The Mysterious History of Edwin Drood
Back in the summer of 1870, the great Charles Dickens was busy at work on his latest novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Like many of his previous books, he was releasing Drood in monthly installments, and chose not to work ahead so he could alter its direction based on the feedback from his readers. Just one problem . . . he died of a stroke midway through his scheduled release of installments. With no notes left behind, the world was left with the ultimate mystery as to The Mystery’s conclusion!
Then in to 1985, Rupert Holmes (aka the Piña Colada guy), took the challenge to finish off where Charles Dickens left off. In a stroke of brilliance, Holmes created a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style musical that took Broadway (and the Tony Awards) by storm. At each performance of his musical, Holmes lets the audience members vote to select a detective, murderer, and a pair of lovers to create one of over 500+ possible ending combinations.
Back in 1985, as an 8 year old sitting in the audience at the Parker Theatre (formerly known as City Rep and The Children’s Theatre), I never imagined that I would be up on their stage bringing resolution to Charles Dickens’ greatest mystery. Now through October 28th, you can find me donning the robes of Reverend Crisparkle, and confessing (or not . . . depending on the audiences’ verdict) to Edwin Drood’s demise.
For opening night, I crafted my own tribute to Charles Dickens as a gift for my fellow acolytes of the stage: Edwin Brew Bottle Labels. I created unique flavor names based on each of the characters in the show. The Reverend Crisparkle is now, Crisparkling Holy Water, and John Jasper is now, Jasperry Cream Soda.
Instead of a traditional Nutrition Facts label, I opted to use this section to outline the history of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
If you live in the Salt Lake City Area, don’t miss out on this epic and interactive production. We play Fridays and Saturdays now through October 28. Use code Friends5Off to save $5 off each ticket, and then stick around after the show to say, “Hi!”
And if you are a fellow actor bringing The Mystery of Edwin Drood to the stage, you can give your fellow cast members a themed soda for opening night, or bring a 2-Liter bottle to your cast party.
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