South Orange native Molly Dunn is starring as Rosa Bud in Light Opera of New Jersey’s upcoming production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood at SOPAC. Dunn has been in involved with the arts her entire life, singing her way through Jefferson Elementary School, South Orange Middle School, and Newark Academy. She holds a Masters of Music from New York University and has been performing in opera and musical theatre ever since.
Dunn currently resides in Jersey City and when she isn’t on stage, she is running her voice studio, Singing with Molly. “Drood is the ultimate theatre experience,” said Dunn. “You get a traditional musical, murder mystery, operatic melodies, improvisation, audience participation, and of course, a love story, all in one show.” Her favorite part of Drood is that the audience votes for the ending. Every night has a different star, so theatergoers can see the play more than once.
Here’s more about the play, from LONJ’s website:
“Light Opera of New Jersey is proud to present Rupert Holmes’ Tony Award winning musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Inspired by Charles Dickens’ novel, this musical seeks to write the ending that Dickens never finished. As the story begins, we find that Edwin Drood is reluctantly betrothed to the young, beautiful Rosa Bud. Drood’s uncle, John Jasper, is obsessively entranced by Rosa and loathes the prospect of her wedding. A new competitor, Neville Landless, moves into town and instantly falls for Rosa, but Neville gets into a heated fight with Drood when they first meet.
When Drood goes missing shortly after with only a blood-stained coat left behind, the whole town believes the murderer must be Neville or Jasper, until it becomes clear that everyone in town also has a motive for killing Drood. It is up to you to decide who has murdered Drood! With plenty of opportunities for audience participation, Drood is sure to delight with a surprise ending every night. This charming production is directed by Jeffrey Fiorello with music direction by Stephen Fox and is produced by William Corson.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood will be performed July 8, 9, 15, and 16 at 8pm and July 10 and 17 at 2pm at South Orange Performing Arts Center, 1 SOPAC Way, South Orange, NJ 07079. Tickets are $30, $35, and $40 Reserved Seating. Tickets are available for purchase at www.sopacnow.org/mystery-edwin-drood/ or by calling (973) 313-2787.”
