A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder- meet cast member Chuck Dluhy!

What do you find appealing about your character and this show? The show is a charming little chamber musical or light operetta as I see it, that I find delightful. My character, “The D’Ysquith Family” is actually nine different roles, all members of the same aristocratic clan in Edwardian England. Its appeal is the wonderful challenge of creating unique characters not only from “the outside” with different dialects, vocal inflections, physical mannerisms, costumes and props, but also from “the inside”, considering their various personality traits and character archetypes. Since they are members of the same family, there could also be some overlapping characteristics that are fun to play. In essence, this is a character actor’s “dream role”.

What have you learned about yourself in playing the role of “D’Ysquith Family”? That it takes a crackpot to play one!

What do you want the audience to experience/take away from this show? Laughter! Giggles! Chortles! Snickers! Cackles! Chuckles! Guffaws!

How does this show differ from other shows you have worked on? Obviously, playing multiple characters from the same family in one show is not typical.  I’ve played multi-character roles before in plays such as Greater Tuna, Sylvia, and Durang, Durang but never in a musical. There is such a wonderful array of songs for each character that I find very challenging.

How long have you been acting and what made you get involved in theatre? How did you get involved with LTA? I’ve been acting since high school. I got involved because “everybody else was auditioning”.  I was in the school choir and everybody encouraged me to try out for The Music Man.  Shockingly, I ended up getting the part of Harold Hill and the rest is history. I was introduced to LTA as an actor, performing in West Side Story in 1989, directed by the incomparable Roland Gomez.  I’ve been involved in productions on-and-off with LTA over the years.

What advice would you give others who are interested in working in theatre? Learn as much as you can from veteran performers and production staff. Volunteer for backstage work. Take acting classes. Direct a one-act play. Paint a set. Take vocal lessons. Assist a stage manager. Usher. Gather the props. Take a tap class. The more you know and the more diverse your experience, the more marketable you are.