It’s Hell Week for the Players Guild of Dearborn production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Hell Week begins with Tech Sunday and two runs of the show with a pot luck dinner in between. The first run on Tech Sunday is usually “cue to cue” – meaning go from light cue to light cue, or sound cue, or set change – stopping and starting and then stopping again and going back and beginning again. It can be a frustrating time for actors, directors, and crew members, not to mention costumers, and hair and make-up people.
Hell Week continues with run-throughs on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Small audiences will be invited to the final rehearsals so the cast and crew can work through the audience-driven ending.
Thursday night is “dark” to allow the Dave Wood and his stage crew a final opportunity to make last minute changes and fixes. The show opens Friday, November 8, and continues for three more weekends. Friday and Saturday curtains are at 8:00pm. The Sunday matinees go up at 2:30pm. Tickets are available online at http://playersguildofdearborn.org/
Drood is set in England in 1892 and The Music Hall Royale is premiering its newest show, The Mystery of Edwin Drood — a musical adaptation of the last story ever written by Charles Dickens. Edwin Drood has disappeared on a snowy Christmas Eve. Was he murdered? If so, who is the murderer? The answer was never revealed in the book as Dickens died before finishing the story, leaving no clues as to its outcome. That is, until now, as the players will turn to the audience to vote from a litany of suspects, all of who have their motives for Drood’s disappearance! In all likelihood, there will be a different ending to the show each night.
The Director is Michael Falzon. The Choreographer is Janeen Bodary. The Music Director is Julie Malloy.
The book, music, and lyrics are by Rupert Holmes. The show is adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens. It is being produced in cooperation with Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.