The Playhouse is staging an unusual production. I was able to speak to one of its actors to find out what’s so different. She’s Corina Zars, and here she explains the regular part of what happens.
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood is basically a play within a play. It is a group of Victorian-era actors from the Royal Music Halls in London, and they are putting on the play Edwin Drood.”
But this is where the production jumps the rails just a bit.
“It’s an interactive play, so we get to go down into the audience to do a little pre-show to get to know the audience a little bit more, and try to solicit votes for the murder.”
The Edwin Drood of the title? He’s missing, and presumed dead. Wait—did I say he? That, too is a mystery.
“The audience decides who the murderer is, so there’s eight possible murderers, there’s eight possible sleuths, so it’s really a different show every night.”
Her character is an opium dealer appropriately named Mrs. Puffer.
“Come to my opium den and enjoy some of my lovelies that I’ve got for ya.”
I noted “Not Oxford trained, I guess?” She laughed.
“No, Puffer’s a bit Cockney. She’s not exactly refined.”
One thing that’s not a mystery—when the Playhouse is putting it on.
“We open on May 29th and go through June 21st.”
We've more on the production here.
