ROUNDABOUT to revive MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 11:13am

According to this morning's AM NY. The Good News is that its a fun score and show (that flawed) is still a mighty good time.

The bad news (potentially) is that, well its the Roundabout producing it....

Hope they do some fun casting. How bout Brenda Blythen or even Cyndi Lauper as Puffer?

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 11:17am

And they'll try to do it with a skimpy, next to nothing "Euro" style set, I'm sure.

Ick.

And I love this show. Saw it three times with three different endings.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 11:23am

I'd love to finally see this show. Well, I'd love to see a good production of this show. I wonder which score they will use.

I'd love Miriam Margolyes as Puffer.

[Jon]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 11:23am

PLEEEEEASE get Jim Dale as the Chairman!

[sally1112]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:00pm

This is one of my dream shows to see! If cast to my liking I will plan an NYC trip around this show.

[dreaming]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:04pm

Please, please, please get Jim Dale for the Chairman.

The big question is who will play Drood/Nutting? That's a very vocally challenging role and I'd be curious to see who they tap for it.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:08pm

VERY excited for this. Keep Donna Murphy and Loretta S*it FAR away from this please!

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:20pm

Sounds like a show hand picked for Sutton Foster. She would be a great Drood.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:21pm

I love this show, but I would really hope for someone other than Sutton as Drood.

And my dream has always been LuPone as Puffer, but I don't think that's going to happen either.

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:32pm

Harvey Fierstein as Puffer?

[dreaming]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:35pm

The money note in "Writing on the Wall" is really high (if the person can hit it-I'd love for them to cast someone who could sing that note-it's chilling if done right). I kinda wonder if Kelli O'Hara could pull the role off. She's got the chops vocally.

[egghumor]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:40pm

Wonderful news -- but yes, Mr. Bennett et al, it seems a daunting endeavor for Roundabout to pull off. At this, I'll allow myself to be excited and optimistic, at least until I learn more.

and yes, the casting possibilities are endless...

[Jon]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:41pm

I don't know if O'Hara could "butch it up" enough for Drood. One big flaw with her South Pacific performance was that she didn't really try to do "Honey Bun" like a man.

SF is the obvious choice for Drood.

Or perhaps Susan Egan, who impersonated a man in Triumph of Love. What's she been up to?

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:41pm

Kelli O'Hara would probably be a better Rosa.

But this is exciting news! One of my favorite shows getting a revival finally! I'm assuming this is planned for fall 2012, yes?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:46pm

I could definitely see Sutton in this. And Nancy Opel would make a good Puffer as well.

[dreaming]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:50pm

I think Erin Davie would be a fabulous Rosa Bud, or Jill Paice. I think Rosa is supposed to be younger.

I think Kelli could do butch enough for the role. I think it would be interesting to see if she could pull it off-and I think she'd be very good.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 12:57pm

If Kelli O'Hara has proven anything consistently, it's that she absolutely cannot belt. She could never handle the role of Drood in a million years, not to mention the fact that her year long contract with NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT renders her unavailable anyway.

Updated On: 12/16/11 at 12:57 PM

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 1:00pm

I would love Sutton and Nancy Opel. I agree that Kelli could probably pull off Nutting/Drood (let's see how she does this spring in NICE WORK...), but she's more naturally suited to Rosa. That's all I was saying.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 1:02pm

Since we're obviously never going to see Witches of Eastwick on Broadway, can we have Marc Kudisch as Jasper, please?

kthnx

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 1:14pm

I saw the original twice, once very early in the run with the full OBC and once late in the run with mostly replacements. It was a vastly different show the second time and nowhere near as good. Drood must have larger-than-life personalities in each role for it to work to its full potential. It's a "music hall" musical, not unlike Vaudeville. Broad styles where the people you're watching are FAR more important and interesting than the story they're telling (even though the story they're telling is interesting). That's why the performers constantly break character as their "real selves" with jokes, asides, and sometimes tantrums. It's all part of the evening's entertainment.

If you cast "good actors" in these roles who are more dedicated to finding the essence of Rosa Bud or Neville, you're dead in the water. That's what I loved so much about the OBC. Everybody had a big personality. As a result, they shone in their "stage roles" as well.

One of my favorite nights of theatre in the '80s was seeing this show in previews.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 1:32pm

This is EXCELLENT news if it ends up being true. One of my absolute favorite shows. Sutton would be a great Drood.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 1:35pm

best - That's why I immediately thought of Marc Kudisch. It was his scene-stealing turn in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang that made me think of it. This show requires an overload of charisma in most of the roles to make it work, especially to pull off the voting bit at the end which we've seen in various forms in other shows by now.

[AC126748]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 1:38pm

If Laura Benanti doesn't play Rosa Bud, Todd Haimes is gonna get cut. No Sutton Foster as Drood. Just...no no no no no.

[Miranda3]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 1:45pm

Best 12: Great post re the "larger than life" aspect. I agree completely. I too saw Drood with the OBC right after it opened at the Imperial, then later with most of the lead roles replaced, except for the incomparable George Rose, who continued as the Chairman. The original had so many great performances. Cleo Laine was Puffer, and I remember that John Simon, writing for NY Mag at the time, gave the show a rave and singled out Cleo as "a paragon of frumpy deviousness" in the role (yes, that was praise!). At this time, I knew the stagedoorman at the Imperial and he said that Cleo was very friendly and down to earth and arrived at and left the theater every night in wooly socks and tennis shoes. She and George Rose, both British, of course, evidently really hit it off. Rose had an apartment in the Village at the time, with several large dogs, and an impressive LP collection. He was murdered not too long after that production. Jana Schneider, who fell on hard times later, was flawless in the supporting role of Helena Landless and received a Tony nomination, as did Cleo and several others. Rose, of course, won. The second time I saw it Loretta Swit was Puffer and IMO she was miscast and not up to par.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/16/11 at 1:46pm

Please let it be this good.

http://youtu.be/6fE2VW1rYZ0