No Way To Treat A Lady – Darlinghurst Theatre Company

 No Way to Treat a Lady is a dark, musical comedy and director Stephen Coyler demonstrates that gallows humour is alive and kicking at Darlinghurst Theatre. 

 Presented by: Darlinghurst Theatre CompanyVenue: Darlinghurst Theatre Sydney Opening Night, Tuesday 18th October 2011 No Way to Treat a Lady is a dark, musical comedy and director Stephen Coyler demonstrates that gallows humour is alive and kicking at Darlinghurst Theatre. Musical director, Craig Renshaw, kicks the show off to a great start and this well paced production provides plenty of laughs through some very witty lyrics and excellent performances from all cast members. 
Set in New York, we are launched into a world where two men are united in their desire to break free of the bonds of maternal oppression. On the darker side of life, we have Kit Gill (Jason Langley) a failed performer who turns mass murderer in order to become front page news. It is the memory of his dead mother, which haunts Kit and ultimately propels him to embark on such series of grisly murders. He hopes to purge his self loathing and gain celebrity status in the New York Times. In contrast, down trodden Detective Morris or Mo Brummell (Philip Low) is trying to make a life for himself but finds it difficult living with his overbearing, widowed mother (Julie O’Reilly). Mo’s life changes when he takes on the murder case but also decides to fall in love at the same time with art gallery owner and society girl, Sharon Stone (Katrina Retallick).
This is a great cast who deliver uniformally strong performances through a range of affectionate and hideous characters. Langley and O’Reilly establish themselves quickly with two early numbers (“Only a heartbeat away” and “Safer in my arms”). Indeed, asphixiation by tango was one of the night’s highlights. Lowe and Retallick, do an excellent job in bringing depth to the their somewhat straighter roles. “So far, so good”was a suitable song which heralds blossoming love despite a backdrop of strangulations.  If you were measuring the success of the night by the volume of belly laughs then No Way to Treat a Lady certainly delivers. Comedy abounds during the various family domestic scenes and the cross dressing murder attempt was definitely a crowd pleaser.  
It would be cruel to give away too much more of the plot and the final resolution – suffice to say that searching for fame and success doesn’t necessarily bring joy to either Kit or Mo. The show runs for a month and is highly recommended for a fun night out. Just remember to lock your doors when you go home. Photo by: Fiona Chapman 
No Way to Treat a Lady – A musical comedy thriller in 2 acts. Book, music and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen. Based on the novel by William Goldman. Runs 13th Oct – 13 NovBookings: Darlinghurst Theatre