“Whodunits,” the classic murder mystery genre, have been a surefire staple in the arts and entertainment industries. But never before have I seen one performed live until this last weekend, where I saw “Clue Live on Stage!” and I couldn’t recommend it enough.
When I walked into the William Saroyan Theatre for the first time, I was not only amazed by the scope of the theatre, but by the number of audience members waiting for the doors to open. As we began to take our seats, I discovered that this was a packed house. From the orchestra level, nearly every seat I could see was filled with guests. As the lights began to dim, thousands of people slowly fell to silence before “lightning” flashed and the curtains rose.
The first scene opens with Yvette, the maid, played by Zoie Tannous, watching the news on TV as the McCarthy trials are being discussed, setting the scene as the audience is taken back to that time period and political climate of the U.S.
The performances by the entire cast were incredible. Not only were they able to truly capture the essence of the characters they embodied, but the cast also got to embellish with their characters and provide new additions that just felt right. In particular, Sarah Mackenzie Baron as Mrs. White spoke with this monotone voice that fit her character perfectly.
While every character got additional fun lines, Nate Curlott as Colonel Mustard really made the most of his. With the play’s take on the Colonel making him more of an idiot than in the movie, Curlott delivered his lines with the utmost confidence. He really sold just how oblivious Colonel Mustard was.
Just like the movie, the play entirely takes place in Boddy Manor. In the movie, Boddy Manor is filled with a seemingly endless supply of rooms, long hallways and secret passageways. Having to recreate this environment on just one stage wasn’t an easy task, and yet not once did anything feel out of place.
The walls on stage swung open to reveal small platforms that showcased the various rooms of the house, like the lounge and the kitchen, while larger scenes like the dining room and the study had props brought on stage in a way that just felt natural.
When something couldn’t be achieved on stage inconspicuously, it was instead leaned into. Later on, when Wadsworth the butler, played by Adam Brett, takes the cast ‘running’ through different rooms throughout the mansion, everyone jogged in place as backgrounds are slowly raised or lowered onto the stage, getting a laugh from the audience every time.
Everyone split up into pairs and looked for clues. Instead of following each pair into separate rooms on their own, the cast broke out into a dance routine as bright lights switched between vibrant colors. As the cast danced, they entered one door and came out the other, like the hijinks of a Scooby Doo cartoon, but with even more flair. Colonel Mustard even holds up a game board of Clue to use as a map before running through another door.
At one point in the movie, a gun went off and knocked a chandelier loose before it crashed to the ground. To replicate this in the play, everyone begins to speak and act in slow motion as they warned Mr. Green, played by TJ Lamando, that he is standing directly under the chandelier. The lights changed to a deep blue as the chandelier was slowly lowered to the ground, with Lamando falling onto his back as the chandelier finally stopped right above him. The lights returned to their natural warm color, and Lamando screamed as he scrambled out from under the chandelier.
These changes didn’t just adapt the story of the movie; they made the “Clue Live on Stage!” experience a truly unique one, and I loved every second of it.
While the movie was originally distributed with three separate endings, “Clue Live on Stage!” instead follows the third “Here’s what really happened” ending from the movie, but with a bit of a twist. One by one, a character would reveal they were holding a murder weapon and confess, before time would rewind and a different character would confess to a different murder.
The sixth rewind would end up being the real ending, combining the iconic “one plus two plus two plus one” argument between Miss Scarlet, played by Camille Capers, and Wadsworth, and the “flames on the side of my face” monologue from Mrs. White, who would, for the first time, not speak in a monotone voice.
As Mr. Green said his famous line, “I’m going home to sleep with my wife,” the curtains closed before quickly opening to reveal the entire cast taking a bow on stage. With thunderous applause, the entire theatre rose to give a well-earned standing ovation.
Perhaps there is a symbiotic relationship between film and classical theatre in the future, with iconic movies being adapted into plays. General audiences are familiar with the storylines of movies, so when adapted into a play, they already know they like the story. The royalties given to studios could help pay for whatever movie comes next, and more people would be interested in seeing classical theatre. I, for one, know that I’m more interested in plays after having watched “Clue Live on Stage!”
For those interested in seeing “Clue Live on Stage!” for themselves, the tour schedule can be found online.
