(L-R) Colleen McLaughlin as Sibella Hallward, Blake Price as Monty Navarro and Erin McIntyre as Phoebe D'Ysquith in a scene from "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder." Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
Colleen McLaughlin as Sibella Hallward and Erin McIntyre as Phoebe D'Ysquith in a scene from “A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.” Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
James Taylor Odom as Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith in a scene from "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder." Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
Colleen McLaughlin as Sibella Hallward and Blake Price as Monty Navarro in a scene from “A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.” Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
Erin McIntyre as Phoebe D'Ysquith and Kevin Massey as Monty Navarro in a scene from “A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.” Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
(L-R) James Taylor Odom as Henry D'Ysquith, Kristen Kane and Blake Price as Monty Navarro in a scene from “A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.” Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
Colleen McLaughlin as Sibella Hallward and Blake Price as Monty Navarro in a scene from “A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.” Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
Blake Price as Monty Navarro and Kristen Kane as Miss Shingle in a scene from "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder." Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
James Taylor Odom as Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith in a scene from "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder." Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
(L-R) Blake Price as Monty Navarro and James Taylor Odom as Reverend Lord Ezekial D'Ysquith in a scene from “A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.” Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
(L-R) Briana Gantsweg as Miss Barley, Blake Price as Monty Navarro and James Taylor Odom as Asquith D'Ysquith, Jr. in a scene from “A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.” Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
The cast with James Taylor Odom as Lady Hyacinth D'Ysquith in a scene from “A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.” Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
(L-R) Colleen McLaughlin as Sibella Hallward, Ashton Michael Corey, and Erin McIntyre as Phoebe D'Ysquith in a scene from “A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.” Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.
Set in London in 1907, "A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder centers on Monty Navarro, a penniless clerk who is informed after the death of his mother that he is ninth in line to inherit the earldom of Highhurst, controlled by the wealthy D’Ysquith banking family.
After the imperious ruling Lord dismisses Monty’s claim of being a relative, the eight D’Ysquiths ahead of young Mr. Navarro begin dying in natural and unnatural ways. (A single actor, James Taylor Odom) plays all the not-so-nice D'Ysquiths, adding to the merriment.) Meanwhile, Monty is trying to woo money-minded Sibella Hallward —until he finds himself drawn to young Phoebe D’Ysquith. How will all these convoluted storylines come together?
Blake Price plays Monty Navarro in the national tour. Miamiartzine.com talked to Price about the national touring show coming to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts beginning Tuesday, Jan. 9.
miamiartzine.com: You've performed a lot of Shakespeare. "Gentleman's Guide" seems complicated on some level like Shakespeare's plays. Did knowing Shakespeare help you in this role?
Blake Price: I came across this old clip from an Ian McKllan workshop, probaby from the 1980s or 1990s, where he's talking about Shakespeare. And it was informative because he was saying that you look at the work more than anything, and that's the biggest takeaway comparing this show to Shakespeare. You have Robert Friedman, who wrote the book for the show, and that makes it easy for the actor. It's like when you get to it, there is a clear way to portray everything in this show. It's very much in that similar vein. And there's something, too, about the style that ("Gentleman's Guide") has; it's in the classical style. In a classical sense, knowing Shakespeare has, yes, helped. I am glad that I had the training.