'Ysquith" starts with Miss Shingle making sure we learn who the D'Ysquiths are:
25	-->'''Miss Shingle:''' Have you heard of the D'Ysquith family?
26	-->'''Monty:''' The D'Ysquiths? Why yes, of course! Hasn't everyone?
27	-->'''Miss Shingle:''' Then you've heard of Highhurst Castle?
28	-->'''Monty:''' Of course!
29	-->'''Miss Shingle:''' You're aware - then, of their position, their vast wealth and influence?
30	* AssholeVictim: Many of the D'Ysquith family members. They're extremely condescending, self-centered, and a general pain towards their servants. In the song, ''"Why Are All The D'Ysquith's Dying?"'', the cast is more annoyed with having to attend their funerals rather than being saddened by their deaths.
31	* BadBadActing: Lady Salome D'Ysquith Pumphrey. All of her castmates hate her because of it.
32	* BeeAfraid: The fate of [[spoiler: Henry D'Ysquith]]. When he shows Monty around his home, he introduces Monty to his colony of bees. Monty admits not wanting to get close for fear of being stung. He shows no fear whatsoever, saying "I dare say it would take 100 bees to kill me now!" Cue Monty immediately plotting his next murder by spraying his beekeeping helmet with English lavender to attract the bees.
33	* BettyAndVeronica: With the sweet and proper Phoebe as Betty and the spirited but married Sibella as Veronica. Comes to a head during "I've Decided to Marry You."
34	-->'''Monty:''' Look at Phoebe, noble and pious, my esteem for her only grows,
35	-->But, when I am with Phoebe, I am on fire thinking of
36	-->Sibella, full of desire, passion and, dare I say it, love?
37	-->But, when I’m with Sibella, whom do I admire? None but
38	-->Phoebe, perfect and lovely, who couldn’t love her, heaven knows?
39	-->Round and round and round it goes!
40	* BlackComedy: Much of the show's humor comes from the increasingly ridiculous ways to play murder, revenge, and social climbing for laughs.
41	* BlueBlood: The D'Ysquiths are a very prominent aristocratic family.
42	* BreakingTheFourthWall:
43	** Monty occasionally turns to address the audience directly, particularly during the narratives and in a back-and-forth during "Stop! Wait! What?" Also see the BrickJoke entry below.
44	** The other D'Ysquiths get in on the action as well, particularly Asquith D'Ysquith, Jr., who flirts with female audience members in the front rows prior to "Poison in My Pocket," and Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith, who often addresses parts of "I Don't Understand the Poor" directly to the audience (specifically those sitting in the balcony a.k.a. the "poor seats").
45	* BrickJoke: Monty steals a poisonous Belladonna flower during "Inside Out" in what seems to be an obvious use of ChekhovsGun, [[spoiler:only to give it to Chauncey D'Ysquith [[BreakingTheFourthWall after the Curtain Call.]]]]
46	* CampGay: Henry D'Ysquith is quite flamboyant, and all but states to be a gay man.
47	* CapturedByCannibals: This is the fate Monty intends for Lady Hyacinth, [[spoiler:but she somehow manages to escape and return to London.]]
48	* TheCatCameBack: Monty convinces Lady Hyacinth D'Ysquith to travel to extremely dangerous locations in the name of charity, and is always surprised when she comes back unharmed. [[spoiler:He decides to [[CuttingTheKnot finish the job himself]], off-stage, by causing a dock to collapse under her considerable weight.]].
49	* ChekhovsGun:
50	** The belladonna flower, as mentioned above. Also [[spoiler:Monty's memoirs]].
51	** [[spoiler: Averted with Monty's scarf. When murdering Asquith Jr. and Miss Barley, Monty leaves behind a scarf at the scene. He agonizes for a moment over whether he left something behind... only for it never to come up again in the narrative.]]
52	* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Miss Shingle.]]
53	* ClingyJealousGirl: Both Sibella and Pheobe become quite possessive over Monty when they meet, [[spoiler: Subverted when Phoebe visits her husband shortly before his execution to ask him if Sibella loves him. Monty thinks she's turned against him for the affair but the two put aside their differences by accusing each other of the murder thus creating reasonable doubt and saving Monty. It's implied they are willing to share him at the end.]]
54	* CounterpointDuet: "Poison in My Pocket".
55	* CrowdSong: Both of the act openers, "A Warning to the Audience" and "Why Are All the D'Ysquiths Dying?"
56	* CuttingTheKnot: As stated in TheCatCameBack above, Monty finally gets rid of Lady Hyacinth with a boobytrap after she survives multiple less-direct plots.
57	* DangerThinIce: How Asquith D'Ysquith Jr. and his showgirl lover meet their ends [[spoiler: by falling through the ice of a frozen lake and drowning. Monty sawed through the ice to weaken it so this would happen.]]
58	* DeathAsComedy: The basic premise of the play.
59	* {{Deuteragonist}}: Sort of a meta example. Not any one character, with Monty quite clearly being the story's sole lead. However, thanks to all of the D'Ysquiths other than Phoebe being played by one man, while this actor's role is smaller than Monty's, he still has plenty of material, is just as important as the show's main character, and also considered to be a leading role.
60	* DistantDuet: "That Horrible Woman". Sibella and Phoebe each blame the other for the murder of Lord Adalbert to the detective and magistrate respectively.
61	* EnforcedMethodActing: InUniverse - Lady Salome meets her end when, unbeknownst to her, Monty switches the blank bullets for real ones in the gun she uses to commit suicide as Theatre/HeddaGabler.
62	* EnlightenedSelfInterest: Lady Hyacinth D'Ysquith's entire motivation for travelling across the world at Monty's suggestion -- as the other society ladies (particularly Daisy Greville) have monopolized all the worthy and charitable causes available for similarly greedy reasons, Lady Hyacinth has been left needing "a cause of my own", and a unique one, to stand out and show everyone just how generous and saintly she is.
63	-->''Everyone’s got something. Can’t you see why I’m bereft?\
64	I want to do some good, but what the devil’s left?''\
65	...\
66	''Now, not a word to even your mothers 'til we leave, although -- come to think of it,\
67	What is the point of helping others, unless you let the whole world know?''
68	* FramingDevice: The story is told as Monty's memoirs while he awaits his sentence in prison.
69	* GagPenis: Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith has a truly frightening bulge underneath his shorts.
70	* GentlemanSnarker: Much of the cast, albeit in a very darkly humorous way.
71	* TheGhost: Lionel Holland, Sibella's husband, is frequently mentioned but never seen.
72	* GoldDigger: Sibella turns down Monty in order to marry a much richer suitor. This backfires on her when Monty suddenly gains a title, a great deal of money, and Phoebe.
73	* GoodBadGirl: Sibella. [[spoiler: And possibly Phoebe at the end.]]
74	* GorgeousPeriodDress: Phoebe and Sibella get to show off some incredibly dashing Edwardian dresses.
75	* HaveAGayOldTime: Phoebe mentions to Monty that the latter was regarded by [[spoiler: the late]] Henry as "the gayest man he'd ever met".
76	* HeroicComedicSociopath: Monty spends most of the story finding hilarious ways to gleefully murder his relatives and juggling two love interests, all without remorse. And yet he still has the motives of a traditional hero: wanting to win the heart of the girl he loves, and avenging his mother.
77	* HeyWait: Just as Monty is being released from prison, a guard stops him while saying he found his memoirs. [[spoiler:The guard wanted to make sure he didn't leave his memoirs behind. Especially funny as they contained a full written confession of the various murders.]]
78	* HomoeroticSubtext: The entire song between Henry and Monty, "Better With A Man," is full of wordplay that deliberately evokes this.
79	-->''When a fellow needs a little helping hand\
80	Who'll be there? It's almost guaranteed\
81	No one else could ever really understand\
82	Only another man knows what you need\
83	And when a man has fallen down upon his knees\
84	In such a moment who'd be better than\
85	Someone who's self-controlled\
86	Someone who's strong and bold\
87	Someone as good as gold\
88	It's better with a man.''
89	* IncomingHam: Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith's entrance in "I Don't Understand the Poor":
90	-->'''Adalbert:''' I say, you there! '''Hands off that sword!''' Put '''down''' that book! Isn't enough we let ya look?!
91	* TheIngenue: Phoebe. [[spoiler: Subverted at the end which reveals that she's not quite as innocent as we all thought - though still very sweet and caring.]]
92	* InnocentSoprano: Phoebe... [[spoiler: though the ending implies that her innocence may be a facade.]]
93	* IntrafamilialClassConflict: Played for BlackComedy. Monty Navarro spent his life in poverty, until he learns after his mother's death that she was an heiress of the incredibly wealthy [[PunnyName D'Ysquith]] family, disinherited for marrying his working-class father. Monty, as eighth in line for the Earl of Highhurst position, decides to improve his station and take revenge for his mother's disgrace by [[AssholeVictim killing off everyone ahead of him in succession]]. Downplayed since he never tells his victims he is related to them, so it's more of a one-sided conflict.
94	* {{Irony}}: [[spoiler: Monty is placed under arrest for the murder of Adalbert D'Ysquith...one of the few members of the family he ''didn't'' actually kill.]]
95	* IWantMyMommy: [[spoiler: Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith]]'s final words are a panicked "Mommy!" right before [[spoiler: [[OffWithHisHead his demise.]]]]
96	* KarmaHoudini:
97	** [[spoiler: Monty, in the end. Despite murdering seven people he winds up with the wealth, title, and the love of both Phoebe and Sibella. This is even after writing a confession of the crime.]]
98	** But then again, [[spoiler: Chauncey has some poison in his pocket...]]
99	** But then ''again,'' [[spoiler: there is that BrickJoke up there...]]
100	** [[spoiler: Monty goes beyond houdini levels, pretty much every terrible thing he does leads to something good happening. For example. murdering Asquith Jr. leads to Asquith Sr. giving him a good job, murdering Henry leads to Phoebe falling for him, etc.]]
101	** [[spoiler: Miss Shingle gets away with murdering Adalbert, framing Monty, and essentially kick-starting the entire plot.]]
102	* KickTheDog: One of Monty's primary motivation for murdering the D'Ysquith's is their cruel treatment of disowning his mother, dooming her to a life of poverty, all for falling in love with his father who was a simple working-class man.
103	* KilledMidSentence: Lord Adalbert, poisoned during "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun."
104	* KissingCousins: Phoebe and Monty are cousins, though not too closely related.
105	* LadyInRed: The supremely sexy Sibella.
106	* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Elegant, kind Phoebe is the Light to Sibella's flirtatious, passionate Dark.
107	* LoveAtFirstSight: Monty and Phoebe are instantly smitten with each other when they first meet at Henry D'Ysquith's country estate.
108	* MassiveMultiplayerEnsembleNumber: All the characters and plotlines intersect in the extended Act 1 finale, "The Last One You'd Expect."
109	* MondegreenGag: [[spoiler: Subverted]] during Monty and Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith's interaction, once the latter begins lifting a heavy barbell.
110	-->'''Bartholomew:''' ''(lifting the barbell)'' It's getting rather heavy...!
111	-->'''Monty:''' Beg your pardon? ''"Heavier",'' did you say? ''(places more weight on the barbell)''
112	-->'''Bartholomew:''' No! No more!
113	-->'''Monty:''' ''"More"?'' All right, Major, if you think it's best! ''(loads the barbell with even more weight)''
114	* MurderByInaction: Monty's first murder ends up being this, as, in his attempts to get the D'Ysquith family to recognize him and his disowned mother, he and Ezekial end up at the top of a bell tower on a gusty day. When Ezekiel loses his balance on the tower, Monty decides to let him fall as revenge for his mother, putting him one-step closer to inheriting the family estate.
115	* NiceToTheWaiter: A good indication of how big an AssholeVictim a D'Ysquith is by how they treat their servants and others around them.
116	* NoMatterHowMuchIBeg:
117	-->'''Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith:''' If I cry out before the count of ten, and I may, you will not help me!
118	* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: How Reverend Lord Ezekial D'Ysquith meets his Maker.
119	* OffWithHisHead: The fate of Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith, via [[spoiler:Monty overloading his barbell. It's even used as a grisly prop.]]
120	* PinkMeansFeminine: Sibella.
121	-->'''Sibella:''' Don't you just love me in pink?
122	* ThePrecariousLedge: Ezekial D'Ysquith takes Monty out on one during his long lecture on cathedral architecture. He loses his balance and spends enough time teetering for Monty to have an inner monologue. One harsh exhale is enough to send him over the edge.
123	* PropheticName: D'Ysquith is pronounced an awful lot like "Dies Quick."
124	* RedOniBlueOni: Sibella and Phoebe to a tee. They even wear giant pink/red and blue/purple dresses, respectively.
125	* RichSuitorPoorSuitor: Sibella is in love with Monty but chooses to marry her much richer suitor instead. This backfires when Monty suddenly becomes very rich and successful, meaning she could have married for love.
126	* ShaggyDogStory:
127	** Monty agonizes over the idea of killing Lord Asquith D'Ysquith, Sr., who had shown him nothing but kindness and treated him like a son. [[spoiler:Lord Asquith dies painlessly of a heart attack mid-song. Monty doesn't waste a beat plotting the next and final murder.]]
128	** [[spoiler: A man finds Monty's memoirs admitting to the murders...only to give it back to Monty without reading it.]]
129	* ShoutOut:
130	** Lady Hyacinth is pretty clearly named after [[Series/KeepingUpAppearances Hyacinth Bucket]] (who has a similar interest in [[TitleDrop keeping up appearances]]), and Monty's name might well be a nod to Creator/MontyPython.
131	** Sibella Hallward is a combination of two characters from ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray'': Basil Hallward and Sybil. Salome might also be a reference to Oscar Wilde's play of the same name.
132	** When the setting shifts to Egypt, the song "Lady Hyacinth Abroad" quotes the Triumphal March from Music/GiuseppeVerdi's ''Aïda''.
133	* SnicketWarningLabel: The opening number has the Chorus warn the audience that the play is "a tale of revenge and retribution." and urge them to leave if they are squeamish.
134	* TheSocialDarwinist: Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith has shades of this, being a believer in eugenics and lamenting that everybody in the country is "weak".
135	-->'''Bartholomew:''' We must find a way to prevent the unfit from multiplying themselves!
136	* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Lady Hyacinth's entourage, after coming back from two disastrous journeys in the name of charity, are less than thrilled when Monty suggests a ''third'', this one to DarkestAfrica.
137	* ThreesomeSubtext: The ending seems to imply that [[spoiler: Sibella and Phoebe]] don't really mind sharing [[spoiler: Monty.]]
138	* TitleDrop: In the opening, when Monty is starting his memoir.
139	-->'''Monty:''' I suppose one could call it a gentleman's guide to murder. Or perhaps, a guide to love...''and'' murder.
140	* TopHeavyGuy: In the Broadway production, Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith's costume included a massively padded upper body, which combined with actor Jefferson Mays' natural legs to give this effect; watch it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzvfXocGbGY&t=3m47s here]].
141	* TrueBlueFemininity: The "noble and pious" Phoebe.
142	* UncannyFamilyResemblance: With the exception of Monty and Phoebe, the D'Ysquiths all look strangely similar. [[note]]Which makes sense, given they're all played by the same actor.[[/note]] Lampshaded by Asquith, Sr.'s reaction to a photograph of Monty's mother: "She resembles many of the women [in the family portraits]. And some of the men, too."
143	* UpperClassTwit: Pretty much most of the D'Ysquith's, with a big emphasis on Asquith D'Ysquith Jr.
144	* VillainSong: Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith has "I Don't Understand the Poor". Depending on your point of view, Monty's "Poison in My Pocket" may be one. Naturally, both are played for laughs.
145	* WalkingSpoiler: [[spoiler: Chauncey D'Ysquith]]. He's not even included in the family tree to retain the surprise of his appearance!
146	* WarningSong: At the top of the show, in "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin A Warning to the Audience]]", the Chorus alerts the audience that this is their last chance to leave before [[LemonyNarrator utterly appalling events unfold]]. Later in the show, in "A Warning to Monty," they use the same music in-universe.
147	* WhamLine: Right at the end of the finale:
148	->'''Chauncey [[spoiler:D'Ysquith]]:''' I am standin' 'ere with poison in me pocket...
149	----

Context Theatre / AGentlemansGuideToLoveAndMurder