Stage Write

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 per...