Crisparkle (Michael Rhone), John Jasper, Bazzard or even one of the Landlesses.Д«ecause вЂњDroodвЂќ is a musical, it comes with an orchestra.

So: Who DID kill Edwin Drood (if heвЂ™s actually dead)? That decision is left up to each nightвЂ™s audience who votes for the most likely killer (out of seven choices). SammonвЂ™s lovely soprano is heard in вЂњMoonfallвЂќ and she joins Angst in the comedic duet вЂњPerfect Strangers.вЂќДЄs the promiscuous, drug-addicted The Princess Puffer, Melissa CostaвЂ™s strong voice is heard in вЂњThe Wages of SinвЂќ and, with the entire company in the humorous вЂњDonвЂ™t Quit While YouвЂ™re Ahead.вЂќ Mannion is impressive in his solo (вЂњBoth Sides of the CoinвЂќ) and he joins Lowe in another strong duet (вЂњTwo KinsmenвЂќ). Leo Lopez as her uncle, Neville Landless, also has a strong voice as does Adam Lowe, who plays John Jasper, the choirmaster of Cloisterham Cathedral, Edwin DroodвЂ™s uncle and Rosa BudвЂ™s music master. Slapstick comedy (thanks to Piccone and Cardenas), broad puns and asides by the cast and frequent encouragement to the audience to applaud or boo are all part of the fun that seems shared by both actors and theatregoers.ДЄ number of fine voices are showcased here including Angst, Mannion, Sammon, Bazzard and Saira Grewal as the young princess from Ceylon. Solomon makes the most of banging a symbol or making other sounds as the show progresses. The setting, The Music Hall Royale, is imaginatively created here by scenic and projections designer Carlos Aceves in FoothillвЂ™s intimate Lohman Theatre located near the entrance off of El Monte Road in Los Altos Hills.ДЇar off to the audienceвЂ™s right in the shadows sits Scott Solomon as the stage manager, James Throttle. It played on Broadway for about five months and won five 1985 Tony Awards, including best musical, book, score, direction and leading actor. Miss Bud, Edwin Drood's fiance, has also caught the eye. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, it focuses more on Drood's uncle, John Jasper, a precentor, choirmaster and opium addict, who is lusting after his pupil, Rosa Bud. Instead, in 1985 playwright and composer Rupert Holmes decided to make вЂњDroodвЂќ into a musical. The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in 1870. Make no mistake: This is an off-kilter, old-fashioned melodrama derived from a half-written novel by Charles Dickens, who passed away before it was finished.

The mystery of edwin drood musical