Evan Zimmerman
Murder mystery board game Clue has been with us for decades. First launched in the UK in 1949 — known as Cluedo — the game came to US shores courtesy of Parker Brothers — now Hasbro — and has been a hit with many different editions and variations on the game play ever since as the players try to solve a murder with various characters of colorful epithets and various weapons as the suspects. In 1985 the game was developed into a feature film from Paramount Pictures with the novelty of having three different endings depending on where you saw it (the home video release included all three endings stitched together in a string of ‘it really happened like this’ sequences which is carried over to the play). The film was a flop, but over the years it has developed a large cult following thanks mainly to its inspired all-star cast headed by Tim Curry as the butler Wadsworth. (Side note: Sony Pictures has just acquired the rights to a movie remake/TV series adaptation.) Now the classic game — and movie — comes to vivid life on stage.
The plot — which is based on Jonathan Lynn’s screenplay for the film, with a Book by Sandy Rustin and Additional Materials by Hunter Foster and Eric Price — should be familiar. A group of six ‘strangers’ are summoned to Boddy Manor for reasons unknown. They are to address each other by the host’s given names — Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet, Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Professor Plum — so as to keep their identities secret … except they all pretty much know of each other as they all have had quite public lives (and this particular production had great fun with references to Washington DC). And all of them are being blackmailed by the host, Mr. Boddy. Wadsworth, the butler, reveals all of their dirty laundry and Mr. Boddy turns up to release them from the blackmail if they perform one task: murder Wadsworth because he knows all their secrets, and his. If they can’t, the blackmail triples. He gives them each a weapon — candlestick, rope, lead pipe, wrench, revolver, dagger — but no one wants to do the deed. Boddy turns off the lights, a shot rings out, and when the lights are back on … Boddy is the body on the floor. In addition to the six suspects and Wadsworth, there is also a maid and a cook to consider, plus a singing telegram girl, a stranded motorist and a police officer who show up unexpectedly … and they all end up dead, the killer(s) using each of the various weapons handed out earlier. So whodunit?
Clue: On Stage made its premiere in 2017 at the Bucks County Playhouse. A revised version premiered in 2020 at the Cleveland Play House, moved to the West Coast in 2021 at the La Mirada Playhouse, and had another production at the Paper Mill Playhouse in 2022. Retitled simply Clue, the 2024 tour based on the Paper Mill production launched in Minneapolis and has taken up residence at The Kennedy Center.
This production follows the basic premise of the movie but does simplify the characters a bit. In the film, many of them have relationships with each other, the staff of the manor or Mr. Boddy himself. Here they all know of each other but no one seems to have any personal relationship with the others except … Mrs. White does seem to know the maid, and Mrs. Peacock seems to know the cook. The women quickly deny any knowledge of the help, but when both turn up dead the women are the main suspects as their weapons were used in the murders. Only during the initial revelations of the guests’ pasts do we get to learn anything about them, but it’s enough to keep the story rolling.
Having seen Clue now for a second time, I can say it was a much more enjoyable experience, perhaps mainly because the sound issue that plagued the previous production had been corrected and I could clearly hear everyone speaking … even Yvette and her comically thick French accent (although it is still a bit hard to understand at times). What I also noticed was that after four months since the last viewing, the cast seems to have really eased into their roles, playing things much more loose, maybe an occasional ad-lib here and there. Everything just felt much more free and natural.
Evan Zimmerman
Mark Price leads the cast as Wadsworth, and it is a tour de force of a performance. Price has the most dialogue and one of the two most physical performances in the show. He has to be the players’ — and the audience’s — guide through the ‘game’, at one point recapping the entire show complete with spot on impressions of the other characters, switching accents and voices. Giving him a run for his money is John Shartzer as Mr. Green. Shartzer plays Green as very high-strung, the most over-the-top of the characters, and the one with even more physical stunts than Price. He does get a showstopping slo-mo moment that is a highlight of the production, and one I eagerly awaited to see again.
The other cast members are also terrific. John Treacy Egan is hilarious as the malaprop-prone Colonel Mustard, reacting to the lines with great coming timing. Christina Anthony shines as Miss Scarlet, the one guest who seems to be the most level-headed as she takes charge at one point to find some evidence, and she has some great facial expressions and reactions to the goings-on around her. Joanna Glushak, last seen at the Kennedy Center in 1776, is a hoot as Mrs. Peacock, politician’s wife and hypocrite, giving a very ‘Carol Burnett as an old lady’ vibe as she used to do on her variety show. And I mean that as the highest of compliments. Perhaps because of her colorful outfit and hilariously over-done make-up (you could see that rouge from space), it’s hard to take your eyes off of her because she’s always doing something even when she’s not front and center (maybe the others know this and have to turn their own performances up to 11 to not be upstaged). Tari Kelly is more restrained as Mrs. White, the more reserved of all the characters, attempting to maintain whatever class status she thinks she has. But she also has some wonderful facial expressions and she gets to do a little tango to boot. She, unfortunately, is saddled with the famous ‘flames on my face’ line that Madeline Kahn (allegedly) improvised in the movie. I was critical of the lackluster delivery the first time I saw the show, and I feel that she is leaning more into it, but it still needs to be much more over-the-top. It was, however, a big crowd-pleaser earning her a large round of applause. Jonathan Spivey is fun as the analytical Professor Plum and he’s great when he’s got some business to do, like examine a dead body. Through no fault of the performance, the character just seems to disappear into the background at other times, so Spivey makes sure to turn it on every time he’s the center of attention (and in an ensemble cast like this there is always going to be one character who gets shorted in the script). Alex Syiek is an imposing presence when he makes his appearance as Mr. Boddy, with his thick New Yawk accent, and he shows up throughout the play as the Motorist and Police Chief (and take note of the names he gives with each entrance) as well, doing completely different voices. Mariah Burks gets big laughs as the Cook and the Singing Telegram Girl, while Teddy Trice appears as two different Cops. Each and every actor in this show is really on their game, and they make the show such a joy to watch and laugh with.
Lee Savage’s set design is outstanding with its hidden rooms built into the sides of the set, as well as an entire room that rolls forward on stage, and other nifty tricks to prevent things from becoming static. Director Casey Hushion also keeps the cast moving back and forth across the stage as the scenery changes to give the appearance they are moving about the rooms and hallways of the manor, and Ryan O’Gara’s lighting design keeps the stage well-lit when needed, using darkness as a tool as well, and really getting creative along with the sound design by Jeff Human for the ‘it happened like this’ scenes as things keep rewinding and resetting. This all comes into play earlier in the show as well during that slo-mo moment that has to be seen and heard to be appreciated. Jan Caprio’s costumes are perfection, reminiscent of the movie’s but still making them her own, and the hair, wigs and make-up by J. Jared Janas totally transforms the actors into their characters (look at their head shots on the website and compare them to their characters — total transformations).
I will revise my earlier assessment of the show and say that, with everyone really jelling and the comedy timing absolutely perfected (and that includes the sound and lighting cues), Clue is one of the best non-musical stage shows you’ll see this year. It is 90-minutes of pure entertainment, a campy good time filled with wonderful performances, a great technical production, and with a script that delivers huge laughs and a mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. Clue is simply pure escapist fun, something we desperately need in our current times.
Note: Portions of this review were previously published on May 8, 2024.
Clue runs about 1 hour 30 minutes, no intermission. Recommended for ages 13 and up. Includes smoke, haze, and thunder and gunshot sound effects.
Clue runs through October 6 at Washington DC’s Kennedy Center Opera House. Other cities on the schedule include San Francisco, Albuquerque, Santa Barbara, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Toledo and more. Visit the official website for more information. Use our Ticketmaster link to purchase tickets.
Clue National Tour
Hasbro
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
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