The Mystery of Edwin Drood in Woodstock Nov. 5-21

From press release

WOODSTOCK, Ill.—Audiences attending performances of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, the Tony Award-winning musical presented by TownSquare Players, Inc., at the Woodstock Opera House in November, will get to determine something the show’s actors don’t even know: how the show will end.

Drood, which won five 1986 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, is a musical mystery by Rupert Holmes that involves a loony Victorian musical troupe staging a flamboyant rendition of an unfinished Charles Dickens novel. The Dickens story centers on John Jasper, a Jekyll-and-Hyde choirmaster who’s madly in love with his music student, Rosa Bud, who’s engaged to Jasper’s nephew, Edwin Drood. When Drood disappears mysteriously one stormy night, it’s not known whether he was murdered—and, if so, who the killer is. Audience members get to vote on the solution, and the ending at each performance is determined by that vote. Because of audience interaction, the audience at each performance is limited to no more than 200.

Geoffrey King of Lake in the Hills serves as artistic director and vocal director for the show, and Maggie McCord of Crystal Lake is handling the choreography. Char Ulanowski and Paul Lockwood, both of Woodstock, are the co-producers. Other staff members include: Ashley Brown, lighting technician; Len Fogerty, sound designer and sound technician; Brian Heinzelmann, stage manager and props manager; Steven Hill, lighting designer; Lynne Kreisman, set dresser; Barry Norton, scenic artist; Mandy Habel Ramsey, orchestra director; Kent Wilson, set construction foreman; and Virginia Zymonas, wig coordinator. Kat’s Kloset of Woodstock is coordinating all of the costumes.

The talented cast members include the following: Regina Belt (Angela Prysock/Princess Puffer), Brittany Bromir (Alice Nutting/Edwin Drood), Alex Fayer (Clive Paget/John Jasper), Matt Fraser (James Throttle/Stage Manager/Harold), Brendan Gaughan (Phillip Bax/Bazzard), Frank Gaughan (Chairman William Cartwright/Mayor Sapsea), Brian Spengel (Master Nick Cricker/Deputy), all of Crystal Lake; David Freise (Brian Pankhurst/Horace/Satyr) of Harvard; Kelsey Rosenorn (Gwendolen Pynn/Succubus/Citizen) of Huntley; Carrie MacDonald (Florence Gill/Citizen) and John McDonnell (Nick Cricker/Durdles) of McHenry; Megan Heinzinger (Valerie Paine/Beatrice/Succubus) of Wauconda; and Christopher Davis (Victor Grinstead/Neville Landless), Ariana Freeman (Isabel Yearsley/Alice/Succubus), Sarah Gerloff (Janet Conover/Helena Landless), Paul Jenkins (Cedric Moncrieffe/Rev. Crisparkle), Megan Marshall (Deirdre Peregrine/Rosa Bud), Gen Nehrt (Sarah Cook/Citizen) and Char Ulanowski (Violet Balfour/Citizen/Servant), all of Woodstock.

Performances will be Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., Nov. 5-21. To purchase tickets, go to woodstockoperahouse.com, call the Woodstock Opera House box office at (815) 338-5300, or stop in during normal box office hours.

TownSquare Players (TSP), Inc., was established in 1968 and incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in 1973. The purpose of TSP is to promote, sponsor, support, produce, instruct and engage in all the performing arts and other related activities.

From the Nov. 3-9, 2010 issue