Theatre Casting Call for "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"

Mezzo (B3 – E5) Edwin Drood/Alice Nutting/Datchery: Prima donna and London’s leading male impersonator, charming but, as you might expect, has determination and a lot of ego. Must command the stage. As Edwin Drood, she is an attractive, rich, and popular young man who has everything. The victim.* Note: Plays Datchery up until the voting.

Bari- tenor (A2 – A4). John Jasper/Clive Paget: The Royale’s male lead, a devilishly attractive cad, and he knows it. In Drood, he is the baddie. Choirmaster of Cloisterham Cathedral and uncle of Edwin Drood. In love with Rosa Bud. Madness lurks beneath his smooth exterior. Strictly speaking, a suspect, but he didn’t do it. A Murder Suspect.

Baritone (C3 – G4). Reverend Crisparkle/Cedric Moncrieffe: This troupe member is a bit of an open book who plays the archetypal vicar. He is also a bit of a lurker and was in love with Rosa’s mother. A suspect. Must be significantly older than Rosa. Strong ensemble singer. May also play other roles. A Murder Suspect.

Baritone/Low Alto (D#3 – F#4 – can pop octaves if needed). Chairperson & Mayor Thomas Sapsea/Cartwright: The leader of the music hall troupe. The Chairperson carries the majority of the dialogue and must be quick with a joke and able to improvise. S/he is in charge of keeping the pace of the show moving. Unexpectedly fills in as the Mayor character in Drood when an actor fails to show up.

Serious low alto (F3 – D5). Princess Puffer/Angela Prysock: Angela has been a favorite of London audiences forever, a staple of the stage. As the mysterious Princess Puffer, Madam, opium dealer and general purveyor of vice of all kinds, she is glamorous in her ruin. A suspect. – must have a big chest voice and lots of rapport with the audience. A Murder Suspect.

Bari-tenor (C3 – G4). Neville Landless/Victor Grinstead: Victor is enjoying his premier performance with the Music Hall Royale. His character, Neville, is Helena’s brother and suffers from the same “geographically untraceable” approximation of an East Asian accent. Falls for Rosa Bud, falls out with Edwin, and is therefore another suspect in the murder. Very passionate and often angry. Strong ensemble singer, may also play other roles. A Murder Suspect.

Mezzo (G3 – D5 [optional E5]). Helena Landless/Janet Conover: Janet is a long-standing member of the acting troupe, asked to play the mysterious Helena Landless who hails from a mysterious foreign colony not unlike India. Will need to switch between her British accent and a “geographically untraceable” approximation of an East Asian accent. Another suspect. Strong ensemble singer, May also play other roles. A Murder Suspect.

True soprano (A3 – B5), with a high B natural that can’t be avoided. Rosa Bud/Deirdre Peregrine: The not-so- innocent ingenuine of the Music Hall Royale, Deirdre portrays the love interest of Drood, the young, beautiful and apparently fragile Rosa Bud. She is betrothed to Edwin Drood, the only man who isn’t in love with her. A suspect in his murder. A Murder Suspect.

(any range strong ensemble singer). Deputy/Nick or Nicole Cricker, Jr: Boy or girl, any age, younger than Cricker, Sr. As the Deputy, lowest in the pecking order, and very funny.

Bari-tenor (A2 – Eb4 [opt G4 or Bb4]). Strong ensemble singer. Bazzard/Phillip Bax: Devotee of the theatre, the everlasting understudy, who finally gets his moment. May have quite a major part if the evening turns out that way. A sad sort of clown. In his role as Bazzard, he is often an audience- favorite suspect. Very capable of stealing the whole show. May also play other roles. A Murder Suspect.

Baritone or Tenor (B2 – F4). Strong ensemble singer. Nick Cricker, Sr./Durdles: “Clown Prince of the Royale” who makes the most of every line and plays the drunkard sexton in Drood. Gets to announce the murderer (maybe?). May also play other roles. A Murder Suspect.

(C4-D5). Beatrice & Flo/Gill: Drawn from the company, these characters are contemporaries of Rosa Bud who sing a fabulous quartet with Rosa and Helena in Act I as well as participating in the rest of the company goings-on.

Non singing. Stage Manager/Barkeep/James or Joyce Throttle: A non-singing role, who helps to keep the Chairperson on track throughout the play.

(C4-D5). Wendy/Yearsley: Drawn from the company, these characters are contemporaries of Rosa Bud who sing a fabulous quartet with Rosa and Helena in Act I as well as participating in the rest of the company goings-on.

As voted by audience in Act Two (played by Nutting up until then). Datchery will be either Bazzard, Reverend Crisparkle, Helena, Neville, or Rosa).

Ensemble. The chorus in this show is extremely active and will be called upon to play many characters.

Ensemble. The chorus in this show is extremely active and will be called upon to play many characters.

Ensemble. The chorus in this show is extremely active and will be called upon to play many characters.

Ensemble. The chorus in this show is extremely active and will be called upon to play many characters.

Ensemble. The chorus in this show is extremely active and will be called upon to play many characters.

Ensemble. The chorus in this show is extremely active and will be called upon to play many characters.