Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Now in its sixth season, J2 Spotlight lovingly stages revivals of CARNIVAL and THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

• By drediman
• May 19, 2026
• No Comments

Musical theater aficionados not quite satiated by New York City Center’s annual Encores! programming should be thankful for J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company, another producing entity — now in its sixth season — whose mandate largely overlaps with the Encores! mission statement of reviving nearly forgotten American musicals from the past, albeit in a far more intimate and constructive form (e.g., the inclusion of a curated cabaret series and post-show lectures to augment the audiences’ appreciation of the richness of America’s musical theater heritage, giving talented young performers a platform to hone their craft). Currently, J2 Spotlight’s three-show 2026 season is wrapping up at AMT Theater in the Theater District with a revival of Rupert Holmes’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which was preceded by a rare mounting of Bob Merrill’s Carnival (the first show of the season was Jerry Herman’s first musical Milk and Honey, which I unfortunately was unable to catch). Here are my thoughts on these musical theater outings — both impressively and lovingly directed by artistic director Robert W. Schneider with very minimal rehearsal time. Together, they satisfied the Broadway musical historian within me.

First up was the revival of the 1961 musical Carnival (RECOMMENDED). Featuring a book by Michael Stewart and a sumptuous score by Bob Merrill — which includes the recognizably lilting “Love Makes the World Go ‘Round”, albeit with truncated orchestrations — the musical tells the bittersweet coming of age story of Lili, an irrepressible girl on the verge of womanhood, whose pursuit for belonging and acceptance leads her to join a troupe of carnival performers. As with J2 Spotlight’s previous productions, Schneider refreshingly has no agenda if updating nor reinventing the material in order to force political correctness upon it and/or prove its relevance in today’s world. Largely staged and performed as originally intended, the revival isn’t ashamed to allow the musical to show its age and occasional inappropriateness — namely, the blatant male chauvinism and objectification of women that courses through the work — which frankly is part of the reason this revival is so fascinating. Thankfully, the cast finds the right balance between the outward showmanship of the carnival and the characters’ inner struggles to convey the intoxication of performing and the toll it takes on those who don’t have the long-term constitution for it. Chief among them were the sweet-voiced and convincingly youthful Bridget Delaney as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Lili — perhaps the linchpin casting of the entire production — as well as Mason Hensley as the puppeteer Paul whose tormenting demons attempt to demolish his deep affection for Lili. Both sang beautifully in the “golden age” style of musical theater, their voices projecting gorgeously unamplified, as in the olden days. The staging satisfactorily managed to convey the spectacle of the carnival, primarily through lively choreography and some amusing props (kudos especially to the puppets designed by Ed Christie).

Then there’s the currently-running revival of The Master of Edwin Drood (RECOMMENDED), which dropped anchor at AMT Theater soon after the departure of the aforementioned staging of Carnival. Unlike that musical, which I hadn’t seen nor heard much of the score of prior to the production here, I’ve been a longtime admirer of Drood, having spent much of my childhood marveling at Betty Buckley’s vocals immortalized on the original Broadway cast album and having twice seen Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2012 revival during its run. Similar to Meredith Willson’s The Music Man, the musical’s book, music, and lyrics (and orchestrations) were written by a single person, in this case Rupert Holmes. In a coup for J2 Spotlight, Holmes worked closely with Schneider and his cast to ensure that this revival conveyed just the right tone, both musically and theatrically, that was originally intended. Indeed, the staging captures the rowdy English musical hall antics wonderfully. Conceptually, the work is a far better fit for the intimate AMT Theater than Carnival was, given the level of interaction and general fourth wall-breaking that occurs throughout the show, which is delightfully told via a lively band of Victorian-era actors in a London music hall. For those of you unfamiliar with source material and the stage adaptation, the musical is based on the unfinished Charles Dickens’ novel of the same name. In order to solve the story’s central “mystery”, the actors consults the audience to advise them on how to resolve the tale. As a show built on character turns, I’m happy to report that a good majority of the company were up to the challenge. Standouts in the cast include Joel Blum as the Chairman, the evening’s sturdy and amiable host and narrator; the vocally-assured Quinn Corcoran, who was particularly unhinged as the mentally unstable John Jasper; Sierra Rein as a convincingly world-weary Princess Puffer; and Richard Rowan as a hilariously vacuous Reverend Crisparkle.

CARNIVAL / THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD
Off-Broadway, Musical
J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company at AMT Theater
Approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood runs through hrough May 24