The Mystery of Edwin Drood is yet another outstanding production brought to us by WATERFORDrama. This musical is guaranteed to be like no other you have attended, with the ability to interact with the actors and choose the ending of the play, this is a performance you surely won’t forget. After attending one showing, I was instantly hooked and wanted to come back every night to see how it ends differently.

The show, set in Victorian England, makes the audience feel as though it is part of the era rather than only watching a depiction of the time period. The actors do an incredible job creating the “play within a play” complex that brings out its lighthearted and comedic qualities, pulling the audience into the story line.

Junior Matthew McKinzie steals the show as Chairman William Cartwright, breaking the fourth wall more often than any other character and leading the audience through the twists and turns of the mystery while keeping them laughing. Seniors Alaina Milukas and Lilly McCormick make it clear that they are veterans of the WATERFORDrama program with their skillful acting as Edwin Drood and The Princess Puffer.

Junior Jono Dryden-Jaffe will not be forgotten with his hilarious portrayal of Durdles the drunken stonemason. Juniors Nate Hillyer and Liz Dusza make a perfect pair as brother and sister Neville and Helena Landless, a foreign duo with a mysterious past. Junior Kayla Mathiowetz portrays a lovely Rosa Bud pulling off her innocent nature and wowing the audience with her incredible voice. Senior James Angelopoulos plays the suspected antagonist as John Jasper flawlessly portraying his disturbing love for Rosa and leading us to believe easily that he must be the one who was responsible for the crime.

Though the audience is lead to believe many things watching this musical, the most intriguing part of it by far is the ending when it is up to the audience to chose how things will play out. This is an experience you do not want to miss out on. Having the choice brings the audience’s experience to a whole new level. Every ending is satisfying, but leaves a lingering “what if?” about the choices that weren’t seen. The show lures the audience in, keeps it guessing, and truly is an overall amazing performance that I recommend to absolutely anyone that can make it.