Matt Schicker

Sibling revelry: Allison Regnault and Peter Mensky as Helena and Neville Landless in The Gallery Players' new production.

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When Charles Dickens died in 1870, he may have known how he planned on solving "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." Unfortunately, he left no notes, and for well over a century, literary detectives have been proposing solutions to the puzzle.

One of the most successful of these attempts is Rupert Holmes’ musical by the same name, an interactive whodunit in which the audience decides who murdered Drood and thus determines which of Holmes’ endings the cast will perform. The show, presented as a play-within-a-play set in a bawdy British music hall, won five 1986 Tony awards when it was produced on Broadway by Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival.

This season, the Gallery Players are presenting "Edwin Drood" with a cast of 25 actors, singers and dancers led by director-choreographer Steven Smeltzer. Despite, or perhaps because of the play’s Broadway success, Smeltzer has chosen to put his original imprint on the production.

According to the Gallery Players, Holmes, who advised Smeltzer on the staging, was delighted with the end result. According to this reviewer, audiences will certainly be delighted.

For those not familiar with Dickens’ original tale, the novel is about two orphans, Edwin Drood and Rosa Bud, who have been pledged to each other by their fathers. The very obligatory nature of their engagement prevents true love from blooming, especially when Rosa attracts the attention of Edwin’s Uncle Jasper and Neville Landless, a young man who detests Edwin for his cavalier treatment of Rosa.

The very night Edwin and Rosa decide they can never marry, Edwin disappears. Jasper accuses Neville of murder, but Neville is released when no one can find the body. Soon a mysterious Mr. Datchery appears on the scene and begins to pry into the mystery. And there it ends.

In Holmes’ script, the major players have double roles - as actors and the characters they play. Drood is played by the famous male impersonator Miss Alice Nutting (Mary Mossberg), Uncle Jasper (who becomes a Jekyll-and-Hyde-like choirmaster) is played by Mr. Clive Paget (Frederick Hamilton), and Rosa Bud by Miss Deirdre Peregrine (Theresa Oldmixon).

Young Landless becomes a rogue from Ceylon, played by Mr. Victor Grinstead (Peter Mensky), who is accompanied by his mysterious, volatile and unnaturally affectionate sister Helena Landless, played by Miss Janet Conover (Allison Regnault).

Other not-quite-reputable characters include The Reverend Mr. Crisparkle, played by Mr. Cedric Moncrieffe (John Edward Kelly); the opium dealer, The Princess Puffer, played (in one of Smeltzer’s strokes of genius) by the cross-dresser Mr. Andrew Prysock (Michael Walker) and Durdles the drunken stonemason, played by Mr. Nick Cricker (Andrew Krawetz).

"Edwin Drood" has sumptuous song-and-dance numbers that are reminiscent of the music hall but owe much more to Broadway. The numbers blend the stuffiness of Victorian middle-class with the licentiousness of the underclass - aided by the splendid costumes of Jenna Rossi-Camus. And Smeltzer has added a realistic touch by having the sound effects produced live on stage rather than a pre-recorded sound track.

The production not only demolishes the fourth wall, it envelops the entire theater. The cast sits with the orchestra, whose members are also clad in Victorian garb. The actors walk up and down the aisles engaging the audience even before the final vote is taken. The stage itself is a stage-within-a-stage (designed by Michael Kramer) with a faux curtain and a backdrop of what looks like a backlit cityscape.

When scenes change, the cast brings on the appropriate props - tombstones and a bench for the cemetery, a curtain and a bed for the bordello-opium den - which is highly appropriate considering the central conceit of the play.

Although many of Holmes’ songs in "Edwin Drood" are less than awe-inspiring, the cast does an admirable job with the material. And when presented with really fine songs like the sexy and sarcastic "The Wages of Sin" (sung by Walker as The Princess Puffer) or that patter song to end all patter songs, "Both Sides of the Coin" (sung by Hamilton and Greg Horton), the actors really outdo themselves.

"Edwin Drood" is a show that definitely should be seen once, and hopefully more than once to get the full flavor of the different endings.

As for the ending of this review - well, that’s for you to decide. A) It’s a hit! B) Don’t miss it! C) Sensational! D) One of the Gallery Players’ best!

"The Mystery of Edwin Drood" plays through Nov. 2, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets are $15, $12 children under 12 and seniors. The Gallery Players are located at 199 14th St. between Fourth and Fifth streets in Park Slope. For more information, call (718) 595-0547.

©2003 Community Newspaper Group