A Dickens of a show
Drood offers audience participation
by Christopher Key
For several years now, I have been whining about the lack of variety in musical theatre productions. The Bellingham Theatre Guild apparently heard me and is offering a pair of musicals this year that haven’t been done to death. The first one is The Mystery of Edwin Drood with music, book and lyrics by Rupert Holmes. The dual citizen of Britain and the United States is perhaps best known for his 1980s anthem “Escape.” Fortunately, that ode to the personals ads and piña coladas has sunk into well-deserved obscurity.
Charles Dickens went to that great writers’ conference in the sky before he was able to complete his novel about the fictional Edwin Drood. There is even some question as to what the eventual title of the work would be. Holmes, and director Jim Lortz, use this device to engage the audience in much interactivity.
At the onset, cast members mingle with the audience and gradually drift to the stage where they organize themselves for the play-within-a-play. One of the genuine delights of this script is that the performers are the cast and crew of a Veddy Victorian theatre company. The fact that they are performing a Dickensian melodrama merely gives them further license to overact, a quality highly esteemed in the Victorian era. And, of course, the audience is encouraged to boo and hiss the villain.
The estimable Mr. Lortz knows that casting a show correctly is a director’s top priority. You couldn’t find a weak spot in this cast with a Geiger counter and a metal detector.
Photo credit: J. B. Stiglitz
Leprechaunic Don McQuarrie presides over the proceedings with a twinkle in his eye and a tongue in his cheek. Emily Knight portrays the heroine with a wide-eyed innocence that would do Little Nell proud.
This show has more than its share of villainous characters, and a couple of them are particularly memorable. WWU student Andy Davison has the visage of a choirboy who is hiding a whoopee cushion under his robes and uses that tarnished innocence to great effect. BTG newcomer James Tweedale leers and struts through his role as a shady immigrant like a Tom Cruise with acting skills.
Margot Hanson, sly veteran that she is, shows the kids a thing or two with a star turn as the proprietress of an opium den. As a male-impersonating actress portraying the title character, Corey Lynn Atencio displays a phenomenal range. There is an aphorism at BTG that says “Les is more.” You’ll understand the saying as you watch Les Campbell portray a cockeyed clergyman. Robert Muzzy is such a fixture at the BTG that it’s almost tempting to shrug off another stellar performance as simply what’s expected. I won’t and you shouldn’t, either.
Space considerations prevent me from mentioning every member of the cast, despite the fact they all deserve it. One actor in a lesser role, however, deserves special mention. The reason you don’t see Überdirektor Teri Grimes onstage very often is because other actors resent that she can steal a scene simply by batting her eyes.
A director of Lortz’s stature not only attracts the best actors in town, but the best knuckledraggers, as well. That’s an actors’ term for those who toil behind the scenes. The formidable Marla Bronstein keeps the arrested-development types toeing the line as stage manager. Lacey Anne Oleson, whose diverse talents continue to amaze, has obviously had a field day with the spectacular costumes. Old Master Lee Taylor has designed another clever and complex set. Young Master Joe Super and crew put it together. Keyboard genius Steve Barnes serves as musical director and Alexander Bailey designed the evocative lighting. Director Lortz modestly takes credit for staging rather than choreography and is ably assisted by Gayle Staker.
When everybody in the show is obviously having fun, it’s safe to say the audience will have fun, too. Add in the fact that the audience gets to choose both the ultimate villain and the ending, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood is an experience not to be missed.
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The Mystery of Edwin Drood plays September 26 – October 12 at the Bellingham Theatre Guild, 1600 H Street. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students/seniors, and $8 for children. Reservations are highly recommended. The box office is open Tuesday – Saturday from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. or you may call 733-1811. For further information: www.bellinghamtheatreguild.com.