(SOMERSET, NJ) -- Villagers Theatre presents The Mystery of Edwin Drood across two weekends from January 16-25, 2026. Based on Charles Dickens' final unfinished novel, this hilarious whodunit by Rupert Holmes invites the audience to solve its mystery by choosing the identity of the murderer.

The tale is presented as a show-within-a-show, as the Music Hall Royale – a delightfully loony Victorian theatre company – presents Dickens’ brooding mystery. Musical numbers include “Perfect Strangers,” “Don’t Quit While You’re Ahead,” “Off To The Races” and “Moonfall.”

The cast includes: Jessica Cogan (Chairman/Mayor Thomas Sapsea), Zach Love (Clive Paget/John Jasper), Ella Chamis (Alice Nutting/Edwin Drood), Lauren McCoig (Deirdre Peregrine/Rosa Bud), Aubrey Bridge (Angela Prysock/Princess Puffer), Gail Cevallos (Janet Conover/Helena Landless), Ian DiGuilio (Victor Grinstead/Neville Landless), Alicia Rodriguez (Cedric Moncrieffe/Rev. Crisparkle), Alex Luckenbaugh (Phillip Bax/Bazzard), Shane De Lacy (Nick Cricker Sr/Durdles), and Wyatt Botsko-Bridge (Nick Cricker Jr/Deputy). The Ensemble includes Elle Kornkven-Perna, Ezra Cayton-Hodges, Frank Angiola, Marc Mundsinger, and Sarah Johnson.

The Production Staff includes: Director - Tyler C. Picone; Choreographer - Maggie Miller; Music Director - Christynn Cardino Morris; Production Stage Manager - Jess Kimberlin; Assistant Stage Manager - Sarah Johnson; Production Manager - Paul Carver; Scenic Designer - Kris Kelleher; and Costume Designer - AJ Russell.

Performances take place Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm.  Tickets are available for purchase online. Villagers Theatre is located at 515 DeMott Lane in Somerset, New Jersey.

After its 1985 debut at the New York Shakespeare Festival, headed by Joseph Papp of the Public Theatre, The Mystery of Edwin Drood moved to Broadway's Imperial Theatre, where it played for a total of 608 performances, starring Betty Buckley, Cleo Laine, and George Rose. In 1987, the show premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London's West End. Drood was revived at Studio 54 on Broadway in 2012,  featuring Chita Rivera, Will Chase, Gregg Edelman, Jim Norton, Betsy Wolfe, and Stephanie J. Block in the title role.

The original Broadway production took home a lot of awards in 1986 - 5 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Book and Score; 8 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical, Music, Book and Orchestration; and 5 Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding Broadway Musical.

Villagers Theatre sees the performing arts as an avenue of exploration, creativity, and innovation for performers and audiences alike. In an ever-evolving society of entertainment and education, Villagers Theatre prides itself on being a local source of diversity, inclusion, and enlightenment. By bringing together performers, production staff, and audience members from all walks of life, this company believes in fostering change, developing accessibility, and most importantly, continuing to celebrate the “community” in community theater.