Polishing a Creaky Chestnut

I wasn’t too excited about seeing The Mystery of Edwin Drood today.  But Roundabout did what Roundabout does.  They take a classic, in this case the creaky, unfinished Dickens tale, and they wallop the audience with a great good time.

This is the music hall done right, not like the woeful, obnoxious One Man, Two Guv’nors.  Once I was willing to let go of knowing this chestnut just too well, I laughed and had so much fun with the ensemble musical.

I didn’t even realize until the intermission that Chita Rivera is in it.  During the second act, I focused on her and will say, I finally recognized her cheek bones.  She shares the stage very willingly with the always wonderful Stephanie Block and Will Chase, who was a small bright spot on Smash as the actor who nearly breaks up the Debra Messing character’s marriage.  He is wonderful here, playing against type.

While I’m the last one to tell you to run out and buy a ticket for this show, if you are a Roundabout subscriber like me, you don’t have to sigh at the thought of spending this time in the theater with them.  Even the luscious Studio 54 theater is complemented by their production, and their sets, especially the railway station (reminiscent of the famous Monet painting), are nicely done.

Claude Monet, St Lazarre Train Station, 1877

Go prepared to participate and have fun!