Colonel Must-See by Claire Huss

Colonel Must-See

Thunder crashes. The Orpheum’s chandelier flickers. The curtain rises, and the game begins. Based on a 1985 Paramount Pictures film based on a 1949 Hasbro board game, Clue recounts a mysterious dinner party gone murderous. 

The play follows the 1985 movie very closely. Six guests are invited to Boddy Manor under colorful pseudonyms and discover that they are being blackmailed and threatened to be reported to the House of Un-American Affairs Committee. The course of the night is completely flipped as soon as murders begin to occur throughout the house.

Clue depends on a hilarious cast. This production delivers. The physical comedy of John Shartzer (Mr. Green) was executed flawlessly without overdoing it. Shartzer’s germaphobic tendencies cause him to writhe on the floor, at times scooting across the stage in an absurdly funny, wormlike manner. The pure idiocy of John Treacy Egan’s portrayal of Colonel Mustard highlights the actor’s effortless talent of comedic timing, especially as he and Michelle Elaine (Miss Scarlet) play off of each other’s performances. 

Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

The standout performance was Mark Price (Wadsworth). Price understands the archetypal macabre butler role he plays and tells the arc of Wadsworth masterfully. Wadsworth only gets sillier as the show progresses without descent into complete madness. Even at the end of the show recap, Price retains complete control over a physically demanding monologue in which he does an impression of every character’s journey and retells the plot in seconds. 

However, the true star of this production is the set designer, Lee Savage. The set is genius. Right from the play's opening moments, I was drawn in by the intricacies and attention to detail in every part of the set. The tile floors mimic traditional board game squares in which players move pieces across, symbolizing the “pieces” acting out the story before our eyes. I gasped the first time the set was pulled out to reveal the lounge. The way the set unfolded to reveal other rooms in Boddy Manor, mimicking the original ease of changing locations in a board game, showed Savage's true designing prowess.  

The Stage Manager, Margot Whitney, brings the set to life with technical cues. Each cue was excellently timed to create dramatic, campy effects necessary to make Clue the delight that it was. As soon as a character looked into the audience, the lighting cue instantly spotlit the actor before seamlessly transitioning back into the normal setting. In each “murder” that occurs, the lighting effect and outstretched gloved hand in the scene were highly effective and even legitimately frightening! The most impressive technical feat of the show is the precision required during Wadsworth’s behemoth monologue at the end of the show. As he speeds through lines, the stage manager must call cues exactly to ensure that the comedic effect of the monologue fully lands and does justice to the talent of Mark Price. Whitney does this superbly.

So, should you see Clue? Absolutely. The show has recognizable characters, fantastic comedy, and a bite-sized run time of 90 minutes. Because it is so easily digestible, Clue is the show for everyone. See Clue at the Orpheum Theatre, now through March 3rd!