Berkshire on Stage

There is something delightfully conspiratorial about The Mystery of Edwin Drood. A show that invites its audience not just to watch but to participate, to judge, to choose, and to revel in theatricality for its own sake. In the hands of SLOC Musical Theater, this production embraces that spirit wholeheartedly, delivering a confident, joyous evening of musical theatre that understands exactly what Drood does best: charm, wit, and controlled chaos.

Based on Charles Dickens’s final, unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a musical comedy that playfully embraces its own incompleteness. The story is framed as a Victorian-era music hall performance, in which a troupe of performers presents Dickens’s tale to the audience only to discover that the author’s death left the mystery unresolved.

Set in the small English town of Cloisterham, the narrative centers on the disappearance of young Edwin Drood (Allie Mantica), whose relationships with his fiancée Rosa Bud (Emma Commisso), his enigmatic uncle John Jasper (Kent Benwell), and a host of eccentric townspeople raise more questions than answers. Romantic entanglements, hidden motives, and suspicious behavior abound, all say nothing of visiting outsiders who further complicate the picture.

Tonally, the show balances affectionate parody with genuine narrative intrigue. It pokes fun at Victorian melodrama while honoring Dickens’s gift for colorful characters and social observation. Songs and dialogue alike (Rupert Holmes) revel in exaggeration, wordplay, and theatrical self-awareness, creating a piece that is as much about storytelling itself as it is about solving a mystery.

From the moment the house lights dim, it is clear that this production is less interested in realism than in atmosphere and that choice pays off beautifully. The minimal set (Molly Waters) is deployed with remarkable precision. Rather than cluttering the stage with Victorian bric-a-brac, the design allows performers to shape the space themselves, transforming it through movement, gesture, and tone. This restraint keeps the focus where it belongs; on character, language, and the playful mechanics of storytelling. The result is a stage that feels expansive rather than sparse, proving once again that suggestion often outperforms spectacle.

If the set is minimal, the costumes (Cheryl Zatt) are anything but. and they are, without question, one of the great triumphs of the production. Each ensemble member is dressed with a keen eye for silhouette, texture, and comic exaggeration, evoking the Victorian music hall tradition while remaining agile enough to support the show’s rapid shifts in identity and tone. Costume changes become part of the joke, part of the rhythm, part of the joy. The clothes do not simply adorn the performers; they inform character, status, and intent, helping the audience track the show’s famously tangled narrative with clarity and delight.

At the heart of the evening is Cameron Clarke Stevens, who anchors the production as both Chairman and Mr. William Cartwright. Stevens commands the stage with a knowing ease that feels essential to Drood. As Chairman, he serves as master of ceremonies with just the right balance of authority and mischief, guiding the audience through the evening’s twists without ever condescending. There is an effortless rapport here (a sense that Stevens trusts both the material and the audience) and that trust allows the humor to land cleanly and often.

Equally luminous is Emma Commisso in the dual role of Rosa Bud and Miss Deirdre Peregrine. Commisso brings a bright, buoyant presence to the stage, capturing Rosa Bud’s innocence without reducing her to caricature. There is intelligence beneath the sweetness, and a clear understanding of how to navigate the show’s comedic rhythms while maintaining emotional sincerity.

What ultimately makes this production so successful is its commitment to ensemble storytelling. Every performer understands their role within the larger machinery of the show, and the cast moves as a cohesive unit (another hat tip to the seamless choreography of Carolyn Frantz), supporting the audience-driven structure with agility and enthusiasm. The interactive elements that can so often be a gamble, are handled smoothly and with good humor, never derailing momentum or clarity.

SLOC Theater’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a reminder of what community theatre can achieve at its best. It incorporates imaginative design, thoughtful performances, and a shared sense of delight between stage and audience. It is a production that trusts its material, trusts its performers, and trusts its audience –  that trust is rewarded with an evening that feels both polished and joyfully alive.

SLOC Musical Theater presents “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”. Music, lyrics, and book by Rupert Holmes, based on the unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. Director: BRIAN CLEMENTE, Music Director: ALEX WALLEY, Choreographer: CAROLYN FRANTZ, Producers: AMY CLARK & HALEY VAN ALSTYNE, Stage Manager: DIANA CHABAI-BOOKER, Assistant, Stage Manager: STEPHANIE SAINT GERMAIN, Rehearsal Accompanist: SEAN KOEHLER OBACH, Dance Captains: CLAUDIA HETZER & EMMA RASK, Set Designer: MOLLY WATERS, Master Carpenter: TOM WATERS, Scenic Artist: RORY ALEXA, Set Construction & Painting: BRIAN CLEMENTE, EMERSON LADOUCEUR, MOLLY WATERS, TOM WATERS, DANIEL WATSON, Lighting Designer: GARETT PEMBROOK, Light Board Operator: HEATHER MARLETTE, Sound Designer: TOM MOELLER, Assistant Sound Designer: ANNE-MARIE BAKER, Costume Designer: CHERYL ZATT, Assistant Costume Designer: NOREEN SCOTT, Hair & Make-up Designer: ELIZABETH SHERWOOD-MACK, Properties Designer: J.J. ALOJIPAN. The cast includes Chairman/Mr. William Cartwright CAMERON CLARKE STEVENS, John Jasper/Mr. Clive Paget KENT BENWELL, Edwin Drood/Miss Alice Nutting ALLIE MANTICA, Rosa Bud/Miss Deirdre Peregrine EMMA COMMISSO, Beatrice/Miss Violet Balfour ELIZABETH COREY, Wendy/Miss Isabel Yearsley KAYLA WHISENHUNT, Helena Landless/Miss Janet Conover ELIZABETH SHERWOOD MACK, The Reverend Mr. Crisparkle/Mr. Cedric Moncrieffe THOMAS SWIMM, Neville Landless/Mr. Victor Grinstead EMERSON LADOUCEUR, The Princess Puffer/Miss. Angela Prysock JEANNINE TRIMBOLI, Durdles/Mr. Nick Cricker CHRIS KOWALSKI, Deputy/Master Nick Cricker PETER GOYETTE, Waiter/Mr. Montague Pruitt SIMON WOODS, Bazzard/Mr. Phillip Bax DANIEL WATSON, Horace/Mr. Fionn Doyle JULIAN HUGO-PEREZ, Stage Manager/Miss Jane Throttle BRADY McDEVITT, Assistant Stage Manager/Miss Gwenevieve Brown CHARLOTTE HORWATH, The Citizens of Cloisterham: Miss Violet Balfour ELIZABETH COREY, Miss Florence Gill HANNAH M. DeSTEFANO, Miss Winifred Chapman CLAUDIA HETZER, Mr. Fionn Doyle JULIAN HUGO-PEREZ, Miss Maisie Dyer EMMA RASK, Miss Pinkie Nisbet STEPHANIE SAINT GERMAIN, Miss Arabella Shaw-Tea ARI SILVA, Miss Isabel Yearsley KAYLA WHISENHUNT, Miss Gwendolyn Pynn ELLYA WINCHESTER, Mr. Montague Pruitt SIMON WOODS. Performances are January 16–18 and January 22–25, 2026 Thu–Sat at 8 pm and Sun at 3 pm, including an ASL-interpreted performance on January 18. Tickets are available online or by calling the box office; run time is approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes with one intermission. https://sloctheater.org/