Dunellen Borough Councilman Jason Cilento will be performing in the Light Opera of New Jersey (LONJ)’s version of Rupert Holmes’ Tony Award-winning musical, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” at the South Orange Performing Art Center (SOPAC).
The musical is inspired by Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel regarding the murder of reluctant groom Edwin Drood. All members of the cast play dual roles. Cilento plays Neville Landless, one of the original suspects in Drood’s murder as well as Victor Grinstead. As the musical develops, it becomes clear that everyone in town had motives to want Drood’s demise, and since the novel was never completed, Holmes allows the audience to decide who murdered Drood. This allows for a different ending for each performance.
Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Management, Cilento has been involved in the theater world for years. He minored in Theatre Studies at Kean University and has performed in several NJ productions, most recently in “When We Are Married” with the Chester Theatre Group and “The Spitfire Grill- The Musical” at The Barn Theatre in Montville, NJ.
Cilento is not the only Dunellen resident with a knack for acting. Roger Dornbierer, the chairman of the borough’s planning board who played Col. Thomas McKean in Plays-in-the Park’s “1776” in 2010 just completed a sold-out run of the same musical at Playhouse 22 this past June, in the role of John Dickinson.
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood” starts at 8 p.m. July 8, 9, 15, 16 and at 2 p.m. July 10 and 17 at South Orange Performing Arts Center, 1 SOPAC Way, South Orange. Tickets cost $30, $35, or $40 and are available for purchase at http://www.sopacnow.org/mystery-edwin-drood or by calling (973) 313-2787.