M.A.D. Theatre to Present THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD at Straz Center, Begin. 8/15

M.A.D. Theatre, Tampa's "Music, Acting, Dance" company, presents The Mystery of Edwin Drood August 15-18 and 22-25, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., at the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts Shimberg Playhouse, 1010 North W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa.

Written by Rupert Holmes, the-whodunit, audience participation musical is based on the unfinished Charles Dickens' novel,The Mystery of Edwin Drood, comically staged by a loony Victorian musical troupe. At the center of the plot is a love triangle between John Jasper (a Jekyll-and-Hyde choirmaster), the object of his affection (Miss Rosa Bud, his music student), and his nephew, Edwin Drood, who happens to be engaged to Miss Bud. The title character mysteriously disappears at a Christmas Eve celebration-but has Drood been murdered? If so, by whom? Cue the audience to answer that question and orchestrate the show's final scenes.

Winner of the 1986 Tony Award for Best Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood recently won the hearts of audiences and critics alike, earning a 2013 nomination for Best Revival of a Musical. M.A.D. Theatre of Tampa's production is directed/choreographed by Jennifer Marshall, with musical direction by Justin Havard. Tickets are $22 and may be purchased online at www.strazcenter.org.

M.A.D. Theatre of Tampa, founded in 1999, incorporates the three performing arts-music, acting and dance-to bring affordable musical theater to stages throughout the Tampa Bay area. Committed to providing superior entertainment by expanding the horizons of its audiences and encouraging all individuals to create, perform and develop their talents, M.A.D. Theatre is a non-profit organization run by community volunteers.