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Regional Reviews: St. Louis The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Gerry Love does well as the evening's host, especially in act two, when the audience must choose the "who" in "whodunit" (to complete Mr. Dickens' story of murder). And Mr. Love was hilariously dour after the opening night audience made some rather astonishing choices near the end. But the actors were all well prepared, especially that night's very unexpected murderess (Eileen Engel), who was terrific. (The script contains alternate versions of the "confession" song for each of the potential suspects, who must be ready to jump up and explain their culpability at a moment's notice.) And while the votes are being counted off-stage, the great Lavonne Byers (as the proprietor of an opium den) entertains us with a torrid song about "the wages of sin." It also happened to be the first time I was really on the edge of my seat, the whole night. Psychologically and theatrically, she is a natural wonder: like Niagara Falls, or triple-filtered vodka. Some of the singers are genuinely phenomenal, in terms of vocal training and ability—Heather Matthews (cross-dressed for the title role) and the aforementioned Eileen Engel, as Drood's intended, among them. (Ms. Engel also provides the many excellent costumes.) Another great asset is Michael A. Wells, who was singled out for additional work opening night, by the audience after the intermission, for his comical, misguided magnificence. His great choral work in a big audience "sing-along" also turned many heads, to where he stood at the back of the house. But it's important to mention that much of the show depends on the "antique" or "melodramatic" style of acting, which comes down to us from the 19th century and the age of the Actor Managers. Director Justin Been has found a way to develop (at least) some variation on this style in most of the actors, but not quite in all (as of opening night, anyway). Mr. Wells excels at this heightened reality, as does the always impressive Michael Juncal (as the stage manager), and of course Ms. Byers, along with the adorable Patrick Kelly as an Anglican vicar. And don't get me wrong, I think Zachary Stefaniak is a strong performer—but here he gets stuck with a role that's very much like the one he had in And Then There Were None, laughing maniacally. Here, I liked his scene in the opium den, but most of his duets with Ms. Engel just left me exasperated (partly because the last one goes on and on for about three geological epochs). Allow me to do a little theatrical algebra (solving for 'Z' in this case) and say that Zachary Stefaniak may just be too nice—and too naturalistic—to play a blood curdling villain. To remedy this apparent "lack" of character flaws, I would suggest some darker rings around his eyes, and (why not just lay it on the line) a black cape and hat while we're at it. It is, after all, important to understand the power of social mythology, as source material for melodrama. But thank goodness Mr. Stefaniak is a spectacular choreographer in this show. Otherwise, everything works nicely. Most of the songs are utterly forgettable, and the slightly mad Dickensian interactions that enliven his stories are almost non-existent in Drood. They seem to be traded in for "runway" numbers here, where solo singers strut and fret down a raised platform, out amongst the audience, one by one. But, fortunately, the big ensemble numbers are great celebrations of the music-hall idiom, thanks to Mr. Stefaniak's dazzling dance numbers and, of course, thanks to the singing and dancing ensemble, who are miraculous. Every year, though, the melodramatic style inches farther and farther out of reach and becomes harder to recapture. Especially when we've traded it in for the naturalistic approach that's required in nearly every other show. Maybe if everyone on stage were Trekkies ... then they could just act like William Shatner, in any of the weaker Star Trek episodes from the 1960s, where he had to pull out all the stops (in the grand old fashion) and "save" a crummy script—then people would know how to act "badly" (or, more exaggeratedly). But even that Shatnerian "old style" is fading into history, taking shows like this, and (generally) the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, with it. But there's so much talent packed in there, you'd be well advised to have a look. The Mystery of Edwin Drood was introduced in 1985, with music and lyrics by Rupert Holmes. It runs through April 18th, 2015, at the Abbey in Tower Grove East, 2336 Tennessee Avenue, 63104. For more information on this production, visit www.straydogtheatre.org. Cast (in order of appearance): Ensemble: Music Hall Royale Band: Artistic Staff:
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