The Mystery of Edwin Drood will make its first-ever return to Broadway since winning the Tony "Triple Crown" (Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score). Who killed Edwin Drood? It's a question that has stumped audiences for years-now it's your turn to answer one of Broadway's most baffling mysteries. Take a trip back in time to a Victorian music hall where a rowdy ensemble of actors mounts a staging of Charles Dickens' unfinished novel. Everyone on stage is a suspect in the murder of young Edwin Drood-and it's up to you to choose the killer! Is it John Jasper, Edwin's protective but slightly maniacal uncle? Rosa Bud, his reluctant betrothed? The debauched Princess Puffer? Each performance ends differently, depending on what the audience decides!
Director Scott Ellis’ edition is brisker and brighter than Wilford Leach’s original, most notably in the performances of Will Chase and Betsy Wolfe as Jasper and Rosa. Chase opts for energetic mustache-twirling and Wolfe sticks with innocent and virginal, though both sing powerfully. In the pants role of Drood, Stephanie Block cavorts with a winking manliness and employs her spectacular voice authoritatively, though she lacks originator Betty Buckley’s sharp edge. Jessie Mueller and Andy Karl milk Helena and Neville’s cartoon exoticism for big laughs, and Gregg Edelman dithers appropriately as Crisparkle. Best are the elegantly authentic Jim Norton, absolutely the equal of the peerless George Rose as the troupe’s leader and our host, and, as Puffer, the playful Chita Rivera, who knows in her bones how to do a star turn despite the worst cockney accent since Dick Van Dyke. The audience I saw “Drood” with adored it, and I suspect most will, so hooray for Roundabout. Alas, the show still makes my teeth hurt.
In an era when Broadway revivals of beloved musicals can seem dispiritingly skimpy, this handsome production offers a generous feast for the eyes, trimmed in holiday cheer for an added spritz of currency...And the evening’s performers — including a bona fide Broadway grande dame, Chita Rivera; a host of plush-voiced singers; and the jovial imp Jim Norton as the evening’s M.C. — throw themselves into the winking spirit of the show...Despite its varied charms, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” remains a musical that ultimately adds up to less than the sum of its hard-working parts. The overelaborate finale — which includes not only the choosing of the murderer but also the selection of a detective and a happy couple to be paired off — somewhat taxes our delight in taking part…But then, who has not felt a bit deflated upon completing a page-turning detective story?...The musical “Edwin Drood” at least leaves behind moments of shimmering musical pleasure to savor, long after the miscreant of the night has been booed off the stage.
1985 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
1985 | Broadway |
Broadway Transfer Broadway |
1987 | West End |
London Production West End |
2012 | Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Company Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Jim Norton |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Stephanie J. Block |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Andy Karl |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Jessie Mueller |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical or Revue | 0 |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Design | Anna Louizos |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Tony Meola |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Jim Norton |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Chita Rivera |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | 0 |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | William Ivey Long |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Will Chase |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | 0 |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Scott Ellis |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Will Chase |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Stephanie J. Block |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | The Mystery of Edwin Drood |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Roundabout Theatre Company |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Todd Haimes |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Harold Wolpert |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Julia C. Levy |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Anna Louizos |
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