The Mystery of Edwin Drood presented by Blank Theatre Company at The Edge Theatre

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Framed as a show-within-a-show in a British music hall, director Danny Kapinos's production follows a sinister love triangle involving a young musical protege (Phoebe Moore). When Edwin (Maisie Rose), her betrothed, is discovered dead, it's up to the audience to decide the culprit from a lineup including a predatory, mustachioed vocal coach (Chase Heinemann) and a visiting, orphaned suitor (Nathan Karnik). Dickensian class drama is present but takes a back seat to the lower-stakes, goofier antics of the performing company (like the charmingly overeager emcee work by Dustin Rothbart). Music direction by Aaron Kaplan is a highlight, including a dizzying, delightful word buffet "Both Sides of the Coin" performed by Rothbart and Heinemann, and a memorable rendition of "The Wages of Sin" by Katherine Dalin."

Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Recommended

"...Above all, more than many other musicals, a production of Drood needs to create an atmosphere - of play, honored history, and, yes, even a little mystery - to imbue the evening and tie everything up with a big frilly bow. At the Edge, what you see is what you get."

Chicago On Stage - Recommended

"...One of the great tricks of Holmes' script is the way that this tension is so often simply jettisoned as we watch the music hall actors just having a good time. Heinemann and Rothbart share a wonderfully entertaining duet about the confusion each feels about their characters in "Both Sides of the Coin." The start of the show ("There You Are") sets this dynamic up as the Chairman picks various cast members out of the audience to sing comic introductions. Later, the entire company joins together for its signature tune, "Off to the Races," despite that song having nothing to do with the show at hand. (They wedge it in anyway.) "

NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Walking into the theater, there were large groups of friends as well as people running into folks they hadn't seen in a while, lending a sense of community to the space. I felt as if I had come back to my high school or college days when seeing a show meant supporting your friends. This association left me hopeful for the choose-your-own-adventure to come. But only the lack of maturity carried over. "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" lacks energy and a sense of fun. A musical isn't a concert: you can't just sing the songs. Whatever the show, it ought to say something about the world outside of the theater."