Olney Theatre Center’s production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder will run in the Roberts Mainstage July 2 – August 23, 2026, directed by Eleanor Holdridge, choreographed by Ashleigh King, and music directed by Christopher Youstra. The musical, with book and lyrics by Robert L. Freedman, and music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak won four Tony Awards in its original Broadway run, including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical. Recent Helen Hayes Award recipient Tom Story (who last appeared at Olney in Matilda as Trunchbull) stars as all of the ill-fated D’Ysquith Family members being methodically knocked-off by Montague Navarro, portrayed by Jacob Tischler, who previously earned a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his turn as Cosmo in Singin’ In The Rain at Olney.
ABOUT THE SHOW
This Tony Award winner for Best Musical is a hilarious and lyrical satire of money, manners, morals, and, yes, murder. After his mother’s death, Monty Navarro is shocked and delighted to learn that she had a secret: she’s related to the absurdly wealthy and aristocratic D’Ysquith family. And if, at first, Monty hoped his new relations might provide a sorely needed cash infusion, as eighth in line to the title of Earl of Highhurst, there isn’t much hope for him inheriting the family treasure. When Monty’s reunion with one of his long-lost kinfolk suddenly results in him moving into seventh place, he wonders to himself, “Why stop there?” Thus begins one of the funniest and most outrageous murder sprees in musical theater history.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder may be the perfect Olney Theatre summer musical,” said Artistic Director Jason Loewith. “We’re ready to let our hair down, we feel a little more mischievous, and Gentleman’s Guide gives us a great way to celebrate the freedom of the season. And the team we’ve assembled includes some of our favorite collaborators, beginning with Tom Story, fresh off his Helen Hayes Award for directing The Inheritance; Jacob Tischler who charmed the pants off our audiences when he played Cosmo in Singin’; director Eleanor Holdridge, who has made so many of our audiences laugh (Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Soprano; Fickle: A Fancy French Farce); and choreographer Ashleigh King who has blossomed from an ensemble regular at Olney, into one of the region’s busiest choreographers. And with my colleague Christopher Youstra music directing, you know this score is going to shine.”
Joining Story and Tischler in the cast are Sumié Yotsukura (Sibella), Sadie Koopman (Phoebe), Donna Migliaccio (Miss Shingle), Benjamin Lurye (Ensemble/US Montague), Anna Maria Ferrari (Ensemble/Dance Captain/US Sibella), Simone Ballinger-Brown (Ensemble/ US Phoebe), Canter Irene O’May (Ensemble/US The D’Ysquiths), Karen Vincent (Ensemble/US Miss Shingle), and DeCarlo J. Raspberry (Ensemble). Wynter Nicole Cook and Michael E. McGovern serve as swings for the production. Ben Walsh is the Production Stage Manager, along with Rebecca Talisman as Stage Manager, and Sara Gehl as Assistant Stage Manager.
Joining Holdridge, King, and Youstra on the creative team are John Coyne (Set Designer), Sarah Cubbage (Costume Designer), Minjoo Kim (Lighting Designer), Matthew Rowe (Sound Designer), Zavier Augustus Lee Taylor (Projections Designer), LaShawn Melton (Wig Designer), Bess Kaye (Fight and Intimacy Consultant), Melissa Flaim (Dialect Coach), Ryan Phillips (Magic Consultant), Katherine Riddle (Assistant Director), Walter “Bobby” McCoy (Assistant Music Director), Katie Brusseau (Assistant Lighting Designer), and Stephanie Parks (Assistant Costume Designer).
PRODUCTION DETAILS
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
Book and Lyrics by Robert L. Freedman
Music and Lyrics by Steven Lutvak
Based on a novel by Roy Horniman
Music Directed by Christopher Youstra
Choreographed by Ashleigh King
Directed by Eleanor Holdridge
Dates, Location, Tickets
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder runs July 2 – August 23, 2026 in the Roberts Mainstage at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832. Tickets range from $45 – $108 and are available at olneytheatre.org or by calling the box office at 301-924-3400.
Performance Schedule
Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm.
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday matinees at 1:30 pm.
Sunday evenings at 7:00 pm on August 16
Special Curtain time on Sunday, July 5, at 8:00 pm for Invite-Only Opening
No matinee performance on Saturday, July 4
Accessible Performances
Audio-Described Performance – Wednesday, July 15 at 7:30 pm
ASL Interpreted Performance – Thursday, July 16, at 7:30 pm
ABOUT OLNEY THEATRE CENTER
Mission
Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performance for the diverse audiences in its community, and educates, learns from, supports, and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers.
Vision
Olney Theatre Center strives to become an arts and culture powerhouse, redefining the American regional theater movement by cultivating and sharing the creativity of its community.
History
Founded in 1938 as a summer playhouse, Olney Theatre Center (OTC) now produces world and American premieres of plays and musicals, and reimaginings of familiar titles year-round; presents the work of leading companies and artists; tours nationally and locally; teaches students of all ages; and mentors a more inclusive generation of theater-makers. For more than 8 decades, OTC has brought impactful theater performance and education to its community, helping to grow the vibrancy and vitality of its home in the Washington, DC region.
Over the years, some of the biggest names in theater and film have appeared on Olney stages, including Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Bob Fosse, Phillip Bosco, Eve Arden, Eva Gabor, Burl Ives, Jose Ferrer, Carol Channing, Olivia d’Havilland, Tony Randall, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Jane Seymour, Anne Revere, Frances Sternhagen, Arthur Treacher, James Broderick, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen, Marica Gay Harden, John Colicos, Uzo Aduba, Alan Cumming, Cheyenne Jackson, Robin de Jesus, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Bernadette Peters, among many, many others.
Olney Theatre is now the cultural anchor of a rapidly changing region and serves one of the most diverse, best educated, and wealthiest counties in the country. Situated on the unceded land of the Piscataway-Conoy people, the Olney area was once a rural farming community with a unique Quaker heritage. Now the area is occupied by every kind of family that makes up 21st Century America, along with major corporations, shopping districts, civic associations, nonprofit organizations, and a diverse collection of houses of worship. Montgomery County’s 1 million residents play a dynamic role in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, and are a driving force behind the region’s creative economy.
