THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD question

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:28pm

Why did Rosa do it?
Why did Puffer do it?
Why did Bazzard do it?
Why did Neville or Helena do it?
Why did Crisparkle do it?
And why the heck did Durdles do it?

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:30pm

My head hurts.

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:30pm

Birds do it.
Bees do it.
Heck even Durdles and Crisparkle do it.
let's do it.
Let's kill Edwin Drood.

[nmartin]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:33pm

Joe, I'm lovin' you today. That's wonderful!

[WOSQ]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:35pm

They thought they could get away with it. No one kills someone and expects to be caught.

As for specific motives, this is why there are directors and writers. They can answer actor questions.

And then there is the great all-purpose answer: he had it comin'...

[MCfan2]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:40pm

"Birds do it.
Bees do it.
Heck even Durdles and Crisparkle do it.
let's do it.
Let's kill Edwin Drood."

Hee! I love it!

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:43pm

They all confess in the show, if they're chosen as the murderer. I would look for a Drood script, or the lyrics to each of the "confession" songs, and you'll have your answer.

But I like Joe's answer better. It's less of a headache.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:44pm

That's funny, but if you were listening to whatever they were singing (which I can't decipher the lyrics to), could you figure out why they did it?

I figured it was Puffer who did it under hallucination, and Rosa did it in a fit of madness, thinking she had murdered Jasper but she murdered Drood instead. Any other assumptions? But then again: "Hasty presumptions might do you in! Mind the track! Like a nag running blind. Try lagging behind: You'll find you'll win."

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:47pm

The only way you could answer that question is to have seen the show 8 times, once for each murderer selected by the audience. Plus, you would have had to remember the 8 reasons for the next 22 years. It wouldn't help if you went to the original cast, because some of them are dead now. And why would anyone care in the first place? It wasn't so great a show, Tony or no Tony (it was a sparse season anyway) to bear repeated viewings.

Updated On: 1/16/08 at 03:47 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:52pm

When I first saw it in previews, Puffer was chosen as the detective and Rosa Bud was the murderer.

I don't remember "whodunit" the second time.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:56pm

When I saw it we made durdles the detective because he was a second understudy and didnt know the part AT ALL! Rosa Budd was our murderer too.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:57pm

...and I'll never forget Loretta Swit (and not in a good way!)

Listen to the recording...it has all the confessions. It isnt that hard to understand.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 4:08pm

But be careful -- it's a good way to get an earworm that won't quit!

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 4:15pm

I have (in mp3) the complete (as in all recorded material) OBCR and the Libretto to Edwin Drood. I also have the Vocal Selections (I love this show!) I'll post the reasons later when I have a sec.

[tazber]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 4:22pm

all the confessions are on the cd.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 4:33pm

Bazzard did it to finally get noticed. LOL

How exactly did I play it when I did it?

"Bazzard on crack." - That simple (and) fun!
Updated On: 1/16/08 at 04:33 PM

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 4:46pm

"all the confessions are on the cd."

Is it the CD? I can't quite recall the whole story, but not all recordings have all the confessions. Some have the opening night confessions, and some have all the confessions, etc, but omitted "Ceylon" and "Moonfall (Quartet)". No randomly of course, these were different issues of the recording. I think there were two different CD's, and one Lp. There are old threads on this where the whol story is told about which has what, all one would have to do is search.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 5:13pm

Everybody's got the right to some sunshine...
Everybody's got the right...to their dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeam.

[Jon]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 7:20pm

Durdles' confession is not on any recording. He was not a suspect originally. His confession was added as part of the revisions for the tour.

[D2]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 7:27pm

I understudied Bazzard in a production about 20 years ago, and the one night I went on I was chosen the detective. I knew it at the time because I had a feeling I'd be chosen, (and, obviously, I had to know it) but I'll be damned if I remember a thing about it now.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 7:49pm

Three lashes with the wet noodle for me. I have only the LP, hence my comments. I didn't even get a CD player until 1989, by which point I had no interest in having a 2nd copy of Drood.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 8:04pm

Id forgotten who did it before they even did it on whatever night they did it for whatever reason they had for doing it!
God! -the London production was tedious!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 8:11pm

Wow, I cannot begin to tell you about the last time I even THOUGHT of EdwinDrood.

While I can't help you with the answer you seek...thanks for putting it in my head!

(I only have the actaul album as well, won't be listening to THAT anytime soon!)

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 9:24pm

I saw the original show a few days after it opened with my best friends, a married couple. He was chose as part of the audience participation to help choose the murderer (or whatevr thy do, it's quite a while ago now). But I digress...

What I meant to say was how darn well the whole thing worked. I saw the show a few times and just marveled at the ingenuity of the musical version of this great unfinished novel.

In addition to a ripping mystery it was a damn fine musical. Some of the umbers were very haunting and the jaunty stuff was a blast. The show also introduced huge crowds of patrons to old-time music hall. And what an amazing cast. George Rose was musical theatre heaven, Betty Buckley, Cleo Lane, Howard McGillin WOW what a socko cast.

And after the show, people milled around discussing the show and muttering, "Damn, that really worked!"

A truly wonderful evening at the theatre.

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 1/17/08 at 12:11am

Rosa: She was trying to murder Jasper, she killed Drood by accident. She was driven mad by his advances. (He was wareing Jasper's coat).

Puffer: Same reason as Rosa, except trying to protect Rosa.

Bazzard: To gain notoriety by solving the mystery himself (he was going to point to finger at Neville).

Neville: Pride, and wanted Rosa.

Helena: Meant to kill Jasper as well. Trying to protect her brother.

Crisparkle: Thought it was Jasper as well. He thought that Jasper had killed Rosa's mother, and couldn't stand his preying upon, Rosa, Ned, and Neville.

Durdles isn't in my script or recordings (since he was added for the tour). Maybe he thought it was Jasper, and was pissed because he was trying to mess around with his crypts/or thought that Jasper was trying to get him in trouble. My best guess.

Updated On: 1/17/08 at 12:11 AM