The Mystery of Edwin Drood

At the beginning of the show, We are greeted by actors of the Music Hall Royale.  The actors led by the Chairman welcome the audience to the musical hall (“There You Are”)

Act 1

The story then begins in earnest with Edwin Drood preparing to leave for Egypt to build the Cairo Transverse.  Drood arrives at his Uncle Jasper’s house where they affirm their friendship (“Two Kinsmen”).  We then see the fair Miss Rosa Budd at her music lesson where she is forced to sing the music teacher’s (the very same Mr. John Japser) new composition (“Moonfall”).  After meeting the landless twins, we travel to the London opium den of the mysterious Princess Puffer where she warns us of the “Wages of Sin”.  We then discover that John Jasper is one of Puffer’s clients and after he drinks some laudanum we see “Japser’s Vision”. 

We then return to lovely Cloisterham, where Drood, and Neville get into one of there many fights about Rosa, Neville is infatuated to say the least; Drood is not amused, and Drood, Rosa, and Rev. Crisparkle remind the Landless twins that as they are from Cylon they are only colonialists and not truly English (“A British Subject”).  After Drood and Rosa run off with Neville and Helena following, John Jasper and Mayor Thomas Sapsea remind us all that there are two sides to every man (“Both Sides of the Coin”).

It is now Christmas Eve and we join Drood and Rosa taking a nice even stroll through the Cloisterham cemetery… after talking for a few moments they realize that they are both unhappy about their coming marriage.  If they had only been “Perfect Strangers” then things might have been different, they are more like brother and sister than soon to be husband and wife.

A short time later, we find ourselves at John Jasper’s house.  Drood, Rosa, Neville, Helena and Rev. Chrisparkle are all there for Christmas dinner.  However, after Japser serves them some more potent wine (ok, it’s laudanum), and a fight ensues, but we are reminded that “No Good Can Come from Bad”.  After dinner all part ways, and as Drood leave to take a walk down to the River, there is burst of lightening and an ominus crash of thunder, and as drood walkes into the night it is the last we will ever see of him…

The next morning, the storm has passed.  There is no sign of Drood.  A mob going and tracks down Neville as he was the last person seen with Drood, and their rivalry is well know, however they must release him for there is not body and without a body there can be no proof of murder.

The Music Hall Royale then takes a short break.  First to give one of there own his 15 minutes of fame (“Never The Luck”), and then to to remind the audience to be led, “Off to the Races”.

Act 2

            We begin at two at the Cloisterham train station were a train is just arriving…  ‘Two enquiring sleuths are about to appear on the scene’ one is the Princess Puffer, the other is a mysterious man called Dick Datchery.  They have arrived in Cloisterham to begin “A Private Investigation”.

            The next night we find that John Jasper has tracked down Rosa Budd in the streets of Cloisterhan.  He confesses his love for her but she rejects the wicked man (“The Name of Love” & “Moonfall (reprise)”).  After the scene in the street clears, Puffer tells us ”Don’t Quit While Your Ahead.”  This builds into a full-fledged production number, and then the show collapses.  We have reached the end of Dickens’ unfinished novel.  Therefore the Players of the Music Hall Royale to vote not only on who is the murder, but also on the real identity of the detective Dick Datchery as he must be one of the characters we have met previously…  And finally on a pair of lovers for the evening.

            The ended chosen by the audience is then preformed.  Firth though we hear “Puffer’s Revolation” and how she was led down “The Garden Path to Hell”.  Datchery then tell how Jasper is “Out on a Limerick”.  Jasper is then dragged on stage where he confesses (“Japser’s Confession”) but Durdles, the drunken Cloisterham gravedigger says that Jasper is not the real killer and names the audiences choice.  The Murderer then Confesses to his crime (“Murderer’s Confession”).  The murderer is dragger off.

            Then so that we have a happy ending at the Music Hall Royale, the chosen lovers sing a love song (“Perfect Stangers” [reprise]).  And just when you thought the evening was over, young Edwin Drood returns from beyond the grave, to say that though he has seen “The Writing on the Wall”, that you would persevere though it all and you come out ok, ‘or something along those lines’.

FINE