The Mystery of Edwin Drood

I saw The Mystery of Edwin Drood at the Manhattan School of Music on November 7, 2025, after grabbing tickets the moment I saw they were available. This is a show I have read about for years but never had the chance to see, mostly because it is not produced very often. Knowing how complex it is structurally, especially with its multiple endings decided by audience vote, I was excited and a little curious to see how a conservatory production would handle it.

After seeing Manhattan School of Music’s production of Sunday in the Park with George several years ago, I had confidence they could pull this off, and they did. The cast is huge, and every single performer was strong. No weak links. The style, timing, and energy required for Drood are demanding, and the ensemble handled the heightened theatricality with ease. It felt polished and confident from start to finish.

The only place I felt a slight stumble was in how the audience voting was handled. I do not know how much freedom productions have in designing that moment, but in this case, the polling felt a bit clunky. It was still fun and participatory, but it momentarily pulled me out of the experience more than I would have liked. Not enough to sour the evening, just enough to notice.

That said, the production values here are genuinely impressive. The theater itself is gorgeous, and the technical elements were on par with many shows currently running on Broadway. Between this and Sunday in the Park with George, I am two for two with near perfect experiences at Manhattan School of Music. This was a rare chance to see a rarely done musical handled with care, skill, and ambition, and I am really glad I jumped on it when I did.