Winning The Game by Axel Duke

Winning The Game. 

Clue may not be what most people envision when asked to picture the quinticental stage show, however, with every positive trait conjured up, the pristine image of Clue gets clearer and clearer. Clue is most definitely the dark horse of the 2023-24 Orpheum season, with its droves of comedic moments, hoard of incredible talent, and props with more character than most other productions. 

Clue loosely follows the story of the similarly titled 1985 film, as well as the 1949 board game to an even looser degree. Our colorful cast of socialites and power players find themselves trapped in Boddy manor, and must attempt to unravel the evening killing with the help of the manor's dwindling staff. With such a formulaic-sounding plot, one could very easily mistake Clue for a lesser show, however within the confines of this show's story, grows perhaps the most perfect example of an archetypal good play. By limiting its intentions to telling a bottle story with a constant number of characters, Clue manages to break the norm of reaching for the mega-musical stylings of its modern contemporaries in favor of telling a complete, comedic, and compact show, all while respecting the time and intelligence of its audience. Despite its condensed narrative structure, Clue is still spilling over with bombast and physicality in both its performances and props. 

When it comes to physicality, John Shartzer’s Mr Green was a standout. Even when juxtaposed against his similarly aerobic castmates, Shartzer’s seemingly infinite well of energy never failed to amaze. 

When it comes to comedic timing, John Treacy Egan’s portrayal of Colonel Mustard was outstanding. Despite the incredible comedic density of Clue, Egan still managed to expertly amuse all of the audience. With a fast mouth and an indestructible poker face, Egan never failed to deliver

Finally, Mark Price’s performance of Wordsworth stood as the perfect equilibrium between the specialties of his contemporaries. Price was never more dynamic than Shartzer or as continuously comedic as Egan, but rather combined equal parts of every other actor's specialty, creating a performance that was simultaneously, comedic, compelling, energetic, restrained, realistic, and larger than life. 

A similarly exceptional amount of talent and effort was very obviously devoted to the Props of Clue. Every door, appliance, and fixture was expertly crafted, and with every interaction, Boddy Manor felt progressively more palpable. Likewise, the live technical aspects of Clue were similarly superb, with every light, sound effect, and set movement being executed flawlessly. The only caveat to the technical perfection of the show is that due to the set’s size when compared to the stage’s size, occasionally an audience member, seated at the back of the house would be able to catch a glimpse of the run crew performing a scene change. 

With criticisms so sparse, and commendations so abundant, Clue stands as a testament to theatre’s continued ability to build something beautiful on otherwise barren ground. The best show of the season has yet to be decided, but as of now, Clue is winning the game.