The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Auditions
May 9 / 6:00 PM
May 10 / 3:00 PM
The great Charles Dickens, famous Victorian author of 15 novels, always had a flair for mystery, satire, and the dramatic. In the middle of writing his last novel, possibly his best mystery ever (who can argue), he died…
It took another 115 years for someone as dynamic as Rupert Holmes to finish it off (well, almost) with style. Nominated for 11 Tony Awards and winner 8 including Best Musical, this show is an experience. Avoiding all the scholarly criticism, Holmes imbedded audience participation to finally answer the question of who murdered the unfortunate young Edwin Drood. A different ending is possible for every show. Presented as a play- within- a play, in vaudeville style, with hammy character’s breaking the fourth wall, this show will keep everyone laughing all summer.
Join us for a hilarious musical murder mystery that might just be more fun to perform than to watch.
– Katrina Hamilton-Kraft
What to Prepare
Please prepare 16 measures of a musical theatre song. Be sure to have music available for the accompanist. No A Capella will be accepted. You will be taught a simple movement routine and there will be cold readings from the script. The readings will be given at the time of auditions.
- Fill out the Audition Form
- Tentative Rehearsal Schedule
- View the tentative rehearsal schedule and mark all conflicts (existing and potential) on your audition form.
Character Breakdown
Staying within the bounds of a play-within- a play, you will notice many of the characters have two (or more) names next to them. Generally, this is to represent the character playing a character. Eight roles are tagged as murder suspects. For each there is a different ending (and songs) to the musical.
Drood/Nutting/*Datchery – Female 25- 45ish. Mezzo (B3 – E5)
Edwin Drood / Alice Nutting/Datchery: Prima donna and London’s leading male impersonator, charming but, as you might expect, has determination and a lot of ego. Must command the stage. As Edwin Drood, she is an attractive, rich, and popular young man who has everything. The victim.* Note: Plays Datchery up until the voting
Jasper/Paget – Male 35-50ish. Bari- tenor (A2 – A4)
John Jasper / Clive Paget: The Royale’s male lead, a devilishly attractive cad, and he knows it. In Drood, he is the baddie. Choirmaster of Cloisterham Cathedral and uncle of Edwin Drood. In love with Rosa Bud. Madness lurks beneath his smooth exterior. Strictly speaking, a suspect, but he didn’t do it. A Murder Suspect
Crisparkle/Moncrieffe – Male Baritone (C3 – G4)
Reverend Crisparkle / Cedric Moncrieffe: This troupe member is a bit of an open book who plays the archetypal vicar. He is also a bit of a lurker and was in love with Rosa’s mother. A suspect. Must be significantly older than Rosa. Strong ensemble singer. May also play other roles. A Murder Suspect
Chairman/Cartwright/Mayor – Male or Female 40+ Baritone/Low Alto (D#3 – F#4 – can pop octaves if needed).
Chairperson & Mayor Thomas Sapsea / Cartwright: The leader of the music hall troupe. The Chairperson carries the majority of the dialogue and must be quick with a joke and able to improvise. S/he is in charge of keeping the pace of the show moving. Unexpectedly fills in as the Mayor character in Drood when an actor fails to show up.
Puffer/Prysock – 50+ Serious low alto (F3 – D5)
Princess Puffer/Angela Prysock: Angela has been a favorite of London audiences forever, a staple of the stage. As the mysterious Princess Puffer, Madam, opium dealer and general purveyor of vice of all kinds, she is glamorous in her ruin. A suspect. – must have a big chest voice and lots of rapport with the audience. A Murder Suspect
Neville Landless/Grinstead – Male 25- 50ish. Bari-tenor (C3 – G4)
Neville Landless / Victor Grinstead: Victor is enjoying his premier performance with the Music Hall Royale. His character, Neville, is Helena’s brother and suffers from the same “geographically untraceable” approximation of an East Asian accent. Falls for Rosa Bud, falls out with Edwin, and is therefore another suspect in the murder. Very passionate and often angry. Strong ensemble singer, may also play other roles. A Murder Suspect
Helena Landless/Conover – Female 25- 50ish. Mezzo (G3 – D5 [optional E5])
Helena Landless / Janet Conover: Janet is a long-standing member of the acting troupe, asked to play the mysterious Helena Landless who hails from a mysterious foreign colony not unlike India. Will need to switch between her British accent and a “geographically untraceable” approximation of an East Asian accent. Another suspect. Strong ensemble singer, May also play other roles. A Murder Suspect
Rosa Bud/Peregrine – Female 16 -30ish. True soprano (A3 – B5), with a high B natural that can’t be avoided
Rosa Bud / Deirdre Peregrine/: The not-so- innocent ingenuine of the Music Hall Royale, Deirdre portrays the love interest of Drood, the young, beautiful and apparently fragile Rosa Bud. She is betrothed to Edwin Drood, the only man who isn’t in love with her. A suspect in his murder. A Murder Suspect
Deputy/Cricker Jr. Male or Female 16 – 30 (any range strong ensemble singer)
Deputy / Nick or Nicole Cricker, Jr: Boy or girl, any age, younger than Cricker, Sr. As the Deputy, lowest in the pecking order, and very funny.
Bazzard/Bax – Male Any age. Bari-tenor (A2 – Eb4 [opt G4 or Bb4]). Strong ensemble singer
Bazzard / Phillip Bax: Devotee of the theatre, the everlasting understudy, who finally gets his moment. May have quite a major part if the evening turns out that way. A sad sort of clown. In his role as Bazzard, he is often an audience- favorite suspect. Very capable of stealing the whole show. May also play other roles. A Murder Suspect
Durdles/Cricker Sr. – Male Over 35. Baritone or Tenor (B2 – F4). Strong ensemble singer
Nick Cricker, Sr ./ Durdles: “Clown Prince of the Royale” who makes the most of every line and plays the drunkard sexton in Drood. Gets to announce the murderer (maybe?). May also play other roles. A Murder Suspect
Beatrice & Flo/ Gill – Female (C4-D5)
Beatrice & Flo / Gill: Drawn from the company, these characters are contemporaries of Rosa Bud who sing a fabulous quartet with Rosa and Helena in Act I as well as participating in the rest of the company goings-on.
SM/Barkeep/Throttle – Male or Female non singing
Stage Manager / Barkeep / James or Joyce Throttle: A non-singing role, male or female, who helps to keep the Chairperson on track throughout the play.
Wendy/Yearsley – Female (C4-D5)
Wendy/Yearsley: Drawn from the company, these characters are contemporaries of Rosa Bud who sing a fabulous quartet with Rosa and Helena in Act I as well as participating in the rest of the company goings-on.
Dick Datchery
As voted by audience in Act Two (played by Nutting up until then). Datchery will be either Bazzard, Reverend Crisparkle, Helena, Neville, or Rosa)
Ensemble
Townspeople, dancers, singers, servants, students, etc. The chorus in this show is extremely active and will be called upon to play many characters!
Bay City Player’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Vision Statement:
The theatre has long been a haven for self-expression and restoration of the spirit. However, we recognize there is great inequity in our world. We embrace the opportunity to learn from the worldwide call for allyship with respect to the voices of all marginalized people. We understand that impactful and long-lasting change takes time and a shared commitment. Bay City Players is dedicated to authentic Diversity, Inclusion and Equity across all spectrums and will continue to seek innovative ways to achieve this.
Bay City Player’s Makeup Policy
Bay City Players has implemented a new Makeup Policy for the safety of cast members. Each cast member is asked to purchase their own Ben Nye makeup kit to keep with intent to reduce the spread of germs resulting from sharing makeup. Cast members do not have to purchase a kit if they have a Ben Nye kit from a previous show. The kit costs $26. Kits last approximately two years if taken care of properly. Should you not be able to cover the cost of your kit, scholarships are available and kept confidential. Scholarships can be requested by informing your producer and/or emailing info@baycityplayers.org. The Makeup Chair will meet with cast to help them select the correct kit and Bay City Players will order all the kits. Payment will be collected before kits are ordered.