A twisted side, revenge, pride, saving a brother, protection, love, fame, confusion, all motives for Murder. In the musical “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” the audience become the detectives when the young and charming Edwin Drood is murdered. Each night the murderer is different, as voted by the audience. Was it his uncle with a dark side, John Jasper? The woman willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top, Princess Puffer? The mysterious twins from Ceylon, Helena and Neville Landless? His fiance seeking revenge that killed him by accident, Rosa Bud? A man driven by love and obsession wanting Rosa for himself, Reverend Crisparkle? A comical man starved for fame and attention who wanted the spotlight, Bazzard? Or a man who believes Edwin is a ghost, Durdles?
For Ryan McConachie, playing John Jasper was challenging, fun, and exciting. He said he enjoyed being able to connect with his peers and meet new people. McConachie had to make it seem believable that he was a mad villain. Everyone was always on edge, anxiously awaiting the ending.
“It was exciting because you never knew how the story would end,” McConachie said.
“I had the opportunity to play such an amazing character. She was spunky, sassy, and was able to mess with the audience,” said Lauren Watson who played Princess Puffer.
Puffer is a woman who will bring anyone down with her. Watson really wanted to show this in her acting. She had to play up her clues and lines to make it all believable.
“My lines were my clues. I wanted to make it seem like I was really capable of hurting someone,” she said.
Mallory Ozwald said she was concerned the show wouldn’t come together but her mind was changed with all the work the cast put in during tech week. Oswald was one of the three lucky people who were voted the murderer. Her character, Helena, was voted on the first night, causing her to set the scene for the other suspects.
“I was really surprised when I found out,” Oswald says. “I was shaking backstage because I was really nervous. I had never done a solo song before.” Even though she was nervous, Oswald gathered the courage to go out on stage and put on an amazing performance. “I just went out and tried to act as hysterical as possible.”
The character Neville Landless was voted the murderer on the second night. “I cannot tell you how excited I was to perform my confession,” said Rugor Aden who played Neville.
“I had waited all week to perform it at least one time.” For Aden the show was exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. Aden said he was was extremely impressed by his castmates and the work they put in. He felt that it was exciting not knowing what was going to happen each night.
“It gave all the suspects a motive to keep acting just as suspicious each night.”
“It was my favorite show I’ve ever done,” Ari Barnhardt said.
Barnhardt played the role of Rosa Bud. For her the experience was enjoyable but somewhat upsetting. Barnhardt was still on stage when the choices for murder and the detective were selected causing her some stress in awaiting the results. Barnhardt was a fan favorite and was selected both the murderer and Datchery Saturday night which she saw as a big honor.
“Although I was a bit disappointed, I loved being Datchery. I was told that I did a wonderful job which felt good,” Barnhardt said.
Ethan Schmidt played the character Reverend Crisparkle. For him the show started roughly but ended on a positive note.
“It let me get closer with people,” Schmidt says. He felt the show was a bit stressful. The cast was in a time crunch which made it difficult to put the show together. Schmidt spent the show anxious to know who was going to be chosen. “It was a bit nerve-wracking since I was hoping the whole time it would be me but I wouldn’t know until the time came.”
“It was a really magical feeling,” said Roosevelt Wilken who played Bazzard. For him the show was fun and overwhelming. Wilken said he felt he had accomplished so much during the show with the challenges he had to overcome. There were mic troubles but he was able to make them unknown to the audience. Being chosen the murder the third night was an unforgettable experience for Wilken. He was able to put on a wonderful performance that mystified the audience.
“It felt like I got a chance to show the world what I could do,” he said.
For Zach Nelson, the actor of Durdles, the experience was hard but fantastic. He felt that he made wonderful connections with his castmates. “Even though the show was anxiety driven, in the end it was worth it to see a project that had a lot more given into it,” Nelson said.
He said he felt it was nerve-wracking not knowing the end of the show because the potential loomed over him and his castmates. In the end the show turned out to be something wonderful.
“Hearing the laughs from the audience during our shows was truly the best feeling ever,” said Hannah Sempak, the actor of the murder victim, Edwin Drood. She said she felt that there was a bond formed between her and her fellow castmates. Sempak said she felt a strong connection with her fellow leads and was thankful for the safe environment they created for her. There were many challenges with this role, such as the difference in her and her character.
“Being an American teenage girl, it was difficult to put myself in the shoes of a middle aged British man.” Sempak explains.
Despite the ups and downs, Sempak and her cast mates were able to put on an absolutely outstanding show that is truly unforgettable.
