Charles Dicken’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood was scheduled to be published in 12 installments from April 1870 to March 1871. His death from a stroke on June 9th, 1870 left half of the story unwritten, and the ending of The Mystery of Edwin Drood remained just that, a mystery. Vertigo Mystery Theatre not only brings his tale to life on stage this holiday season, but also lets you, the audience, decide the ending.
A “show within a show,” Drood takes its audience back in time to The Music Hall Royale in the late 1800’s. There the cast and crew rush around putting together the first performance of Dickens’ tale. While the novel is named after Edwin Drood, the story is mostly that of his uncle, a hypocritical choirmaster named John Jasper, who is in love with his pupil, Rosa Bud. Miss Bud is Drood’s fiancée, and has caught the eye of the high-spirited and hot-tempered foreigner Neville Landless, who with his twin sister, Helena, immediately makes an enemy of Drood. Drood goes for a walk on Christmas and disappears, leaving a long list of suspects.
With a cast of 18, and an extensive and impressive set, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the largest production in Vertigo’s history. With book, music, and lyrics by Rupert Holmes, The Mystery of Edwin Drood was first produced in 1985 by the New York Shakespeare Festival, and then transferred to Broadway, where it ran for 608 performances. The production won five Tonys in 1986, including Best Musical, as well as Drama Desk and Edgar awards.
Because Dickens’ book was left unfinished, the musical hinges upon a novel idea: the audience decides by vote which of the characters is the murderer. Though it seems fairly clear that, barring a twist, John Jasper is Dickens’ main suspect, the musical’s suspect pool is broadened to include other characters such as Neville Landless, Rosa Bud, Helena Landless, Rev. Crisparkle, Princess Puffer, and Mr. Bazzard. Adding further interactivity, the audience also chooses one male and one female character to develop a romance together: Holmes wrote brief alternate endings for every possible voting outcome, even the most unlikely. The end result is 568 potential endings, depending on how the audience votes.
It takes a very special type of cast to pull off an over the top spectacle like Drood and director Mark Bellamy has succeeded. The actors play both actors as well as the characters in the play. Onalea Gilbertson genderbends masterfully as the title character. Zachary Stevenson’s John Jasper is sinister enough to make you gleefully boo and hiss him whenever he appears on stage. Lindsey Dawn’s Rosa Bud is played with innocence, beauty and charm and her operettic voice is highlighted strongly in her songs. Natascha Girgis’ incredibly flexible Helena Landless is exotic and perfectly over the top. Elinor Holt absolutely steals every scene she is in as the incredible Opium Den owner, Princess Puff. Doug McKeag has the unenviable task of supporting the show in the role of chairman, the man who in that period of theatre would narrate the story and introduce its stars. From top to bottom, the talent in this show - both vocally and in producing vibrant caricatures on the stage - is astounding.
And the songs are fantastic as well. Holmes’ lyrics are catchy and fun, with the standout being the fast paced Both Sides of the Coin by Doug McKeag as The Mayor and Zachary Stevenson as John Jasper. It is simply one of the most incredible things I have seen in musical theatre and not really something that can be described beyond that. Add in Mark Bellamy’s skill at choreographing great art on stage and you will find yourself sitting in awe during many points during the show.
When the Betty Mitchell Awards are announced in 2008, you can bet you will see quite a few nominations for The Mystery of Edwin Drood and with good reason. It is one of the best productions in Calgary of the year. And with the added twist of the audience input, going more then once could potentially lead to an entirely different ending. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on seeing this absolute treat of theatre.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood
November 17 – December 16, 2007
Vertigo Mystery Theatre
Tickets: (403) 221-3708
www.vertigotheatre.com