The Mystery of Edwin Drood
at The Sagemont School

Reviewed on March 25, 2010

Chelsea Santiago
Flanagan High School
Submitted for publication to

In The Sagemont School's recent production of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", the audience traveled back through time to witness the storytelling of Charles Dickens unfinished novel as performed by the hilariously eccentric Music Hall Royale in the mid 1800s.

This musical version is a play within a play- the inner story revolving around the psychotic choral instructor John Jasper, who is madly in love with his star pupil, Miss Rosa Bud. Rosa, however, is engaged to marry Jasper's own nephew Edwin Drood. Shortly after this is revealed, additional characters make their entrance into the story, each accompanied with motives and grievances of their own. So when young Edwin turns up missing on Christmas morning, the question of who's to blame for his sudden disappearance arises. Has he been murdered? If so, who did it? And who is the stranger who, along with the quirky Princess Puffer, seeks to solve the case? Since Charles Dickens died before answering any of these questions, the troupe turns to its audience to provide their opinions, and then play out the end of the mystery based on those choices.

Period musicals often prove to be rather difficult for high school students to present; however, the young cast managed to execute this musical divinely, staying true to their Victorian characters for the entirety of the show. The dynamic cast gave an energetic performance that kept the audience enthralled up until the final curtain call.

Although some lines were lost due to unexpected sound glitches, the cast handled it with consistent poise and professionalism. And though many cast members struggled with diction problems, Cristina Quintero, portraying the role of cross-dressing Miss Alice Nutting, delivered a clear and commendable performance as the young Edwin Drood, impressing the audience in songs such as "The Writing on the Wall". Other memorable performances came from Christopher Merlino, who ultimately stole the show performing as the Chairman and the Mayor simultaneously.

Samantha O'Brien worked skillfully with the lights and sounds, cleverly manipulating both in scenes such as "No Good Can Come From Bad" to cast the illusion of a violent storm equipped with both lightning and thunder. The minimal set and student drawn backgrounds were perhaps more brilliant in theory than in execution, but still managed to set the dark and mysterious mood to the setting. Although some items used did not seem time-period appropriate, this did not detract from the overall exciting performance.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a complex and uncommon high school show; however, the production was performed with obvious commitment and The Sagemont School's overall interpretation of this difficult musical excelled beyond expectations.

BRANDON ACOSTA
South Plantation High School
Submitted for publication to

What do you do when you are presented with a mystery that has no solution? If you're a member of The Musical Hall Royale, you take the audience along on a quest to create your own answer, as The Sagemont School did in their performance of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

The musical, first debuting on Broadway as Drood and created by Rupert Holmes, takes Charles Dickens's unfinished novel and places it in a traditional music hall setting, giving it a "show-within-a-show" atmosphere- the actors portray not only the characters of the novel, but also the actors who are putting on the musical revue of the novel. Upon reaching the end of Dickens's work, the company asks the audience for their assistance in creating their own ending. As the novel originally cuts off just after the titular character's disappearance, the musical is written so that any outcome chosen by the audience could be the solution to the mystery.

A show completely hinging on audience participation requires an upbeat and energetic cast, and the performers of Sagemont managed to keep theatergoers wrapped around their fingers. Standouts from the show included Dean Malahias and Siana Summey as Jasper and The Princess Puffer, respectively, who exhibited excellent vocal and acting range as well as impeccable comedic timing. Another favorite was The Chairman, the MC and the audience's witty guide through his reinvented world of Edwin Drood, played with endearing vigor by Christopher Merlino. As a whole, the ensemble was seldom out of step and only dropped out of character to assume their secondary roles- not as figments of Charles Dickens's imagination, but as members of the Musical Hall Royale (and effectively figments of Rupert Holmes's imagination).

Amusingly, one of the principal roles of the show was performed by a puppet, with The Chairman (Merlino, who made it by hand) using it as Mayor Sapsea in the energetic "Both Sides of the Coin" alongside Jasper. Audience favorite Tyler Stanley got his chance to shine in the fourth-wall shattering "Never the Luck", and as a result was chosen as the audience's preferred detective. Though hampered vocally by technical difficulties, actors such as Corina Lander (Rosa Bud) made up for it by establishing their own characters, and more importantly making them believable. Watching Lander's plight as she fended off the advances of her obsessed lover Jasper was one of the most strangely intriguing and yet simultaneously disturbing moments of the show.

The unfinished tale of Edwin Drood remains to this day one of the greatest literary anomalies known to man. Thankfully for the audience of The Sagemont School's production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, however, it is a case that does not need to be cracked.

Faren Dalipram
South Plantation High School
Submitted for publication to

Who done it? In this hilarious "show-within-a-show" murder mystery, no one knows until the very last minute.

The cast and crew of The Sagemont School transformed into the lively theater troupe of London's Music Hall Royale as they prepared to perform The Mystery of Edwin Drood, inspired by the unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. The first act is presented in the style of a Victorian Variety Act, in which the cast acts out the most important scenes and invites the audience to participate. The show presents an intriguing turn of events when it is announced that the audience will be given the opportunity to determine the musical's conclusion, and the cast vies for the most votes to be deemed the murderer of Edwin Drood.

The cast assumed convincing characterizations that were never broken during the opening scene, in which they mingled with the audience and explained the premise of the show. While their their performance was delivered with energy and enthusiasm, the dancing ensemble's presence detracted from several scenes. Their modern costumes conflicted with the vintage coats and dresses of the other performers, and their often disordered movements pulled attention away from the main characters' performances.

Vocals delivered by actresses Corina Lander as Rosa Bud and Isabel Rangel as Helen Landless were wrought with emotion and conveyed a significant amount of sentiment through song.

Dean Malahais, as the menacing and lustful John Jasper, delivered his lines with confidence and much bravado. He approached his immodest character with fanaticism, and the flooding of the stage with red lights during intense moments reflected Jasper's fervor. Similarly dedicated to his character was Christopher Merlino as the Chairman. Merlino's humorous air never faltered, and his comedic timing was near perfect as he enhanced the energy onstage with his charisma and panache. Merlino and Malahais performed in impressive synchronicity during "Both Sides of the Coin", and although not all words could not be understood, the comedic quality of the song was not lost. Many actors and actresses were hindered by their obvious excitement to perform, and sped through their lines, which resulted in the loss of dialogue crucial to the story.

The technical aspects of the show consisted of simple design and inconsistent execution. While the projected backdrops were effective in creating an empty space for the performers to fill with their voices and presence, they were too rudimentary in design to successfully depict each setting, and were often projected at the wrong time. The lighting also cast unwelcome shadows over many performers, rendering their facial expressions indistinguishable, however designer Samantha O'Brien creatively used sound effects and experimented with shadows to simulate a storm and create Jasper's eerie visions.

Metatheatrical elements coupled with nineteenth century musical theater make the Mystery of Edwin Drood an ambiguous and challenging experience for the audience, cast and crew, and The Sagemont School rose admirably to the occasion.

Robert Oda
South Plantation High School
Submitted for publication to

Within the walls of Nova Southeastern University's Miniaci Theater, spectators meet murderers, lovers, and detectives as the Sagemont School presents its production of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." Set in London's Music Hall Royale, audiences are taken into a play-within-a-play where they hope to discover, "Who done it?" this time with a new twist. Unlike your average mystery novel, this time the ending is not set in stone, but as the night goes along, the audience decides how this particular story will unfold.

Derived from the unfinished Charles Dickens novel, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", this musical rendition picks up right where Dickens laid down his pen. The special aspect about this show is its use of audience interaction to dictate how the story will conclude. Rupert Holmes, who wrote the lyrics, music, book, and did the orchestrations for the show predicted that as each night's audience enters the theater with a different temperament, the outcome would be theoretically unpredictable -- even to the actors, who would have to act on their feet in order to finish the story as the audience dictates it. Leading the attack was the Master of Ceremonies, Christopher Merlino, who from the get go had the undivided attention of the crowd as he steered the pack through the maze that is Drood. With great comedic delivery, a believable accent, and commanding stage presence -- Merlino was a consistent pleasure to watch. Alongside him was the always villainous John Jasper, played by Dean Malahias, who was the character everyone loved to hate. As the theater filled with boos and hisses, ironically enough, audiences show their appreciation for Malahias' evil mannerisms and cynical portrayal of the eerie John Jasper.

One of the most unfortunate issues of the show was the overall quality of sound. Though out of the operator's control, it was consistently hard to understand many of the actors -- though perhaps an articulation or accent issue -- it was at times difficult to even hear what was being said onstage. Consequently, this may have affected the ensemble as a whole and resulted in a lack of focus and energy onstage. Though actors such as Cristina Quintero, who played Edwin Drood, gave vocally solid performances, at times the difficult score gave some of the cast members trouble. Perhaps one of the most important conventions of Drood is that it is a period piece, which dictates many of the props, make-up, costume, and even lighting designs -- and while the technical aspects of the show adequately captured what it is to be in the nineteenth century, there were certain moments here and there that fell out of the time frame of the piece, particularly in the area of performance, which decorated from the believability of the performance.

As a whole, the show proved to be a theatrical experience, bending the usual conventions of the theater and engaging audiences in a whole new way. By breaking down the fourth wall, tailoring the plot to fit the audience's desire, and gazing in upon a play-within-a-play, the Sagemont School's production of the Mystery of Edwin Drood had something in store for everyone.

Dakota Demato
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Submitted for publication to

Walking into a theater without knowing the ending of the show is perfectly normal... for the audience. But for the cast? Never! Unless, of course, you're walking into The Sagemont School's "The Mystery of Edwin Drood."

"The Mystery of Edwin Drood" is a quirky tale by Rupert Holmes, based on Charles Dickens' unfinished story. Edwin Drood is engaged to the charming Rosa Bud, who John Jasper also happens to lust after. Drood mysteriously disappears one day by the river, leaving only a bloodied cape behind. And here, Dickens left us with the ultimate cliffhanger; dying before he concluded the story! So it's up to the audience to decide. Edwin Drood: alive or dead? And who's to blame?

Even before the show starts, the ensemble displays their commitment to their character as they saunter down the aisle to welcome the audience to the "Music Hall Royale". Their strong characterization and natural charisma is even more evident on stage. As a whole most of the cast had diction problems which made it hard to grasp the story, although they never lacked energy or dropped their smiles.

A mirthful, energetic persona, Christopher Merlino's portrayal of the Chairman proves a testament to the actor's versatility and dexterous improvisational skills. In addition to playing two roles, Merlino also directs the audience voting, a difficult task considering the potential for unforeseen complications when breaking the fourth wall.

Likewise, Cristina Quintero demonstrates her flexibility by playing a male character, Edwin Drood. Remarkably convincing, Quintero demonstrates impressive physical and vocal control. Rosa Bud, Corina Lander, showed off her talent in gymnastics and played her part with a naivety that complemented the cast nicely. Dean Malahias as John Jasper was captivatingly humorous and created a memorable villain, one the audience loved to hate.

The supporting performers hardly take the backseat to the leads. Siana Summey as Princess Puffer commands attention every moment she is onstage with her innate ability to capture the character. Durdles played by Diego Zozaya, and Bazzard played by Tyler Stanley, are both hysterical in their roles, utilizing vocal inflections and physical comedy to great success.

As for the technical aspects of the show, the student drawn projected scene design instead of a traditional set made it hard to fully understand where the scene was taking place. Although, the in period costumes made it helpful to grasp the time period.

A thoroughly entertaining mixture of hilariously absurd comedy and whodunit mystery, The Sagemont School's "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" made for a notable performance.