Phoebe D'Ysquith

Who is Phoebe D'Ysquith?

Phoebe is one of the surviving D'Ysquith relatives, drawn to Monty Navarro's charm without knowing he has been quietly murdering members of her own family. She represents warmth and genuine affection in contrast to Sibella's calculating self-interest, and her growing closeness with Monty complicates his already tangled love life.

As the story nears its end, Phoebe's intelligence and independence push her into a more active role, and she proves less naive than she initially appears, willing to make her own choices about her future rather than simply waiting to be chosen.

Phoebe's role in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Phoebe is a supporting role centered on the soaring number Inside Out, which requires a rich, classically trained soprano capable of both delicacy and power. The part offers a warmer emotional counterpoint to Sibella's brasher comic energy.

Lauren Worsham originated the role on Broadway and earned a Tony nomination for her performance, admired for the vocal beauty and sincerity she brought to one of the show's few purely sympathetic characters.

Phoebe D'Ysquith on stage vs screen

Broadway compared with Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), filmed from the same novel

Phoebe's screen counterpart is a widow, not a sister. In Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), the Ealing film of the musical's source novel, Valerie Hobson plays Edith D'Ascoyne, the wife of Henry D'Ascoyne, whom Louis kills in a darkroom accident before courting Edith and marrying her during his trial. In the musical, Phoebe D'Ysquith is Henry's sister, and she and Monty bond after Henry's death.

Lauren Worsham originated Phoebe on Broadway in 2013. She sings Inside Out with Monty and joins Sibella and Monty in I've Decided to Marry You, and at the end she and Sibella each deliver a letter, supposedly written by the other, confessing to the earl's poisoning to set Monty free.

Phoebe D'Ysquith: frequently asked questions