“Clue”

**** How many of you recall the board game, Clue. It was always a fun game for the family and allowed our young minds an opportunity to think like adults. My older brother, Marty, had a great memory, so as we amassed our clues, without ever writing a note, he remembered all of the alibis and where each character was ( at all times). Each of us became a character in the story and each room of the estate had its own importance to the evening’s entertainment. It was a far cry from Monopoly for sure.

Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock  (Joanna Glushak) in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard ( deftly handled by David Hess)in the library with the wrench? What about timid Mr. Green ( an incredible performance by the very nimble John Shartzer) . Based on the fan-favorite 1985 Paramount Pictures movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro ( or is it Parker Brothers?) board game, Clue is a board game brought to live action for 90 minutes ( no intermission).

The set is an amazing mansion with many rooms and walls that move and change quite quickly as the story progresses. I won’t give away the entire story, but it involves six characters who have been invited to a dinner party. Besides the aforementioned guests, we have Professor Plum ( Jonathan Spivey), Miss Scarlet ( a powerful portrayal by Christina Anthony),  Mrs. White (the vivacious Donna English),or perhaps Yvette ( Elisabeth Yancey), the Cook ( Mariah Burks) or The Butler a/k/a  Wadsworth ( an amazing performance by Jeff Skowron). Their host, Mr. Boddy ( the very agile Alex Syiek takes on this role and others) is just one of the bodies that we find in this huge mansion. The set (Lee Savage) is amazingly clever considering that this show is here for such a short period, and the direction (Casey Hushion) sparkles with the speed and accuracy of walls moving and  lights changing ( lighting by Ryan O’Gara). The sound (Jeff Human)  is crystal clear and the music, composed by Michael Holland adds to the mystique of the entire production.

The play is written by Sandy Rustin based on the film, screenplay by Jonathan Lynn and of course both are based on the Parker Brothers game, “Clue”.

You will find yourselves engrossed in the story from the very onset and you may find yourself laughing at things that you might normally not find funny. There is slapstick in the play and some very silly things. For example, when all of the characters are searching the mansion, one of them is carrying what appears to be the floorplan of the home game itself. I have seen other productions where they carry the actual game board. Not so, this one, but it sure looks close.

While this is not great theater, it is in fact a fun experience that will take your mind off all the world problems that we are hearing about daily, so why not take 90 minutes of your life and have some fun?  If you have ever played the Parker Brothers home game, you will get a real kick out of how this plays out.This is certainly the right show to ease any tension you might have and you only have a short time to do so.