One viewing of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” is probably not enough, say cast members of Olympic Theatre Arts’ upcoming musical comedy.

With several possible endings, each show will likely be a different experience.

Based on renowned author Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel of the same name, the comedic musical runs at OTA for three weeks from March 10-26.

The production features a lighter tone than Dickens’ work and includes audience members’ votes on who among the cast becomes the murderer, the inspector and lovers via applause and polling during the show.

“It’s fun; I think it’s gonna get a lot of people coming out more than once,” said Matthew Forrest, who plays Neville Landless, one of the potential murderers.

“If you don’t (come at least twice), you’re gonna miss a lot of funny quips that you might not vote on because you only get one (ending) per night.”

Bailey Loveless, who plays Rosa Bud — another potential murderer — said OTA’s “Lavender Melodrama” last summer was a good indicator that attendees really embrace audience participation.

“People really enjoy it and were heckling us every night — and I mean that politely,” Loveless said.

“We want you to come and ‘boo’ the villain and figure out who is doing what.”

“The audience really is part of the cast,” actor Carl Honoré said.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ David Herbelin (as William Cartwright) introduces the audience to the play-within-a-play of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” at Olympic Theatre Arts.

Show-within-a-show

“The Mystery of Edwin Drood” is a show-within-a-show, presented by a pretend Victorian theatre company, with Greg Scherer directing and Steven Humphrey directing music.

Scherer said they’ve been busy preparing for all the possible combinations of endings — 18 possible lover combinations, eight murder suspects and five investigators — for a total of 720 combinations.

“It’s truly different for each production,” he said.

Susan Cates, who plays Edwin Drood, said most of the company doesn’t know the killer until the “Murderer’s Confession” song.

Each principal “lover” actor has to memorize three distinct songs they can be called upon to sing depending on audience voting, Loveless said.

“They may never sing them, but they have to have them,” Cates said.

She said audience members may be able to pick up on clues and motives and lead them to vote for a particular person, or they may just vote for an actor they know, such as their cousin.

“It’s a pretty absurd and wild ride,” Loveless said. “It’s wacky and fun.”

Bailey Loveless (Rosa Bud) front left, and other actors work with choreographer Kristina Wight-Leininger on moves for one of the many songs in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” “It’s a pretty absurd and wild ride,” Loveless said of the play. “It’s wacky and fun.”

Musical scale

This musical might be among the largest OTA has ever put on, Honoré said, as it typically produces smaller, more intimate musicals.

“(Humphrey) is incredible,” Scherer said of his direction of the orchestra that features two keyboards, a bass, violin, cello and drums.

Loveless loves the theatrics and music of the play, she said, as “it’s got a lot of variety in the types of songs we sing with expansive vocal ranges.”

“There’s just a lot going on,” she said. “It’s exciting and challenging.”

The cast and production team find different favorites throughout, too.

Scherer said one of his favorites, “No Good Can Come from Bad,” features a sextet at a dining room table.

“The tension builds with a storm in the background, and all these different technical elements to create this incredible story,” he said.

Cates said she loves “The Garden Path to Hell” sung by Princess Puffer (Beth McHugh) because “it’s so heartbreaking as she falls /from being an upstanding woman to being an opium dealer.”

Cates said, “She sings it so well and it’s so heartbreaking.”

Honoré loves “Perfect Strangers” by Cates and Loveless because he finds it to be “one of the greatest break-up songs in American theater,” he said.

Whatever the combination, Scherer said the cast and production team feel it’s going to be exciting for audiences.

“It’s a musical royale,” he said. “We don’t even know how it’s going to come out.”

For more information, visit olympictheatrearts.org.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (musical comedy)

Where: Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave.

When: March 10-26; 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays

Tickets: $25 online at olympictheatrearts.org or call 360-683-7326 (1-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday)

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Beth McHugh as Princess Puffer, front, practices a dance number with other cast members in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” at Olympic Theatre Arts running March 10-26. The musical comedy invites audience members’ participation to vote on the murderer, and more.

Sequim Gazette photoS by Matthew Nash Cast members practice a dance number for “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” at Olympic Theatre Arts, which runs three weekends March 10-26. The musical comedy invites audience members’ participation to vote on the murderer, and more.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Cast members practice a dance number for “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” at Olympic Theatre Arts, which runs three weekends March 10-26. The musical comedy invites audience members’ participation to vote on the murderer, and more.