Edmonton’s Grindstone Theatre has built its name on irreverent musicals, razor-sharp comedy and an unapologetically fun night out. And this May, the organization is bringing the Tony-award winning musical comedy, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, to Edmonton, and they’re doing it with Broadway-level ambition.
For director Byron Martin, the show is more than just a crowd-pleaser. It follows Monty Navarro, a charming nobody who discovers he’s ninth in line to inherit a dukedom —and decides to accelerate the process with a little lethal help. All of Monty’s would-be victims are played by a single actor in a whirlwind of fast changes and even quicker deaths.
“It’s a dark comedy, but it’s fairly light hearted in terms of the way it’s written,” Martin explains. “… It’s kind of a Bugs Bunny-style of violence.”
The show is a longtime, personal favourite after he saw it on Broadway in 2014. “Out of the 30 or 40 shows I caught that year, this was one of the standouts. The comedy, the theatricality — it just stuck with me.”
That blend of satire, musical polish and theatrical hijinks aligns neatly with Grindstone’s comedic roots. While best known for creating original hits like Jason Kenney’s Hot Boy Summer, co-written and directed by Martin, the company’s approach to Broadway classics is to embrace their full spectacle — not reinterpret, but recreate with polish and precision.
“There’s no wild spin here,” Martin says. “We’re doing the Broadway production. And I think people are going to be surprised at just how professional and large-scale this is.”
Comedy veteran and Mad TV alum Ron Pederson stars as all eight doomed heirs, while Oscar Derkx and Sawyer Craig bring vocal power and dramatic flair — some even from operatic backgrounds. Add a full live orchestra conducted by Simon Abbott (Martin’s longtime collaborator), and the stakes are clear: this isn’t just another quirky local musical. It’s a full-blown theatrical event.
For those who already love the Grindstone’s cheeky brand of musical comedy, A Gentleman’s Guide will feel right at home — even if the title takes on a more serious tone.
“It’s a little bit lesser known of a musical from the general public, but I just hope if people haven’t heard about the show (before), they are going to be really impressed coming to see it. It’s very, very funny.”
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder runs May 23 to June 1, 2025. Tickets range from $45 to $70.
Edify is giving away tickets, by random draw, to this show. Enter to win two tickets to Grindstone Theatre’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Contest closes May 21, 2025.
