What do you do when an author dies before his work is
finished? You make it into a “choose your own adventure” musical of course!
Audience goers get the rare experience of choosing not only the murderer, but
also which lovers end up together and who plays the detective in the Actors
Theatre of Indiana’s production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Charles Dickens
never had the chance to let readers know how he would’ve wrapped up the novel,
but now we can all try our hand at solving the mystery.
The show is in constant motion with cast members moving
set pieces on and off stage to create new scenes. There’s a bar, a dressing
room, a brothel, a dinner party, etc. all in the small space the stage allows.
It’s an ambitious production with a large cast of local talent. Stephen
Hollenbeck’s excellent costumes range from top hats to kimonos and corsets and
completes the illusion that we’re seeing a music hall performance in the
late 19th century.
Paul Collier Hansen performs my favorite number in the
show. He plays Bazzard, a shy minor character who finally gets his chance to
shine in “Never the Luck”. The song reminded me of Hansen’s role in ATI’sChicago in 2011 and his haunting rendition of “Mister Cellophane”. Judy
Fitzgerald is clearly having fun with the role of Princess Puffer and her
playful spirit is contagious. Harli Cooper’s performance of “Moonfall” as Rosa
Bud was another treat.
When the musical opened in 1985 it was a hit and won the
Tony award for best musical. In this new iteration the show’s author, Rupert
Holmes, has reworked it so it can be more easily adapted to regional
productions. The musical has no intermission and relies completely on audience
participation. The high-energy cast uses ballots inserted into each program to
take a vote on the killer’s identity. There are a huge number of possible
outcomes, which means unpredictable final numbers and surprising duets. You
could see the show over and over again and never get the exact same production.
Actors Theatre of Indiana is located in the Studio
Theater at the Center for the Performing Arts, 4 Center Green, Carmel, IN
46032. "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" runs until Sunday, May 13. Times
for performances can be found and ordered here or by calling the box office at
(317) 843-3800.
Photos Courtesy of Actors Theatre of Indiana
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