Exploring history

When they started preparing to perform “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” High Tech High School’s musical theatre majors had never heard of the murder mystery, but now the learning process has given them a whole new appreciation for history.
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood” was the final novel written by Charles Dickens, who died in 1870 before finishing the book. The theatre adaptation, which was originally performed on Broadway in 1986 and won many Tony awards including Best Musical, was written by Rupert Holmes, who is also known for composing pop songs.
Students performed the show last weekend and were scheduled to perform the show again on Friday, March 18 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 19 at 1 and 7 p.m. They have been rehearsing since November, and have created an English Victorian music hall and costumes.
“The educational impact that the students have discovered on this journey has been incredibly well received,” said Music Theatre Director Alex Perez, who explained that while the students were familiar with Dickens’ other works, they had no idea about “Drood.”
He continued: “It made exploring history and English a fun, visceral experience and a shared experience by the cast, crew and student orchestra.”