What happens when an author dies in the middle of writing a story? More often than not, it will remain unpublished and be forgotten. Not so in the case of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," an unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. Playwright Rupert Holmes turned Dickens' unfinished mystery into a musical reminiscent of those preteen choose-your-own-adventure novels, where the audience gets to vote and decide on how they want the play to end.
Yes, when theatergoers head to the Greenberg Theatre to see the Department of Performing Arts' production of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," they will decide the ending they'll see, based on the plot. A young girl named Rosa Bud (Maggie Pangrazio) has been betrothed to a young man named Edwin Drood (Emily Formica) since birth. Unfortunately, Drood's uncle, John Jasper (Ryan Nealy), is madly in love with Rosa, and violently jealous of his nephew. A dramatic sequence of events then ensues, leaving a mystery in its wake.
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood" is a feast for the eyes. Set designer Robert Wang has made each set beautiful with carefully thought-out touches that do an amazing job of setting the mood for each scene. The costumes, created by Barbara Tucker Parker, are equally breathtaking. Every costume has several pieces that come together as an elaborate outfit. Again, careful attention to detail--a scarf here, a cap there--adds to the beautiful aesthetics of the costuming.
As is the custom with many British stories, the cast is large and there are many prominent roles. Although in some cases this may serve the purpose of making the play more complex, here it detracts from the play, preventing it from really coming together as a whole. Overall, the play appeared somewhat disjointed and shaky.
Certain characters, however, particularly stand out. Nealy's portrayal of Jasper as a despicable madman is well done and especially enjoyable. In addition, Daniel Rakowski's portrayal of Bazzard, a starry-eyed aspiring writer, is wonderfully performed and elicits sympathy from every audience member. Bazzard says, more than once, "I long to play a larger part." And perhaps Rakowski should .
The singing is uniformly impressive in beauty and vocal range. This is especially the case with Formica, whose remarkable voice added vibrance to her character of Edwin Drood. In addition, Anne Veal's witty and believable portrayal of the Princess Puffer is evident in both her speech and her musical numbers.
Unfortunately, some of the performances come off as forced. Perhaps these will improve and appear more natural as the performances continue.
Despite some flaws, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" is overall a witty and worthwhile performance. Just make sure to get comfortable seats - the show is three hours long with a 15-minute intermission.
