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Since his death in 1870, Charles Dickens’ many classic works have become choice fodder for creative re-imaginations in all variety of media. This is because his works, including
Great Expectations, The Adventures of Oliver Twist, and the quintessential
A Christmas Carol, are all beautifully written masterpieces of the English Language that have entertained generation after generation of readers. But, despite the fame of his completed works, none may be more discussed than the one novel Dickens didn’t finish.
Originally to be released in 12 monthly installments during 1870-71, the serial novel
The Mystery of Edwin Drood only reached its sixth installment when Charles Dickens passed away. Half finished, the story about a small English town’s jealous, schizophrenic choirmaster and his nephew, Edwin Drood, has captured the imaginations of writers and film makers for well over a century. The work has seen three published “completions,” two film adaptations, and most notably, a multiple Tony Award winning musical comedy, which is currently enjoying a run at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois.
This award winning musical comedy --simply titled
Drood-- written by Rupert Holmes, portrays a seemingly low-budget, turn-of-the-century English theater company attempting to perform a rendition of Dickens’
The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The company tries their best to perform the late author’s final work as they deal with cast member’s injuries, inter-company rivalry, elephant sized egos, and the biggest obstacle of all, an unfinished play.
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The whole cast suspects the mysterious John Jasper as Drood’s murderer.
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The last hurdle, though, is solved quite easily --and in a most entertaining fashion-- by allowing the audience to decide who the murderer of Edwin Drood was and, as an added bonus, which two characters “hook up” at the end of the play. This added element of plot-defining audience participation adds a great deal of unpredictability that allows a play such as
Drood to be an enjoyable experience many times over, as Holmes wrote all possible outcomes for the play, which, considering the various combinations possible, leads to the chance of seeing it twenty times and still not seeing everything.
This unpredictability comes largely in the second half of the play, as the first half consists of a slightly condensed version of the original novel. But throughout the performance, the incredibly able cast (including a trained soprano) improvises many lines and keeps the “required” story fresh and lively, even going to the extent to interact with the audience throughout the play (and during the intermission), shaking hands, flirting, and even harassing people on cell phones during the break (all while completely in character). This extreme level of interaction makes for a much more enjoyable experience over what could be had at a “traditional” theater performance.
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Durdles (left), Chairman (center) and Deputy (right) lighten up the mood with slapstick humor.
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As mentioned before, the play is about a theater company trying to perform an unfinished work. Holmes, in a wise attempt to flesh out the material at hand, added a certain amount of character development to the actors in the play. As the performance progresses, we learn about the theatrical aspirations of the happy-go-lucky young understudy; the frustrations of the play’s narrator, such as his being forced to play the town’s flatulent, senile old mayor; and the ego of the play’s “star,” who feels that her role as Edwin Drood is making the other cast members jealous. Adding to this is the development of the character of the theater company as a whole, as we get glimpses of the relationships of the cast members with each other by seeing them flirting, hitting, taunting, or even trying to block each other from view during dance numbers. This “subversive” character development adds a whole other tasty layer to the already multi-layered cake that is
Drood.
As a whole, the Noble Fool Theatrical’s rendition of Rupert Holmes'
Drood is definitely worth at least one viewing, if not more. It offers catchy, upbeat songs with a hilarious cast and enough variety to keep one’s interest throughout.
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Edwin Drood (center left) and John Jasper (center right) are close relatives who share the same love interest. Enough to kill over?
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Drood is now playing at the Pheasant Run Resort’s Mainstage theater through April 12, 2008. For more information or to order tickets, please visit www.noblefool.org, or call the box office at (630)584-6342.
Pheasant Run Resort is located at 4051 East Main St. in St. Charles, Illinois.
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