“The Mystery of Edwin Drood” has just five shows remaining at the Creative Arts Center. A show full of exactly what the title says, mystery, allows the cast to interact with the audience and let them vote on their desired ending to the show.
“What you’ll find out with the show is it’s delightfully funny. The whole conceit is that it takes place in a music hall, so it’s a play within a play. All of a sudden, two thirds of the way in, Charles Dickens dies, so they have to figure out what the ending is and you get to vote among seven different characters and two different villains and another pair (of lovers),” Artistic Director of the department of theatre, dance and motion pictures Stuart McDowell said.
Senior Musical Theatre Major Megan Valle, who plays the central character Edwin Drood, explained that the show shares an inspiring message about seeing the positive and pushing through when things get hard.
“It is so brilliantly directed and our cast does a magnificent job. We've received brilliant reviews, some say it’s their most favorite thing they have seen on the stage,” Valle said.
If you do the math, there could be up to 25 different endings, according to McDowell. After act one, the audience picks everything that happens next, leaving the actors to memorize and perform new songs and scenes every single night.
“This show is physically demanding because it is a whole different style. Edwardian age characters are hard to channel when we are so used to living in the 21st century. I love Drood's spunky quality and high ambition. I play upon that a lot,” Valle said.
McDowell shared that he is surprised the department has never done such a “rich jewel” like Drood before.
“It’s just wonderful, I mean people are just standing ovation and going crazy and a lot of people are saying it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever seen. The music--it’s breathtaking. It shows us at our best strength,” McDowell shared.
The three leads in the show are seniors, and for some of them, this may be their last performance ever at Wright State. “Come see us! You'll have a bloody good time,” Valle recommended.
The remaining show dates and times for “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” are listed below.
Thursday, April 5, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 6, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 7, 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 7, 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 8, 2 p.m.
