Word: drood
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Mystery of Edwin Drood...
...Mystery of Edwin Drood, a 1980s Broadway musical based on an unfinished novel by Charles Dickens, is a departure for The Gilbert and Sullivan Society. It's the Soceity's first non-G&S show and it is the first time the group has attempted to stage two productions in one semester. Under the steady direction of Drew Winser, this production is an entertaining romp. Particularly after last spring's The Gondoliers, it is nice to see The Gilbert and Sullivan Society back on track...
Dickens died before finishing The Mystery of Edwin Drood and left no notes indicating the resolution. The Rupert Holmes musical is based on the premise that the "Music Hall Royale" is performing Dickens' novel with a view towards finishing it based on the whim of the audience. The result is not so much a "play within a play" as it as an attempt at recreating the experience of going to a Victorian era music hall. Ingenues are offered to lonely theatre-goers, scenes are introduced by the Chairman of the Music Hall, the action of the "play" is stopped...
...disappointment as the title character. Although her voice is spectacular her acting is unfocused and poor. She is significantly better in parts of the second act (particularly her final song) but it is hard to reengage an audience that late in the show. Fortunately, the role of Drood is rather easy to ignore and she/he disappers by the end of the first act anyway...
John Jasper is a role that could have been made for Adam Feldman. In this classic villain role, Feldman gets to leer and lech to his heart's content. More seductive than slimy, Feldman's dapper Jasper seems a far better match for Rosa Bud than Drood. Jasper is also a role that shows off Feldman's magnificent voice...