“Clue”

[rating=5] As a young(er) person we played a game called CLUE. It was a board game where a murder took place and with clues we, the players, had to figure out who did the deed and in what room and with what weapon. There were many to choose from and it was always a fun time. The movie was a smash (1985) and had a cast that was filled with stars: Martin Mull, Eileen Brennan, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Lesley Ann Warren and Tim Curry. I think they may have done a remake on this and then a version onstage as a musical. The play, now on the stage at The Mercury Theater, is adapted from the film by Jonathan Lynn and written by Sandy Rustin, and of course it is all based on the Hasbro board game, CLUE.

Since the pandemic many people have not returned to the theater. Instead they have signed on to movies on their TV sets and while movies and series are wonderful, the live theater experience is still the greatest as one never knows what to expect. Yes, even a play, in particular a comedy, will have different results based on the interaction with the players and the audience. Tonight’s crowd at The Mercury truly proved that. In fact, even the actors enjoyed the response from this sold out crowd. I must say that Jane laughed harder than I have ever heard.

Directed to perfection by L. Walter Stearns who has assembled a cast that is sheer perfection. In fact, several of the actors appear to be playing roles that were written with them in mind. The story is set in the 1950’s. It is a dark and stormy night. Six people arrive at the home of one Robert Boddy. As they arrive we start to see the strange story unfold. It is a special dinner party and all are greeted by the butler, Wadsworth ( an amazing portrayal by Mark David Kaplan) who is truly the person who makes this work as well as it does. I don’t want to give away to much of the story or the characters within, but will tell you that this is probably the funniest that Kaplan has ever been.

The other cast members, each being a character from the game itself are all powerful. This is a show that proves that there are no small parts. Tiffany Taylor as Yvette the maid and Honey West as Cook are both delights to watch. Even Andrew MacNaughton and Patrick Byrnes who play very small parts are integral to the story and its movement.

These are the special characters: Miss Scarlet (Erica Stephan is a delight to watch),  Professor Plum ( deftly handled by Andrew Jessop), Mr. Green ( the powerful and very funny Kevin Roston Jr.), Mrs Peacock ( played to perfection by Nancy Wagner),Mrs. White ( McKinley Carter is dynamite) and last , but certainly not least, a man who was born for comic roles, Jonah D. Winston as Colonel Mustard.

The story is fun and the ending hysterical. (90 minutes of laughter is about all one can handle). There is no intermission, so from start to finish you will forget about every problem you have faced over the last three years- it is just fun! fun! fun!

The set itself is almost a character. I was surprised to see what they built for this particular show but Bob Knuth knocked it out of the ball park. Walls move to unveil rooms that are needed and there are lots of doors ( a need for this type of comedy). The lighting ( G. “Max” Maxin IV) and the sound ( Kurt Sniekus) were perfect and the props ( Jonathan Berg-Einhorn )were marvelous . Marquecia Jordan’s costumes were well done and the music by Michael Holland added to the story.

If you are in need of some laughter- this is the show you will want to see. “Clue” will continue at The Mercury Theater thru January 1st 2023 with performances as follows:

Wednesdays  8 p.m.

Thursdays  8 p.m.

Fridays  8 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sundays  1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Tickets range from $35 and are available at www.MercuryTheaterChicago.om

The Theater is located at 3745 N. Southport

Covid Protocol is that masks are optional, but suggested ( to protect the actors)

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Clue”.