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Raucous choose-your-own-adventure whodunit 'Edwin Drood' opens at Santa Fe Playhouse
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A Tony-winning musical comedy whodunit based on Charles Dickens’ unfinished final novel, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” is a theatrical experience unlike any other. It opens at Santa Fe Playhouse on Thursday, Dec. 4.
“This musical is unique in that the audience chooses its own adventure,” Joey Rodriguez, director, said. “They choose who the detective-in-disguise is, they choose who the murderer is, and they even choose which couple gets together in the end. It’s raucous entertainment, all chosen by the audience.”
Theater-goers who come on different nights will see very different endings.
“My production team did the math, and there are 428 different possibilities,” Rodriguez said.
Although the mood of Dickens’ novel is dark and gloomy, the Broadway adaptation by Rupert Holmes — who also wrote “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” — is silly, boisterous fun.
“It’s very much a farce and a comedic laugh-fest all the way through,” Rodriguez said. “The original production is set in 1890 and is a Victorian British show. Historically, the British during that time had what they called music halls, which was basically vaudeville in a pub. So, the audience was usually intoxicated, and it was mainly just to have a laugh and not be super serious. The British, you know, when the sun goes down, they get less prim and proper.”
The tale is presented as a show-within-a-show, so each actor plays two roles: a music hall performer and their murder mystery character.
Rodriguez has added an additional layer of self-referential humor by setting the play, not in England, but in Santa Fe.
“I’ve set this as a traveling caravan of actors who are also dealing in illegal goods, which is a historical fact that happened in Santa Fe,” Rodriguez said. “It adds another layer to the comedy, having American actors from the Southwest trying their hardest to do a British show.”
“You’ll have the characters going in and out of accents with some country twang,” Rodriguez said. “I told (the actors) on day one, your accents don’t have to be perfect. Just choose a British one, and it’ll be funny.”
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Cues by Brittney Baker, the lighting designer, signal the shift between the actors’ Southwestern and faux-British roles.
“When we are with Southwestern characters, they will speak in a Western accent in white light,” Rodriguez said. “Then, they’ll go right back into the show in a British accent, with their British names, and beautifully colored, saturated lights.”
Rodriguez said the actors are a great team, very talented and well-versed in comedy.
“Karen Ryan plays Princess Puffer, a very mysterious character who deals in opium,” Rodriguez said. “The story is about a man named Edwin Drood, played by actress Andra Beatty. She is, of course, betrothed to Rosa Bud, played by Rikki Carroll. They have their marriage date set, but Drood’s uncle by the name of John Jasper, played by Martin Chavez-Borjas, has this plot to mess up their marriage so that he himself can marry Rosa Bud, which is loosely the plot.”
“Of course, a lot of hilarious things ensue,” he added.
Musically, the production is an homage to British music hall traditions.
“There’s a lot of crunchy chords and a lot of choral numbers, but then a lot of raucous beer hall moments where people are doing kick lines with drinks in their hands,” he said.
Choreographer Jet Terry, who is also the assistant director, has given some of the song-and-dance numbers a distinctly Southwestern flavor.
“He has done a wonderful job of infusing ballet with saloon-style cowboy line-dancing,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez describes the atmosphere of “Drood” as planned chaos and said he hopes audiences will embrace the confusion.
“Come prepared to laugh,” Rodriguez said. “Come prepared to loosen your tie and have a great time.”
