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[0:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I should have gotten this out of the way right at the beginning. This is a Christmas musical, everyone. We should absolutely be talking about this during December because this whole mystery goes down on Christmas Eve. How perfect. Right at the beginning of the script, the chairman says, "Cloisteram!" Not a particularly encouraging setting for the Christmas season now upon us. So happy holidays, Edwin Drood. Welcome, everybody, to A Musical Theatre Podcast, where we discuss the cultural and emotional impact of some of our favorite musicals in theater history. My name is Jeffrey Scott Parsons. You can call me Jeff. Today we are covering the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. And I'm so happy we're doing it.

It's going to be a great time. Joining me is an author and podcaster. Author of what, you might ask? Oh, just a book about celebrating the Tony Awards and another one celebrating designers in Broadway history because she's also a fashion writer, which, by the way, I'd love to hear your take on the intersection of fashion and, like, the two-inch character heel in black.

[1:27] Eila Mell: Oh, yeah, I have a lot of experience with that.

[1:29] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Because that sounds like, you know, something you'd have to face in your sphere of interest. Anyway, she also co-hosts a delightful podcast called Jiffy Pop Culture. Everyone, please welcome Eila Mell.

[1:40] Eila Mell: Hello.

[1:41] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yay. Welcome to A Musical Theatre Podcast. I'm so grateful you're here. This is great. Talk to me, because when we were discussing what show you'd like to, you know, come on and chat about, this was one of them, Mystery of Edwin Drood.

[1:55] Eila Mell: Well, I feel like I have a very strong relationship to this show because I love it so much. I saw it over and over and over in the original run.

[2:05] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Jealous, first of all. Jealous.

[2:08] Eila Mell: Really, yeah. I got to see so many different Edwin Droods, and I saw so many different pairings of, you know, the lovers and the murderer, and, you know, it was so much fun to see and just be a part of, just walking in the theater was such an experience. It was so great.

[2:26] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That's amazing. And so I had a professor who was a director, and he actually directed the national tour of Mystery of Edwin Drood.

[2:37] Eila Mell: Oh, my gosh.

[2:38] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: While I was his student, yeah.

[2:39] Eila Mell: While you were his student.

[2:40] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So, yes. So I got to go to see their final rehearsal before they went out on the road because they rehearsed the show in New York.

[2:48] Eila Mell: Oh, my gosh. That's brilliant.

[2:50] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I love, like, this is such a fun show. It's such a fun theatrical show to be an audience member of, you know.

[2:57] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[2:58] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It's unusual in that way. It feels singular. So I'm grateful that both of us can kind of share our audience experiences with it. We're just going to dive right in because there's a lot to discuss. First off, let's tell the backstory of the Mystery of Edwin Drood, which was the final work of legendary author Charles Dickens, right?

[3:22] Eila Mell: Yes.

[3:23] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And all of his stories were serialized. They would come out a little bit at a time in the newspaper. People would get really into them, and then eventually you'd get the whole thing. Well.

[3:36] Eila Mell: But this was like an old-timey Netflix.

[3:38] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah, yeah. 100%. But there was no binge. You had to be patient. So everyone's waiting for the next installment. It's coming, it's coming, it's coming. And then all of a sudden, boom, he dies, tragically.

[3:54] Eila Mell: Horrible.

[3:55] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And so the book was not finished. He had only written so far. And it leaves England with, pardon the language, with, like, the biggest case of blue balls you've ever heard of, right?

[4:07] Eila Mell: Yes.

[4:08] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Because nobody knows how this great mystery ends. And it is something that scholars have debated ever since. So that's, like, the backstory of this source material. Thank you, Charles Dickens. Now, now that that's out of the way, let's talk Rupert Holmes.

[4:28] Eila Mell: Seems to me that you have a lot of memories from the 80s.

[4:34] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I do. Am I okay in assuming that?

[4:37] Eila Mell: Absolutely.

[4:38] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And let me tell you that Rupert Holmes is a friend.

[4:40] Eila Mell: No way!

[4:41] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yes.

[4:42] Eila Mell: Oh, my gosh. How is that?

[4:45] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I didn't know this. Please do.

[4:48] Eila Mell: I know. So I met him through a family member who was in a club that Rupert was part of. And it was, like, maybe ten guys were in this club. So that's how I know him. And so then I had him on as a guest to Jiffy Pop Culture. We don't have very many guests, but since it was Rupert, I mean, I had to. Hello.

[5:06] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Exactly.

[5:07] Eila Mell: Yes. And he thought I wanted to talk about the Pina Colada song. Little did he know, that was the last thing I cared about. I don't care at all. No, I wanted to talk about his theater stuff. So that's what we talked about. Yeah, so we bonded over that. And he actually has a mystery novel out that I just went to hear him read. Part of it, it was amazing. He's got, I mean, he really has a mystery mind.

[5:31] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: He does.

[5:32] Eila Mell: And I mean, one of his other musicals that he stepped in to help finish, I mean, it's kind of strange, to help finish after someone had passed away was Curtains, another musical mystery. And Fred had, of course, passed away. Like, what a career. But Rupert Holmes wrote the music, lyrics, and book for Mystery of Edwin Drood, which is among a very few amount of writers to do so.

[6:00] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Meredith Wilson, Music Man, comes to mind. Dave Malloy, who we just got done talking about, and Natasha Pierre in The Great Comet of 1812 is another. Michael R. Jackson from Strange Loop. So there are a few.

[6:12] Eila Mell: Stu from Passing Strange.

[6:13] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I digress. This was crazy because I think this was Rupert's first show.

[6:19] Eila Mell: And it's his first show.

[6:22] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. He has a really fascinating story. He starts out as a singer-songwriter. He has this first album that comes out that goes, like, nowhere. I think he said that maybe 10,000 copies of this album were created. But critics loved it. And one of those 10,000 copies gets to the hands of one Barbra Streisand. I mean, if it's going to go to anybody, right? That's the one you'd want.

[6:48] Eila Mell: For real, right?

[6:51] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah. So Babs loves his songwriting and decides, all right, I want you to write some songs for me. He does. He works on, I think, the Songbird album. Is that right?

[7:01] Eila Mell: I don't know.

[7:02] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Could be. Main event, something like that. People are going to hate me. I apologize. I know. I was too busy with Britney Spears' autobiography. I haven't gotten to that yet. But the point is that they work together. He becomes an arranger for those songs and helps produce them. And that leads to him, like, him working with Barbra Streisand leads to him getting more contracts to make more albums, despite his original one not selling that many. And didn't he do A Star is Born with her?

[7:29] Eila Mell: I think he might have.

[7:30] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Really?

[7:31] Eila Mell: I think so.

[7:32] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, it might have been around that time. I know he worked with her and John Peters, for sure.

[7:36] Eila Mell: Oh, well, there you go.

[7:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah, he told us some good stories about John Peters on Jiffy Pop Culture.

[7:41] Eila Mell: Oh, my gosh. What episode was this? I'm going to have to go back and listen.

[7:44] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It was a special episode. Oh, cute. We have interview episodes, and they're labeled. So it's clearly Rupert Holmes. It's not like Rupert Holmes comes on and talks about Mommy Dearest or something.

[7:54] Eila Mell: No, no, no.

[7:55] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: OK. Cool, cool. So Rupert Holmes then creates a couple more albums. One of them has the Pina Colada song, which is kind of what he's famous for in pedestrian culture, regular people, muggle culture. Everybody knows that song.

[8:12] Eila Mell: Everybody knows.

[8:13] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: We don't know who sang it. Fair enough, right? But it also leads to him doing these cabaret nights all around New York City. All of his songs are kind of story songs, so they work really well in the cabaret setting. He's doing a lot of spoken dialogue and telling stories in between. Those shows start getting really great notices, and it attracts the wife of Mr. Joseph Papp. Now, for those who may not remember, Joseph Papp was in charge of the New York Shakespeare Festival and had definitely pivoted into some big mammoth monumental musical theater pieces, a.k.a. A Chorus Line, for crying out loud.

[8:52] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[8:53] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And then had just had a big success with remounting Pirates of Penzance and taking it to Broadway, and that was a huge smash. So he and his wife go to see one of his shows and then send him a note after the show that's basically like, have you ever thought of writing a musical? And there's this quote that I want to read from Mr. Holmes because it just made me giddy. I thought it was so cute. It was as if someone finally picked up the message I was trying to send, which was, please let me find a way into musical theater.

[9:30] Eila Mell: Wow.

[9:31] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Isn't that so sweet? Like, he had been writing these story songs, I mean, for Barbra Streisand, no less. And so on some level, this was his way into musical theater where he actually wanted to be. He's got to be the luckiest person in show business, though, because first he just happens to come across Barbra Streisand, and then Joe Papp. Like, come on.

[9:55] Eila Mell: It's a fair point. Not many of us get these many breaks in our careers.

[10:02] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Turns out Rupert Holmes grew up in England.

[10:06] Eila Mell: Yes.

[10:07] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Did not know this either.

[10:08] Eila Mell: Right.

[10:09] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So grateful that you actually suggested this episode because I've learned so much. He grows up in England and gets to know specifically the British musical tradition. It's interesting because I feel like panto, partially because drag is a heavy influence in that art form, has really resurfaced a lot lately, and not only in England but on the West Coast. The Lithgow family is always doing pantos at Pasadena Playhouse and all sorts of things. It's this idea of telling a story that everyone knows with a ridiculous troupe of characters.

[11:02] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[11:03] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So thinking of a modern one, they'll do Peter Pan, except Tinkerbell will be a drag queen. You know, like, and then they will add a lot of popular songs that they'll just interplot into the show. It's not necessarily original work, but they're songs that, guaranteed, everyone will want to hear and want to see. Knowing that tradition of English musical, which also tends to be very bawdy, even maybe liken it to American vaudeville, where it's burlesque and there's a lot of sexual humor and you go up to the audience member and you're like, "Sir, how dare you touch me there?" And everyone laughs. Very much that. Knowing that, he creates this structure for The Mystery of Edwin Drood of a show within a show. We are now entering into this English musical with this troupe of players who will all be playing the characters of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Necessary because, as we mentioned before, nobody knows how this thing ends.

[12:02] Eila Mell: Right, yeah.

[12:03] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: There needs to be a little bit of self-awareness in adapting this story for the stage because the elephant in the room is nobody knows how it goes. After he sits down and is kind of thinking through all of these influences and ways of presenting the show, he comes up with the idea, what if the ending changes every night and the audience votes it? So it was like the first interactive show, really.

[12:47] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Welcome back to A Musical Theatre Podcast. Today, we’re diving into a unique musical that you might not know is actually a Christmas musical: The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

[13:17] Eila Mell: Yes, it’s such an interesting choice! It’s not your typical holiday show, but it definitely has elements that can fit into the Christmas season.

[13:47] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right? It’s fascinating how it blends mystery with musical theatre.

[14:17] Eila Mell: Absolutely! The audience participation aspect is also a huge draw. It’s like a choose-your-own-adventure story.

[14:47] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Exactly! The ending is determined by the audience, which is so unique for a Broadway show.

[15:17] Eila Mell: And it really adds to the excitement of the performance. Each night can be completely different based on the audience's choices.

[15:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It’s a brilliant concept. Can you tell us a bit about the history of the show?

[15:57] Eila Mell: Sure! The Mystery of Edwin Drood premiered in 1985 and was based on Charles Dickens' unfinished novel. The musical was adapted by Rupert Holmes, who also wrote the music and lyrics.

[16:07] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right, and it won several Tony Awards, didn’t it?

[16:17] Eila Mell: Yes, it did! It won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, which is quite an achievement for a show that plays with its narrative structure.

[16:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: What do you think makes this show resonate with audiences?

[16:57] Eila Mell: I think it’s the interactive element. People love being part of the story, and the mystery aspect keeps them engaged. Plus, the music is catchy and fun!

[17:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Definitely! The score has some memorable numbers.

[17:37] Eila Mell: Yes, and the characters are so colorful and eccentric, which adds to the overall charm of the show.

[17:57] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Speaking of characters, who are some of your favorites?

[18:17] Eila Mell: I really love the character of the Chairman. He’s such a fun narrator and really brings the audience into the experience.

[18:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: He’s great! And the way he interacts with the audience is just brilliant.

[18:57] Eila Mell: Exactly! It’s like he’s guiding them through the mystery, making them feel like they’re part of the show.

[19:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And the fact that the audience gets to vote on the outcome is just so clever.

[19:37] Eila Mell: Yes! It creates a sense of community among the audience members, as they all have a stake in the story.

[19:57] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It’s a unique experience that you don’t find in many other musicals.

[20:17] Eila Mell: For sure! And it’s a great way to keep the show fresh and exciting for repeat audiences.

[20:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Absolutely! So, what do you think makes The Mystery of Edwin Drood a good fit for the holiday season?

[20:57] Eila Mell: I think the themes of mystery and discovery resonate with the spirit of the holidays. Plus, it’s just a fun show that can bring people together.

[21:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That’s a great point! It’s all about coming together and enjoying a shared experience.

[21:37] Eila Mell: Exactly! And the festive atmosphere of the show can really enhance the holiday spirit.

[21:57] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I love that! It’s a perfect example of how musicals can transcend traditional themes and still fit into different contexts.

[22:17] Eila Mell: Yes, and it’s a reminder that there’s always something new to discover, even in familiar stories.

[22:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Well said! I think that’s what makes musical theatre so special.

[22:57] Eila Mell: Absolutely! It’s all about the connection we make through storytelling and music.

[23:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Thank you for sharing your insights on The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Eila.

[23:37] Eila Mell: Thank you for having me! It’s been a pleasure discussing this unique musical with you.

[23:57] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And to our listeners, don’t forget to check out Eila’s work and follow her on social media!

[24:18] Eila Mell: Yes, please do! I’d love to connect with everyone.

[24:46] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Thanks for tuning in, and we’ll see you next time on A Musical Theatre Podcast!

[25:06] Eila Mell: Bye!

[25:35] Eila Mell: A fashion show is somewhat similar to a Broadway show, but there are basic differences. Certainly, costume design doesn't have to be in the condition that you would need for every day. Just the construction can be different. A lot of the time, it has to be sturdier because there are a lot of demands on costumes, especially if you have quick changes and things like that. And even like dance shoes, we were talking about. You know, like everyone's stuck with those boring, low heels, right? And those are supposed to be expensive shoes. We need something sturdy.

[26:13] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I know.

[26:13] Eila Mell: Are you kidding me? Eight shows a week on like a pinpoint heel? That ain't gonna fly. I know, but there's got to be something in between where the shoes can look better. Because I went to see Here Lies Love and I was so disappointed in the shoes.

[26:27] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: For Imelda Marcos.

[26:29] Eila Mell: And I know the designer. He's amazing. Clint Ramos. I love him. And his work is beautiful on that show. And he didn't have that many options because they had to dance and move and run around that whole theater. But I feel like, come on, Capizio or whoever, whoever's doing this. You gotta make something. Make something a little sexier.

[26:50] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That's hilarious. Oh my gosh. Speaking of, you know, like costumes needing to be sturdier. I once did a show in LA and they were so proud that they had brought on like a legit fashion TV film person for the theatrical production. And I was supposed to be, oh gosh, when I think about it, it makes me roll my eyes. I was supposed to be like a dead World War I soldier. And she, at my costume fitting, was so excited because she had found an original World War I uniform for me to wear in the show.

[27:10] Eila Mell: Okay.

[27:30] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Now, that means it was all wool. Yeah, right. Heavy. With like, and heavy with like 20,000 buttons down the front. And I was running into change for that as a quick change after a dance number. So you're sweaty and trying to pull on the wool and then like button it all up all while like having the shivers because it's so, my word for it when I was little was frickly. It's so frickly against your skin. Anyway, so yeah, you're totally right. The requirements are different, right?

[28:09] Eila Mell: Yeah, right. Better to recreate, but something that moves and breathes for the stage.

[28:14] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Sure, sure. But to your point, all about the story.

[28:18] Eila Mell: Yeah, always.

[28:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Well, since story is kind of the overriding necessity in all of the collaborations of musical theater, let's go through the story of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

[28:32] Eila Mell: Okay.

[28:33] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Because this is fantastic. So when the show begins, once again, it's welcome to the English music hall. It's so theatrical. The number, there you are, right? Which is so cheeky. And you're like, oh, there you are. There's the audience right there. It's literally meant to be sung to the audience. From the get-go, fourth wall is down. Even you were saying like, as you were coming into the theater, you were able to talk to actors. So fun.

[29:03] Eila Mell: Right. They were in character, obviously. And they were also in the audience for that song. So when he would call out to them and they would have their solo lines, it would come from the audience.

[29:13] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I love when Princess Puffer's like, here I am, I'm finally walking down the aisle. Like so many great little gags. This number introduces us to all of the players, but not necessarily all of the characters of the piece.

[29:29] Eila Mell: Right. Because it's a play within a play. So he refers to them, the chairman, refers to them by their actor names, not the characters that are in Dickens' novel.

[29:40] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Absolutely. So yes, you mentioned the chairman, originally played by the great George Rose. Do you know what? This maybe gets a little dark. But yeah, he was murdered during the run.

[29:52] Eila Mell: Yes. Yeah.

[29:53] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Isn't that crazy?

[29:54] Eila Mell: So I told you my teacher was directing the tour. So he was working with him when that happened.

[30:00] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh my gosh.

[30:01] Eila Mell: It was crazy. So he would come in and talk to us about it. And it was like his adopted son murdered him. It was a crazy story. And then he wasn't the only one like the Reverend Chris Sparkle. I think the original one died before Broadway happened.

[30:18] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, really?

[30:19] Eila Mell: Like they changed the name of the actor so that that guy would have been the only person to play that. Does that make sense?

[30:28] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yes.

[30:29] Eila Mell: But it's just fascinating tragedies kind of around this whole thing. Okay, so the chairman, yes, he introduces all of the actors and then introduces the characters. Here are some of our characters in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. First up, Jasper. Jasper is the choir master at what's this place called again?

[30:54] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Cloisteram.

[30:55] Eila Mell: Oh, right, right, right. Yeah, I forgot that.

[30:56] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Which is like a town.

[30:57] Eila Mell: Absolutely. Yeah, he's like the classic villain.

[31:00] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And in every sense of the word, right?

[31:02] Eila Mell: Right. He's the one going to the opium den.

[31:05] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Exactly. But he's secretly going to the opium den.

[31:09] Eila Mell: Right. Yeah, because he seems like an upstanding citizen. You mentioned this being before Phantom of the Opera, which is interesting because one of the other big things is that he is in love with his voice student.

[31:21] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right, Rosebud.

[31:22] Eila Mell: In very much a Christine Daaé sort of way. Yes, the great Rosebud played.

[31:29] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: By me, of course.

[31:29] Eila Mell: Beautifully, of course.

[31:32] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yes, but she's not into it.

[31:34] Eila Mell: No, of course not. And actually, I don't. Is she quite younger?

[31:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: A lot younger and engaged to his nephew, Edwin Drood.

[31:41] Eila Mell: Who happens to be Edwin Drood. Now, Edwin Drood in the play within the play is that element of drag that we were talking about with the panto.

[31:51] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right.

[31:52] Eila Mell: It's male drag. It's a woman who's kind of a diva in the English music scene. And she is playing the role of Edwin Drood. One of the reasons why Rupert Holmes did this, he said, is because the thought of writing a love duet for two sopranos excited him so much in 1985 that he's like, I have to do this. We have to do this. How cool.

[32:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: How fun is that? And once again, very much ahead of its time. Now, I got to see a lot of different Edwin Droods and they were all amazing. So I saw Betty Buckley.

[32:25] Eila Mell: Which, that voice.

[32:27] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: You listen to that original cast album. It just flies out of her mouth, that steely power.

[32:33] Eila Mell: Yes.

[32:34] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It's amazing. I mean, it's hard to imagine now, but she was right off of Cats, pretty much.

[32:39] Eila Mell: Right. This is her big follow-up to winning the Tony for Cats.

[32:43] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: For her breakthrough, really. People knew her from TV, but not in the same way. And then I saw Donna Murphy was next.

[32:51] Eila Mell: Because she was an understudy in the ensemble.

[32:53] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah.

[32:54] Eila Mell: And then ended up taking over the role. And then I saw Paige O'Hara.

[32:58] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Belle herself from Beauty and the Beast.

[33:01] Eila Mell: That's so cool.

[33:02] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: How fun.

[33:03] Eila Mell: That cast, I mean, maybe even more importantly than having some sad tragedies attached to it, had some incredible talent buried everywhere. Not only did you have all of those people, you had Judy Kuhn in the ensemble, who was about to go on and do Les Mis.

[33:19] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right. Like one of the biggest shows, that and Phantom of the 80s.

[33:23] Eila Mell: Yeah. 100%.

[33:25] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: You also had legends like Cleo Lane, who was the mistress of the opium den.

[33:32] Eila Mell: Right.

[33:32] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Princess Puffer.

[33:33] Eila Mell: Yeah. Kind of a well-known chanteuse. And then, so I saw her, and then Loretta Swit took over for her.

[33:41] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: From MASH?

[33:42] Eila Mell: From MASH. I didn't know that she was a musical theater performer.

[33:45] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So that was fun, just to see, you know, Margaret Houlihan play Princess Puffer. And then...

[33:51] Eila Mell: How fun is that?

[33:52] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh my God, so much fun.

[33:53] Eila Mell: But then when I went to that rehearsal for the national tour, it was Jean Stapleton playing it.

[33:58] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh my gosh!

[33:59] Eila Mell: I know, that was huge.

[34:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: From All in the Family?

[34:03] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[34:04] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Gosh, how cool.

[34:06] Eila Mell: Did she still have that voice?

[34:07] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Like, because that was just her voice, right?

[34:10] Eila Mell: She could change it.

[34:11] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: No, that wasn't her voice.

[34:12] Eila Mell: That was not her voice?

[34:13] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: No, no, she put that on.

[34:15] Eila Mell: So she had like a deeper, more serious voice, you know.

[34:18] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, how fun.

[34:19] Eila Mell: She was great.

[34:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, that's wonderful.

[34:21] Eila Mell: Yeah. I love hearing that.

[34:23] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So, as we mentioned, Jasper's going and participating in the opium den. The reason for him doing so is that he's so villainously in love with Rosabud that he goes to the opium den to like process all of his feelings with drugs.

[34:42] Eila Mell: Right.

[34:42] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And also this strange wine. He's like starting to mix things, which is not great. Also in the mix are the Landless twins.

[34:52] Eila Mell: Neville and Helena.

[34:54] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Now, Helena, Helena, I'm not sure.

[34:58] Eila Mell: Yeah, well, in the 80s, they pronounced it Helena.

[35:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Okay, fair enough. Here's the thing. And this is where we get into a little bit of what I call black ketchup areas.

[35:08] Eila Mell: Okay.

[35:08] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Charles Dickens was known for writing some culturally insensitive things, maybe even downright racist things. When you look at Oliver and the way that he talked about Jewish people, and in his, he did this, one of his first books was looked down pretty harshly on Indians, the Indian culture.

[35:31] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[35:31] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It seems that by the time he writes The Mystery of Edwin Drood, he's changed his mind a little bit. And I say that because the main thrust of these two characters is that they were born in Ceylon.

[35:44] Eila Mell: Yes.

[35:45] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: As British citizens. Right. And so there's a little bit of British colonialism buried within this show. Neville, the twin brother, is very angry about being British, but not being treated like that because of the color of his skin. Not to mention, they had a really, really difficult childhood where their father was beating Helena. And so he's trying to write these two characters in a much more sympathetic and empathetic way.

[36:20] Eila Mell: Yes.

[36:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Than Charles Dickens had done in the past.

[36:23] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[36:24] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Now, in the musical, traditionally, these have been played by white people with very dark makeup. They're almost making fun of exoticism, this idea of like a geographically untraceable accent, right? That's a line from the show.

[36:44] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[36:45] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: However, that tradition seems to have continued despite the fact that we talk more about representation and casting. How do you feel about this? Does this feel icky or sticky to you at this point?

[37:01] Eila Mell: Well, I see it both ways. But I think that you have to do it the way it would have been done in the old time English.

[37:11] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That's true. I guess if you're doing it that way, then there's an argument to be made of this is how it would have been done in the same way that the woman is doing drag to play.

[37:22] Eila Mell: Right. While still being as sensitive as you can, obviously. But I think what goes to the favor of the show is that it was not done to poke fun of. It's to make fun of white people, not Indians.

[37:40] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right.

[37:40] Eila Mell: I think it pokes more fun at the English in that respect. Those people, you know, as opposed to, you know, the people from Ceylon at the time. And so it got me thinking like, okay, if you do the show nowadays, you probably need to. Do you need to use people of at least South Asian or Indian ancestry to tell the story? And I kind of think you do, because when you look at their big song, which is either, once again, because Rupert Holmes changed it a lot, it's either Ceylon or a British citizen, a British subject, a British subject.

[38:16] Eila Mell: Okay. The main thrust of both of those songs is like, we love our homeland and...

[38:21] Eila Mell: It's really frustrating that to come here and not be able to assimilate, even though the British have taken over our homeland.

[38:30] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Well, I think you're right because I think that, you know, we certainly view wearing dork makeup very differently than we did at one point, right?

[38:34] Eila Mell: Right, right, right, right. Either way, interesting characters for sure.

[38:39] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh my gosh, audience favorites, especially Helena.

[38:43] Eila Mell: Oh my gosh, Helena is because she's just so over the top, right?

[38:46] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: This actress who's playing the character.

[38:51] Eila Mell: She would almost always be the villain back in the 80s.

[38:56] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Really?

[38:57] Eila Mell: Almost always. Yeah.

[38:58] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That's interesting.

[39:00] Eila Mell: Yeah. So a woman named Janice Schneider originated the part and she was brilliant.

[39:05] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And then Alison Fraser took over and she was great too.

[39:09] Eila Mell: From Secret Garden.

[39:10] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah.

[39:13] Eila Mell: Another interesting story, Janice Schneider.

[39:14] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah.

[39:17] Eila Mell: She then became like a reporter for Sarajevo.

[39:18] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Really?

[39:18] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[39:18] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Wow.

[39:18] Eila Mell: And like would do photography journalism in war zones and kind of left the business.

[39:25] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Go figure.

[39:26] Eila Mell: Wow. I mean, you know, it was a blow to the business because she was so good.

[39:30] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: No, that's cool to hear.

[39:32] Eila Mell: All right. Let's see who else we haven't talked about.

[39:34] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, the Landless Twins are here courtesy of the Reverend Chris Sparkle, who is exactly how he sounds.

[39:42] Eila Mell: He's a reverend.

[39:43] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: He is seeking for peace and has made an agreement with Jasper that the Landless Twins can stay at his, you know, spacious sort of mansion for the holidays.

[39:56] Eila Mell: But he goes a little dark too.

[39:58] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Chris Sparkle, because he was in love with Rosabud's mother and may or may not have killed her at one point.

[40:05] Eila Mell: It was unrequited.

[40:07] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: By the way, everyone, we're each coming to this recording with our own choices and our own votes.

[40:14] Eila Mell: So we will be talking later about who we think did it and why.

[40:19] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: All right. We talked about Princess Puffer. Have we talked?

[40:21] Eila Mell: Oh, Dirtle. Let's talk about Dirtle.

[40:24] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right.

[40:24] Eila Mell: Isn't that his name? Dirtle?

[40:25] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Dirtle.

[40:26] Eila Mell: Dirtle oversees kind of the catacombs.

[40:29] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah.

[40:29] Eila Mell: He's in charge of setting up everybody's tombs and keeping the grounds nice and then he has a sidekick named Deputy.

[40:36] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right.

[40:37] Eila Mell: And Dirtle is very much like the clown vaudevillian that you would think of like, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba.

[40:45] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: You know.

[40:46] Eila Mell: Rupert originally wrote Deputy for this actor who he was friends with, Donnie Kerr.

[40:53] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: He wanted him to play the part, and Deputy had a song at one point.

[40:57] Eila Mell: Really?

[40:58] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yes. I forget why it didn't work out.

[41:01] Eila Mell: Oh, interesting.

[41:02] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Well, like we said, it was, it was a lengthy three. And that's not a character that really advances the plot in any way.

[41:10] Eila Mell: Another character that doesn't advance the plot but is really fun to talk about is Bazzard.

[41:15] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, well, Bazzard is a big catalyst though for, you know, the end of the play, usually.

[41:21] Eila Mell: For sure, for sure.

[41:22] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: The joke of Bazzard is that he's introduced quite ceremoniously in Charles Dickens' The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and then nothing comes of him.

[41:33] Eila Mell: Right.

[41:33] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So like, there's this question that he has this mystery.

[41:38] Eila Mell: There's a lot, you know, but like, nobody knows what that is.

[41:41] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So Rupert Holmes very ingeniously created that role to be played by a character who's always wanted better roles.

[41:47] Eila Mell: I mean, that's so smart to do.

[41:52] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So smart.

[41:53] Eila Mell: Okay, I think that's everybody.

[41:56] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So now the story, Edwin Drood arrives to visit his uncle, Jasper, right?

[42:02] Eila Mell: And his betrothed, Rosabud.

[42:04] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Jasper is feigning to, you know, be a kinsman.

[42:09] Eila Mell: Right.

[42:09] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And they sing that, of course, that great duet, all the while loathing him because he is marrying the woman that he wants.

[42:19] Eila Mell: He has, and this is straight from the novel, he has written a song for Rosabud to sing.

[42:27] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And it's such incredible musical storytelling that Rupert Holmes says this was probably the moment that made him realize that he needed to make this musical, is that Jasper's song allows Rosa to say the things that Jasper wishes she would say.

[42:46] Eila Mell: Ah, so he writes it, wanting to never say these things.

[42:50] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And says, you need to sing this, right? You're my student. This is your next assignment.

[42:55] Eila Mell: Meanwhile, she has to stand there and sing to him his words of love.

[43:00] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And it's horrifying.

[43:02] Eila Mell: Which is horrifying and creepy and gorgeous.

[43:04] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And the song, Moonfall, I think was in every soprano's audition book for a good 20 years.

[43:12] Eila Mell: I have another quote from Rupert Holmes specifically about writing Moonfall.

[43:16] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: He says, I delayed writing it. There was a space set aside for it.

[43:20] Eila Mell: And I moved past that moment in the show and wrote some other songs.

[43:23] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Like the task was too daunting.

[43:25] Eila Mell: He knew that it was such a great moment, but he didn't want to do it.

[43:28] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: One day, I came back to my office after lunch.

[43:31] Eila Mell: And believe me, I'm not saying anything supernatural is going on.

[43:34] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: But I sat down and played Moonfall almost exactly as you now hear it.

[43:39] Eila Mell: And almost without interruption.

[43:41] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It's actually kind of intricate harmonically in the bridge chromatically.

[43:45] Eila Mell: It's a toughie.

[43:46] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: But all of that came in one sitting.

[43:49] Eila Mell: It really seemed to write itself.

[43:51] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That's amazing.

[43:52] Eila Mell: I'm sure you've heard lots of those types of things talking to designers as well, right?

[43:58] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Well, I'll tell you.

[43:59] Eila Mell: I heard something like that from another composer, from John Kander.

[44:03] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: How dare you get to talk to John Kander, by the way?

[44:10] Eila Mell: Oh, my gosh. Legend, right?

[44:12] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And he said, you know, it's like when you have a conversation.

[44:15] Eila Mell: You don't think about what you're going to say. You just say it.

[44:18] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And he said, that's what happens with my hands when I sit down at the piano.

[44:21] Eila Mell: I don't think about it. And then it just comes out.

[44:24] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: What a talent for that to happen.

[44:26] Eila Mell: Gosh, so I mean, that that's really beautiful when you think when one's talent is as easy as conversation, or maybe even easier than conversation, right?

[44:36] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Maybe conversation is someone else's talent.

[44:39] Eila Mell: And his version of that is sitting down and having a conversation with the piano.

[44:44] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Like that's amazing.

[44:45] Eila Mell: It's incredible.

[44:50] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Moonfall happens.

[44:51] Eila Mell: Rosa Budd is really freaked out by her teacher and kind of says, I think we need a break.

[44:57] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: We need a break.

[44:59] Eila Mell: We need to go away.

[45:00] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And I mean, and I am supposed to be marrying Edwin Drood.

[45:03] Eila Mell: Now, here's the thing. Edwin Drood and Rosa Budd have been betrothed for many, many years, but they don't actually love each other.

[45:09] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right.

[45:10] Eila Mell: They just it's like an arranged marriage and they're not into it.

[45:14] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: They don't know how they feel.

[45:16] Eila Mell: Actually, they're ambivalent.

[45:18] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Enter the Landless Twins, creating more interesting conversations.

[45:23] Eila Mell: Edwin Drood very arrogantly says that his big project that's coming up is he's going to build a road all the way across Egypt.

[45:28] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And in order to do that, he's going to use the stone from the Great Pyramids.

[45:37] Eila Mell: And of course, that completely horrifies the Landlesses.

[45:42] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And he's like, what? It's a great idea.

[45:43] Eila Mell: You know what I mean? Because as a British person, he doesn't understand that that might offend people in their native lands.

[45:51] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So Edwin Drood is not a likable character.

[45:55] Eila Mell: He's kind of a dick.

[45:56] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It's a really great point.

[45:57] Eila Mell: And it also makes it even more delicious when nobody likes the actress who's playing him.

[46:03] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That's right.

[46:05] Eila Mell: And they're rolling their eyes all the time about all of her demands and things.

[46:09] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So you're exactly right. There are plenty of reasons for people to dislike this guy who ends up going missing.

[46:16] Eila Mell: And that's what ends up happening is that on Christmas Eve, after this dinner where there's a lot of fire and fighting, he decides that he's going to go for a walk down by the river.

[46:22] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: He has this kind of thin coat.

[46:32] Eila Mell: So Jasper gives him his coat and says, you need to wear this coat.

[46:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And big plot point.

[46:41] Eila Mell: And then Neville joins Edwin Drood for this walk.

[46:45] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And that is the last time anyone sees Edwin Drood.

[46:49] Eila Mell: All that they find is the coat tattered with blood on it.

[46:55] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So nobody knows what's happened.

[46:56] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[46:57] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So now in the second act, six months have passed.

[47:00] Eila Mell: Edwin Drood is still missing.

[47:02] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: But there appears this private detective by the name of Dick Datchery.

[47:08] Eila Mell: Yeah, this mysterious.

[47:09] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: This mysterious man.

[47:11] Eila Mell: And we're led to believe that Dick Datchery might be someone else in disguise.

[47:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And there have been clues all along.

[47:20] Eila Mell: For example, Helena Landis, she said that she dressed up as a boy when she was younger.

[47:26] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right.

[47:28] Eila Mell: They highlight these lines.

[47:29] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: They come back.

[47:31] Eila Mell: Yes. Just to remind everybody that this could also be anybody.

[47:36] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And it's being played by the actress playing Edwin Drood, we should say.

[47:41] Eila Mell: So it's a female playing.

[47:42] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah.

[47:43] Eila Mell: But it gets even more complex because one of the things that scholars have agreed upon is that Dick Datchery couldn't be Edwin Drood.

[47:52] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It was also in her contract that she had to be featured in the second act.

[47:56] Eila Mell: So that helps too.

[48:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Princess Puffer has also taken on the job of investigating because turns out Rosa Budd means a lot to her.

[48:11] Eila Mell: Oh, right. I forgot that.

[48:12] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That's right.

[48:13] Eila Mell: She was like the nanny of Rosa Budd before Rosa Budd's mom was killed mysteriously.

[48:22] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right.

[48:22] Eila Mell: And before she, you know, lived the life of, you know.

[48:25] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: The opium den.

[48:26] Eila Mell: Exactly.

[48:28] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Once we get to this point, the show stops during this great number.

[48:32] Eila Mell: Don't quit while you're ahead.

[48:35] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: The chairman says, this is when Charles Dickens died.

[48:39] Eila Mell: And like everything just stops.

[48:41] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Literally, everybody freezes, right?

[48:43] Eila Mell: Such a great, such a great conceit.

[48:47] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right.

[48:47] Eila Mell: I love that.

[48:48] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So smart.

[48:48] Eila Mell: There are so many other great songs too.

[48:50] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So if you don't know this show, go ahead and listen to it.

[48:52] Eila Mell: Off to the Races.

[48:54] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Terrific song, which is obviously playing on the horse racing in England.

[49:02] Eila Mell: But also saying, don't jump to any conclusions.

[49:06] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: You may not have all of the information.

[49:09] Eila Mell: If you do, then you might be off to the races.

[49:12] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: There's this great line in that song that says something like, having patience is as good as having brains.

[49:18] Eila Mell: So take your bloody time.

[49:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Really, really clever lyric writing.

[49:23] Eila Mell: Now we're to the end.

[49:25] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: We're to the end, and we need to figure out three things.

[49:29] Eila Mell: Well, four things.

[49:30] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Number one, and I want to talk about-

[49:32] Eila Mell: Right, because it's not just the murderer.

[49:34] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah, yeah, no, it's many things.

[49:36] Eila Mell: The first thing we got to figure out, and I want to hear your opinion.

[49:39] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Do you think Edwin Drood is alive or dead?

[49:43] Eila Mell: I think Edwin Drood is alive.

[49:45] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So, like, if we were in the oldie-timey times reading Mystery of Edwin Drood, your theory would be that Edwin Drood has not been killed.

[49:56] Eila Mell: Yes.

[49:58] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I would agree with you, because, and they even say this in the show, they go through the different titles, like the working titles, that Charles Dickens played with, and never was it the death of Edwin Drood.

[50:13] Eila Mell: The death of Edwin Drood, or the murder of Edwin Drood, or anything to do with killing.

[50:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So, okay, we agree on that point.

[50:23] Eila Mell: Edwin Drood is probably still alive.

[50:24] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So now we need to decide who's Dick Datchery, who tried to kill Edwin Drood, because there was blood on the coat, and he's missing.

[50:35] Eila Mell: Right, something happened.

[50:36] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Something went down, even if it is just attempted murder.

[50:40] Eila Mell: And then the thing that they add for the musical is, who are the lovers?

[50:44] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Who ends up together so we have at least one little happy ending, okay?

[50:47] Eila Mell: And it ends with the love song, which is so cute.

[50:50] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It's so cute.

[50:50] Eila Mell: So, who are your choices?

[50:52] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Who do you think is Dick Datchery, the private investigator?

[50:57] Eila Mell: That's the hardest one to me, because it seems the most arbitrary.

[51:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Like, I don't really know who I think it is.

[51:05] Eila Mell: I don't know.

[51:06] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I feel like maybe Princess Puffer, but that seems...

[51:39] Eila Mell: He's not connected to anybody.

[51:41] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And we're totally on the same page, too, because he doesn't have any skin in the game.

[51:46] Eila Mell: Right. That's right. Him trying to investigate everything makes sense because he kind of has the cleanest slate.

[51:53] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right. So, yeah. It's gotta be. All right. I'm completely won over. Now I have a strong opinion on that.

[51:58] Eila Mell: Okay. So now, who tried to kill Edwin Drood? Because here are the options. Somebody thought that they were killing Jasper because he was wearing the coat. Or somebody was trying to kill Edwin Drood himself. Those are the two options. And depending on which one you think is true, depends on which villain you choose. I have always thought that it was pretty straightforward and that there was no big twist. I always thought it was supposed to be John Jasper.

[52:31] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Sure. But the argument against that is that it wouldn't be much of a mystery because from the get-go, he's been such the villain. There's no twist in him being the killer because he's been a killer type.

[52:45] Eila Mell: You're right. But wasn't it sort of that was kind of how it was back then, how people wrote things? Now, it's never the obvious candidate. But I don't think that was the trend back when Charles Dickens was writing this.

[53:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And that's a great point. But I even think of maybe Great Expectations. And who's the guy, who's the murderer guy who we end up actually liking that's taking care of Pip?

[53:13] Eila Mell: But yeah. You know? He sometimes will create some sympathy. Even Fagin has aspects of his personality that are not great, but he's still lovable. Whereas Bill Sykes is just evil.

[53:29] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah. I don't know. I see your point. Who do you think it is?

[53:35] Eila Mell: Well, who do I want it to be? I want it to be Reverend Chris Barkley.

[53:39] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Well, yeah. Want it to be is different. I want to see that play out. Who do I think actually... I want it to be Roosevelt. That would be fun.

[53:47] Eila Mell: Well, because the other thing is that Neville says that he doesn't remember anything after getting to the river with Edwin Drood. But that also might just be because Jasper's been doing crazy stuff with the wine and opium that nobody's in their right minds.

[54:05] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Right. I don't think Neville is the fun choice for sure. And seeing what we talked about in terms of how Charles Dickens had evolved his views on racial issues, I want to think that he was maybe trying to teach society in his somewhat optimistic way that these quote unquote savages who we've all been treating this way weren't actually the killer. You know, there's a real possibility that people reading this story back then would have been like, it was the Landis's, of course. That's who they are.

[54:42] Eila Mell: Yeah, that makes sense, actually. And maybe... Right, well, I'm hoping, exactly. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit. So then going through and having Jasper actually be the guy who tried to kill Edwin Drood makes sense because we're choosing the choir master white guy over the people from Ceylon. And maybe that's the twist. Maybe that's kind of the point of the story. I don't know.

[55:10] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Although you're right, because the Reverend would be even, you know, an even bigger degree.

[55:15] Eila Mell: Yeah, yeah. It's that on steroids. You're exactly right. Because he is obsessed with Rosa Budd and would be really angry that Drood was going to marry Rosa Budd. Yeah. Anyway, I'm going to go with Reverend Chris Barkley and you can go with Jasper and we'll have our bases covered. The last thing is who do you want to see get together?

[55:40] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Okay, well, it was always like the biggest mismatch. So that was always so much fun. It was usually Princess Puffer with someone. But now if you did the show today, it wouldn't have to be a male and female. It could be, you know, you could mix the genders, which would be even more fun. Go with Princess Puffer and Helena. That would be steamy.

[56:01] Eila Mell: Yeah, it could be Reverend Chris Barkley and Neville. Who knows?

[56:07] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: There you go. Oh, that's actually kind of fantastic. I would also love to see, I would love to see Dirtles in a romantic role as well, if possible. Because he's so disgusting and foul that I kind of want to see like Rosa Budd end up with him or something like that. How cute.

[56:29] Eila Mell: All right. So after all of these things have been chosen, and I assume that in the revival, people voted with their phones. They didn't do like the tally. I don't know. We should have found out. Somebody can yell at me on Instagram and say, this is how it was done. But originally, like you said, it was all done by paper. And then the poor stage manager had to count everything as fast as they could and then tell everyone.

[56:51] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: But the cast didn't know. Only the actor who was chosen knew. So even the cast was surprised every night on stage.

[56:56] Eila Mell: Oh, that's so true. That's a great point. Because the chairman basically goes, the killer is... And then the person steps forward and the whole cast is like, what?

[57:06] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, that's so fun. It's so theatrical. You can't do this in the movies. This is great.

[57:20] ⚠ About 3 minutes of audio could not be automatically transcribed.

[1:00:46] Eila Mell: Sometimes you put on 80s cast recordings and you've got like da da da da da da da with all of these synthesizers. And that's not the show. The score is pretty classic. Thanks to old Rupert Holmes himself. Do you want to hear something funny?

[1:01:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Please.

[1:01:02] Eila Mell: So, again, for the Tony book, I got to interview a lot of people, and Andrew Lloyd Webber was one of them. And his hold music is the Phantom theme song. Isn't that funny? Hold please for Andrew Lloyd Webber. And then you get the whole, and then you hear, in sleep he sang to me. So I even teased him about it. He was a good sport.

[1:01:29] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: As always, if you have recommendations for shows you'd like us to cover here on A Musical Theatre Podcast, you can always email me at amusicalpodcast at gmail.com. Be sure to follow us on social media. We're on Instagram and TikTok. We're also on X, though, to be honest, I'm not on there much, guys. I'll post links and stuff, but I just can't. We also have Patreon! Where for only $1 a month, you can receive bonus content and support the show. We have our TeePublic store, which is full of great designs and the profits we receive from that, we donate to Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. Give us a nice review and rating if you'd like, and just know that I'm so grateful to have you here as part of our wonderful podcasting community.

[1:02:14] Eila Mell: Hey, tell us how we buy your books and everything you got going on, because I know you got so many projects.

[1:02:19] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I do. I have a lot of projects, but I would love for people to buy my books. I'm so proud of Designing Broadway. That's my book on set design. But it's not only sets. It's costumes, lighting. All my books are on Amazon.com. But if you go to the Museum of Broadway, you could get Designing Broadway.

[1:02:33] Eila Mell: I know. I haven't been yet. I'm so jealous.

[1:02:41] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Come to New York, and I will meet you there.

[1:02:44] Eila Mell: Okay. We'll have to go. Oh my gosh, please. It's so much fun. Also, at the Drama Bookshop, they carry Designing Broadway. That's such a dream come true for me, because I grew up going shopping at the Drama Bookshop, and now to have a book there is not lost on me.

[1:03:00] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, that's so cute. You can pre-order my Tony Awards book on Amazon. I think I know what I'm asking my mom for Christmas this year, because I'm so obsessed with the Tony Awards. We didn't even mention the fact that Mystery of Edwin Drood won Best Musical in 1986.

[1:03:12] Eila Mell: That's right, and Rupert.

[1:03:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And Rupert won for music, for his score, and for his book.

[1:03:20] Eila Mell: And the book. He's got two, yeah, two Tonys.

[1:03:23] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: The director won. George Rose won. They cleaned up that year.

[1:03:28] Eila Mell: They did really well.

[1:03:30] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Thank you again, Eila. You're wonderful. And everyone out there, read the writing on the wall.