The mystery of Edwin Drood

[liz3]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 7:41am

Is this musical worth buying? Is it really as expensive as I've found it on Amazon and if so WHY? Thanx.

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 8:18am

Well, it is out of stock anywhere, so that's why it's expensive. And due to my copy: yes it is worth quite a lot though it may not appeal to everyone, the sound Rupert Holmes uses in his score feels at times a bit odd, the harmonies don't go where you expect them to. Still and yet it fits the show perfectly. So do listen to some amazon.com samples and judge for yourself, whether you want to spend the money for it.
There were two cd editions of it, the first being more extensive (featuring more confession songs), but as far as I know only the latter is available if at all.

Posted: 3/28/06 at 8:36am

Yes, its a must! Truly an amazing show. Patti Cohenour is unbelievable as is Betty Buckly. It is really one of my favorites.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 9:26am

Yes. It IS worth buying. I did a production of it in 2004, and I got attached to the music. I could play it all day for you guys.

"Haypenny, one penny, tupenny, thrupenny
Twelve to a shilling, twice that to a florin
And would you not fancy the currency foreign
To find the same face on both sides of the coin?
Bob is your uncle from pennies to guineas
The two-sided mint is the rule not exception
And would you not be quite the fool of deception
To find the same face on both sides of the coin?"

It took only one day for me to memorize all that. Weird, I know, but it's cool.

[andyf]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 10:37am

It's actually "And would you not feel quite the fool of deception,"

Here's a link to the Drood page on CastAlbumDB.com:

http://www.castalbumdb.com/title.cfm?TNumber=431

In case anyone is interested but lazy, on the version that's still available (out-of-print, but available on Amazon, etc.), you get the "Moonfall Quartet" and "Ceylon," while on the other version you lose those two, but gain "Out On a Limerick: Rosa," "...Crisparkle," "...Neville," "...Helena," and the confessions of Bazzard, Crisparkle, Neville and Helena.

Does anyone actually have the more complete version?

Updated On: 3/28/06 at 10:37 AM

Posted: 3/28/06 at 12:35pm

I do, you gain all the endings but lose Quartet and Ceylon.

[andyf]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 1:07pm

Are any of the other endings as good as "Rosa's Confession"?

And how is Rosa's "Out on a Limerick"?

Updated On: 3/28/06 at 01:07 PM

[philcrosby]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 1:53pm

There is actually very musical change to any of the "Out on a Limericks" or "Confessions," mostly all lyrical and/or interpretive.

I must admit I enjoy Puffer's confession the most -- but then again, I am a huge Cleo Laine fan. Helena Landless was picked as the murderer the night I saw it on Broadway.

[jam_man]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 3:47pm

I've loved Drood ever since I did it fall of my freshman year. And even though recording Drood in any way almost underminds the whole point of the show (if it has any real "point"), one of the best features is the show's score. I don't have a copy of the OBC myself at this time, if you go the AccuRadio online (if you use Windows or something, you can get it for free), they have a Broadway section with lots of different channels, including an '80s channel. Drood is available on it. You can turn off up to five of the other recordings that cycle and you can fast foreward through the songs you don't like (or to get right to Drood). However, you don't have control over what tracks they play, when they play them, and the commercials they have from time to time get old very fast, but you can hear whole tracks from the Drood CD and decide if you want it or not.


That said, you'd be better off then anything to see the show live somewhere. If you do ever get the chance, you really need to - it's all about live theatre - even if you do get the recording.


EDIT: My favorite confession is Durdles's - it's hillarious! And for the confessions, they all start out the same, but after a little they all go to the music from an ealier song they sang (or in Rosa's case, three or four). All of the "Out on a Lim(b)erick"s are musically the same, though, as are about half of the lyrics.

Updated On: 3/28/06 at 03:47 PM