TURN-ONS AND TURN-OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : Excellent Good Fair Poor : COMPACT DISCS

“The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” Original Broadway cast. Polydor. DDD (digital recording). By leaving his last novel unfinished, Charles Dickens unwittingly inspired a Broadway smash. Rupert Holmes’ innovative adaptation recently won five Tonys, including best musical. The CD is a winner, too, offering all of the play’s various solutions. Holmes’ songs may seldom be as brilliant as they are competently Sondheim-ian (lovely “Moonfall” is a notable exception), but the dualities-upon-dualities of the androgynous, music-hall presentation consistently entertain. A 10-page booklet contains lyrics and a sketch of the plot. 1/2