While Charles Dickens is inarguably one of the great writers of the English language, the mystery genre was never his forte. Still, late in his life, he began a tale of murder, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which remained unfinished because he passed away after penning the first six installments. Although no autopsy was performed, based on the musical that Rupert Holmes … [Read more...]
Audience-participation whodunit ‘Drood’ takes Maltz stage
Charles Dickens wrote what is probably the most popular holiday tale, A Christmas Carol, which has been adapted for the stage many times, filling theaters at this time of year. A bit perversely, then, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre has chosen to dust off his other Christmas show, 1986’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a five-time Tony Award winner including Best Musical. It opens … [Read more...]
‘Something Rotten!’ an amusing antidote to Bardolatry
You think Antonio Salieri had trouble competing with that wunderkind composer Mozart in Amadeus? That was nothing compared with the woes of Nick and Nigel Bottom, two Elizabethan playwrights stymied by the skill and acclaim of rock star wordsmith William Shakespeare in the cleverly comic musical, Something Rotten!, at the Broward Center through April 2. Imagine the chutzpah … [Read more...]