Off to the Races! Five Must-See Interpretations of The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The 2013 Tony Awards are right around the corner, and we can’t wait to find out which show takes home the prize for Best Musical Revival: The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Pippin, Cinderella or Annie. In the meantime, we went on a little YouTube binge to find out the most awesome, hilarious and downright weird interpretations of these Tony-nominated revivals from all over the world. Next up, The Mystery of Edwin Drood brought the tale of Charles Dickens’ unfinished mystery back to Broadway for the first time in over 25 years. We scoured the web to find five innovative takes on Rupert Holmes’ zany musical comedy.
THERE YOU ARE, AUDIENCE!
Between jeering, yelling “Droooood” and voting for the murderer, the audience plays an essential role in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. But in this 2001 New Orleans production, there’s some especially awesome audience participation going on. It’s fun and hilarious—but we’re glad we’re not sitting in the front row!
DROOD IN DEUTSCHLAND
Theater Munster in Munster, Germany, presents The Mystery of Edwin Drood with a touch of Cabaret, featuring ladies in skimpy corsets and pirouetting shirtless men. Who cares whodunit? Book us a plane ticket to Germany!
THIS IS A HIGH SCHOOL PRODUCTION?!
After listening to lots of decent but not very energetic renditions of “Off to the Races,” we discovered a stellar Skaneateles High School production of Drood that doesn’t disappoint. And while we’re at it, can we talk about the gorgeous set and costumes?
MELISSA ERRICO SINGS DROOD
Tony nominee Melissa Errico delivered a stunning interpretation of the emotional (and, in the context of Drood, kinda creepy) ballad “Moonfall” at her Joe’s Pub concert, "Melissa Errico Back for More!" in April 2012.
BONUS: DROOD MEETS VH1
We couldn’t do a Drood tribute without including the wacky “Don’t Quit While You’re Ahead” music video filmed by the original Broadway cast in 1985…It even aired on VH1! Featuring dry ice, cheesy camera effects and '80s electric guitar solos, there’s only one music video that can top it.
