Bawdy and raucous, the revival of
The Mystery of Edwin Drood has something that has been missing from most musicals
this Broadway season—fun. The
actors on stage are full of boisterous merriment, which spills over to the
audience who, in turn, are having a rib-tickling time in their seats.
Set in a 19th century
London music hall, the stock players of the establishment’s company set out to
enact Charles Dickens’ uncompleted novel, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” Dickens, unfortunately, passed on
before he could finish his tale. The
actors on stage, having a jolly good time, sing, dance, plot, scheme, and
entertain until they reach the end of the novel. Well, more like where Dickens stopped writing. From there, playwright and composer
Rupert Holmes came up with the ingenious solution of having the audience vote
for how the show will conclude—who is the villain? The suspects are lined up center stage while the ensemble
members of the cast flood the audience to record, unscientifically, their
preferences. The chosen culprit,
along with the rest of the cast, then enacts a proper ending to the story. Holmes concocted enough scenarios so no
matter who is chosen the production has a satisfying conclusion.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood has a
first-rate group of actors that are more then game to play along with the
premise of the show. Not only are
they skilled in their roles but, as mentioned earlier, they give the air of
close-knit camaraderie and affection towards each other, which bubbles over to
the audience. The cast includes the
wise-cracking Chairman of the troupe of players, Jim Norton; the slightly
crazed John Jasper, played with a frenzied madness by Will Chase; the
mysterious Edwin Drood, winningly portrayed by Stephanie Block; the innocent
beauty Rosa Bud, played with virtue and purity by Betsy Wolfe; and the
ever-youthful Broadway legend Chita Rivera as the enigmatic Princess
Puffer. Gregg Edelman, Jessie
Mueller, and Andy Karl round out the fine cast.
Rupert Holmes, in the original
production, won Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score of a Musical. The honors were well-deserved. The book of the show, in a boisterous music
hall setting, is lively and intriguing, satisfactorily leading up to the pre-denouement
of the musical.
Holmes’ score is tuneful and
lilting, which is something you don’t always hear on today’s Broadway stage. From the opening introductory song, “There
You Are,” to the comic madness of “A Man Could Go Quite Mad,” to the beautifully
haunting, “Moonfall,” to the fast-paced patter of “Two Sides of the Coin,” Holmes
has written both music and lyrics, which even twenty-five years later, sounds
fresh and engaging.
The composer also benefits from a
group of actors that can deliver.
Most notable is Stephanie Block, finally in a hit musical after such
flops as The Pirate Queen and 9 to 5 the Musical. She, along with Betsy Wolfe, have powerful voices that fill
the Studio 54 Theatre. Then there is Chita Rivera lending her
half-century worth of stage experience to the production. A theatrical treasure, indeed, but she
doesn’t just walk through her role as Princess Puffer. She can still dance and sell a song. Bravo to her.
Director Scott Ellis emphasizes the
playfulness of the musical, without sacrificing the mystery underling the
production. He skillfully handles
the audience participation portion of the show which, in less adept hands,
could cause this momentum building moment to derail the production.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a pleasurable,
diverting, and entertaining bit of Broadway razz-ma-tazz.
