Local actor and teacher Reed Uthe will play nine different roles in The Lewis and Shirley White Theatre at The J’s production of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder.”
He will act in separate personas of each member of the play’s main family, the D’Ysquiths.
The Tony Award winning musical comedy will open on Saturday, March 9, and run for eight performances on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays through March 24.
Tickets are currently available at thewhitetheatre.org. Dates and times include:
- Thursdays, March 14 and 21, at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturdays, March 9, 16 and 23, at 7:30 p.m.
- Sundays, March 10 and 17 at 2 p.m., and March 24 at 6 p.m.
The story follows low-born Monty Navarro (played by Matthew Briggs) who finds out that he’s eighth in line for an earldom in the D’Ysquith family (played entirely by Uthe). When he determines his chances of outliving his predecessors are slim, he sets off on a more ghoulish path, attempting to knock off each of his unsuspecting relatives without being caught to become the ninth Earl of Highhurst.
In addition to making sure he is “in the right costume with the right character at the right time,” Uthe noted the challenge of developing each character so that they would stand out as an individual on stage.
“It’s finding the distinct characteristics for each of the family members,” he said. “Some of them are only in one scene, so it’s very short, and some of them recur throughout the entire show. My challenge has been to find not just who they are but also what kind of characteristics [and] what kind of voice they are going to have, and how… that voice translate[s] from their speaking voice into their singing voice and stay[s] distinct for those characters.”
As far as who Uthe’s favorite family member happens to be, it depends on the moment.
“My favorite one is the one I’m working on right now,” he said.
Uthe calls this opportunity a “bucket list” role, after having seen the show at Starlight Theatre years ago. However, this isn’t the first time Uthe will take the stage at The White Theatre. His first role was in 2013 when he played Ira Stone in “Laughter on the 23rd Floor.” He took character actor roles in “Hairspray,” playing six roles for the production, and played three characters in “Young Frankenstein.” Uthe also appeared as Thenardier in “Les Misérables,” King Arthur in “Spamalot” and Pseudolus in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”
The cast for “Gentleman’s Guide” includes both new and familiar faces.
Matthew Briggs most recently played the titular role of Joseph in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” last summer. Tony Console and Maxwell McIntire both appeared in “Into The Woods” last fall, while Erica Baruth and Donald Davis recently closed out The White Theatre’s run of “The Prom.”
Others are returning to the stage after a longer hiatus. Cara Hampton, who plays Sibella, performed in “Les Misérables” with Uthe in 2013. Betsy Jane Bledsoe has made multiple appearances in productions such as “Camelot” and appeared with current cast member Simon Schupp in “From Berlin to Broadway.” Schupp also appeared in “Peter Pan” and “The King and I,” among others.
Susan Campen will step onto The White Theatre stage for the first time as Miss Shingle, while Abbey Downs makes her debut as Phoebe. Recent college graduate Catherine Stagner will make her debut as Woman 3, while Kelsey Linn and Spencer McIntire take to the stage for the first time in the ensemble cast.
Uthe encouraged people to see what he calls a “very user-friendly” show.
“You don’t have to know a lot about musical theater,” he said. “It’s going to have a lot of elements that people will recognize. I’ve kind of been characterizing the show as if Gilbert and Sullivan wrote an operetta for the Carol Burnett Show, with Monty Python’s cast guest starring. So it’s kind of that mix. The humor in it is wonderful, the music is fabulous, it’s a very fast-paced show, and it’s something different than what you see in a lot of musicals.”
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” is recommended for audience members ages 10 and up, due to some adult farce situations, some adult themes and humor. Parents are encouraged to research the show online in order to make an informed decision.
The White Theatre continues its 2023-24 season with “Blues in the Night” (co-produced with The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City and co-presented by Theater League), and “Disney’s The Little Mermaid.”
Full descriptions and performance times for each event are available at TheWhiteTheatre.org. Auditions for musicals and plays produced at The White Theatre are announced online and on Facebook.