A Dickens of a part

Implausible as it may seem for a 21st-century woman to transform into a grande dame from a British musical only to transform again into a character from a Charles Dickens novel, actress Mary Van Arsdel of Burbank wears all these hats in the musical murder mystery “Drood.”

Van Arsdel will perform as Angela Prysock from 18th-century Britain who will then perform as Princess Puffer, a character from Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel, “Drood.” The Tony Award-winning musical adaptation and play-within-a-play, created by Rupert Holmes and produced by the Musical Theatre Guild, will come to life Monday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.

As far apart as an 18th-century stock British character can be from a fallen woman who runs an opium den, performing the parts is fun because the contradictory roles create a strong social commentary, Van Arsdel said.

“I have the opportunity to do something really raucous and funny and poignant because Angela is a comedienne and has funny lines with sexual innuendoes,” she said.

However, in Act Two, Princess Puffer is able to tell her story without all the tongue-in-cheek jokes.

“It becomes Dickensian and a commentary on the lower class and a woman that has no opportunities . . . We play that very real, and it is a very poignant moment,” she said. “It is a strong dichotomy, which is really very fun.”

Developing character depth is also challenging in the 25-hour period in which the actors, directors, orchestra and producer have to prepare for opening night, she said.

“We all joke that it’s like being shot out of a cannon — it’s high-pressure, fast work, and it’s all over in one or two performances,” Van Arsdel said.

“The most difficult thing is keeping ourselves focused on what is most important — to serve the material whether we are seen without our script or with the script. Our first job is to serve the material so we can tell the story. It’s a tricky line to maintain performance level and performance level choices [and] at the same time not having enough time to memorize it.”

The rapidity at which everything is organized is difficult, but Van Arsdel has maintained professionalism, said Burbank resident Tom Griffin, music director for “Drood.”