The Mystery of Edwin Drood

About the show

The following synopsis represents one particular version of the plot, though licensed variants of the show allow for fewer or more songs and lines, songs in a different order, and fewer or more plot points. Actors of London's Music Hall Royale circulate among, and then introduce themselves to, the audience, led by their Chairman, who acts as narrator ("There You Are"). He introduces the play's setting as the (fictional) town of Cloisterham and its cathedral's choirmaster, John Jasper, whose mundane life is splitting his mind in two ("A Man Could Go Quite Man"). Jasper greets his adoring young nephew Edwin Drood ("Two Kinsmen"), who is engaged to Rosa Bud, Jasper's music pupil and the secret object of Jasper's lustful obsession. At Rosa's next music lesson, Jasper makes her sing a song he has composed with obvious sexual innuendo ("Moonfall"). The cathedral's kindly Reverend Crisparkle arrives to announce that immigrant twins from Ceylon, Helena and Neville Landless, will be living under his care. Neville is immediately attracted to Rosa, which makes him a rival to both Drood and the sinister Jasper. The Chairman brings the audience to the London opium den of the ageing Princess Puffer, who laments her morally corrupt livelihood ("Wages of Sin"). One of Puffer's regular clients is none other than Jasper, who cries out the name 'Rosa Bud' during a hallucination, which Puffer overhears. Back in Cloisterham, Neville and Drood meet, each quickly offending the other. Next, the Chairman is forced to play the town's mayor as the regular actor is too drunk to appear. The Chairman and Jasper sing of their confusing double roles (Jasper, though, referring to his split personality) in a patter song ("Both Sides of the Coin"). Edwin and Rosa, who have been promised to each other since they were children, decide to call off their engagement. As a parting gift, Rosa gives Drood her hair clasp ("Perfect Strangers"). On Christmas Eve, Jasper arranges a dinner for the Landless twins, Crisparkle, Rosa, and Drood. However, Neville and Drood's antagonism only worsens, and Crisparkle reveals he once loved Rosa's now-deceased mother ("No Good Can Come from Bad"). The guests frantically depart into a violent storm. There is a short halt, where the actor playing Bazzard, an employee of the cathedral, soliloquizes about how he never lands a major part in a show ("Never The Luck"). The next day Drood has vanished. Bazzard discovers Edwin's torn coat by the river. Drood was last seen walking there with Neville the night before. Neville is almost lynched by the townsfolk, but Crisparkle and Helena persuade the mayor to release him, since no corpse has yet been discovered. Jasper confesses his deranged love to Rosa. She is horrified, and he pursues her offstage ("The Name Of Love/Moonfall"). Six months later, there is still no sign of Drood. Puffer has been investigating Drood's disappearance but has also noticed a seedy-looking figure doing the same: detective "Dick Datchery", played by the same actor who plays Drood ("Settling Up The Score"). The cast summarizes the situation so far, and the Chairman announces that the audience will now take a series of votes to determine the story's end ("Don't Quit While You're Ahead"). He says that Datchery is an alias for one of the other characters in disguise. When he concludes that Drood is indeed murdered and therefore not Datchery, the actress playing Drood/Datchery storms out of the theatre. Actors then tally votes from the audience for the identity of both Datchery and Drood's murderer. Puffer tells Rosa that she was once her nanny before her reluctant descent into a life of crime ("Garden Path To Hell"). Puffer also reveals the identity of Datchery ("Puffer's Revelation"). The evening's Datchery (either Bazzard, Reverend Crisparkle, Helena, Neville, or Rosa) then explains why they took up a disguise and tracked down the killer; the girls did it mainly to disguise their gender, Neville to prove his innocence, Crisparkle to help both Neville and Helena, and Bazzard to give himself a bigger dramatic role ("Out On A Limerick"). The commonalities of each version are that the character follows Jasper to his house and finds the clasp that Rosa gave Drood, which Jasper could only have taken from Drood. The townspeople then haul Jasper onstage, where he admits that he strangled his nephew under the influence of opium ("Jasper's Confession"). The town's gravedigger, Durdles, however, steps forward with a twist. Depending on the audience's vote, Durdles reveals that Bazzard, Crisparkle, Helena, Neville, Puffer, Rosa, or Durdles himself is the real murderer. The murder confesses ("Murderer's Confession"). The gist of each confession is that the murderer was seeking to kill Jasper for his or her purpose: Puffer to protect Rosa, Rosa to save herself, Helena to avenge Jasper for ruining her twin's reputation, Bazzard for the limelight, Neville because he wanted Rosa for himself, or Crisparkle because he wanted to protect Rosa and Neville from Jasper's evil (or in other versions because he is losing his mind). The murders tend to hinge on the fact that the killer mistook Drood for Jasper since Drood was wearing Jasper's coat, which Drood borrowed during the storm. (Durdles's confession, however, is merely that he drunkenly killed Drood when mistaking him for a ghost.) Still, the Chairman demands a happy ending and asks the audience to select two lovers from among the remaining cast. The chosen members declare their love ("Perfect Strangers - Reprise"). Just then, Edwin Drood emerges from Cloisterham's crypt, explaining that when he was attacked, he was only stunned not killed. Jasper dragged him to the crypt but, when Drood woke, he fled from Cloisterham for six months, only returning when his attacker's identity was finally revealed ("The Writing On The Wall"). John Jasper – Edwin Drood's uncle, John Jasper is madly in love with Drood's fiancée Rosa Bud, so his violent split personality gladly killed Drood. His confession reprises both "A Man Could Go Quite Mad" and "Moonfall". Jasper's confession is performed no matter who is chosen as the murderer, and the audience is discouraged from voting for him since he is the obvious solution. Rosa Bud – Edwin Drood's long-time fiancée, Rosa Bud meant to kill Jasper in revenge for his lustful advances as her possessive and maddening singing tutor, but she killed Drood by accident as Drood was wearing Jasper's coat. Her confession is a reprise of "A Man Could Go Quite Mad" and "No Good Can Come From Bad". Neville Landless – Neville is a visitor from Ceylon who murdered Drood to regain his pride after perceived humiliation and also to have a chance with Rosa Bud. His confession is a reprise of "A Man Could Go Quite Mad" and "No Good Can Come From Bad" in the original Broadway production, later changed to "A British Subject". Helena Landless – Neville's sister, Helena murdered Drood so her hot-blooded brother would not be tempted to seek revenge. Her confession is a reprise of "A Man Could Go Quite Mad" and "No Good Can Come From Bad" in the original Broadway production, later changed to "A British Subject". Princess Puffer – The proprietress of the opium den Jasper attends, the Princess Puffer killed Jasper to protect Rosa from his advances, but accidentally killed Drood because he was wearing Jasper's coat and because she was confused after having smoked opium. Her confession is a reprise of "The Wages of Sin". Reverend Crisparkle – The Reverend Mr Crisparkle is the local vicar madly in love with Rosa's mother, and he sees Rosa as a reincarnation of her. He murdered Drood so that he could marry Rosa. This version of Crisparkle's confession was introduced in the first national tour and has been used in all productions since. His confession is a reprise of "A Man Could Go Quite Mad" and "No Good Can Come From Bad" in the original Broadway production, later changed to "A British Subject". Bazzard – Bazzard is Crisparkle's assistant who, to boost his role in the show, murders Drood. This is the most metatheatrical of the endings, implying that Bazzard's actor is an actual murderer. His confession is a reprise of "A Man Could Go Quite Mad" and "Never the Luck". Durdles – The town drunk and stonemason, Durdles believed the still-alive Drood to be a ghost and so smashed his head in, after laying his unconscious body (injured by Jasper) down into the crypt. (Even Durdles admits the silliness of this motive within his solo, but laments that because he has been chosen, he must have one.) This solo was not used in the original Broadway production and was added for the first national tour. His confession is a reprise of "Off to the Races". If, although not likely, the audience chooses Jasper as the murderer, Durdles does not interrupt and a second confession is not performed. (Some theaters will not count Jasper's votes, to make sure that there is a twist).