Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010

Staff Reports
Madison Magazine

A musical based on Victorian author Charles Dickens' novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood, will open April 1 at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville).

This wildly warm-hearted theatrical experience begins when the Music Hall Royale (a hilariously eccentric Victorian musical troupe) performs its flamboyant interpretation of an unfinished Dickens mystery, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

The story deals with John Jasper, a Jekyll-and-Hyde choirmaster who is madly in love with his music student, Miss Rosa Bud. Unfortunately for Jasper, Miss Bud is already engaged to Edwin Drood, Jasper's nephew.

The title character, Drood, disappears mysteriously one stormy Christmas Eve-but what has really happened to Drood? The enthusiasm of this play-within-a-play draws the audience toward one of Drood'S most talked-about features, which allows the audience to vote on the solution as the prelude to the most unusual and hilarious finale!

Drood was first performed on Broadway in 1987, and was written by Rupert Holmes who is most famous for the 70s pop hit, "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)." For this brilliant musical, Holmes won four Tony Awards for book, lyrics, music and orchestration.

The UAHuntsville production of Drood will be performed in the Chan Auditorium (located in the Business Administration Building) on April 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10 at 7:30 p.m., and on April 11 at 2:30 p.m.